Recovox News

Diet - No Fatty Snacks For Kelly Slater

2012-01-20T13:45:00.000-08:00

It kinda makes sense that Kelly Slater eats well and cares about what he puts in his body. After all, the 39-year-old pro surfing champion hurtles at high speeds through giant ocean swells with just his two feet and a surfboard — not exactly the sort of activity suited for a Dorito-munching dude with a beer belly.

Still, it's rare to talk to a guy with the kind of will power it takes to stick to tea and fresh-squeezed juices throughout the day. Slater, who has become an outspoken advocate of preserving the oceans and an ambassador for the healthy fast casual chain Daphne's California Greek, sticks to his principles in and out of the water. But that, as he hints during a recent email chat, doesn't necessarily mean he won't eat a fish taco.

First up, where are you right now and what are you up to? 

I'm in Santa Barbara and I've just been surfing and organizing my life a bit before I spend the rest of the winter in Hawaii.

How does eating affect surfing? Do you have to carbo-load or anything like that? 

Eating affects everything you do. [It's about] focus and physical strength/stamina. You have to have a balance of different things from your fruits (which I try to focus on in the morning) to your proteins and veggies, and also your carbs. 

Would it be generalizing to say that surfers eat a lot of tacos? 

Not really. Fish tacos are a staple for surfers, I'd say. Can't really mess that up. 

Can you tell us about your food history—like how you ate growing up? 

I didn't eat very well but didn't starve. Just lots of sugar and ice cream and all that. When I was around 20, I really started educating myself about the health issues and [learned about] what foods do inside your body.

You're about to turn 40. Has your metabolism changed as you've gotten a bit older? 
Not that I notice. I feel as good as ever and don't gain or lose much weight. 

You travel a lot. Is it hard to keep to any sort of routine? How do you do it? 
It's hard to have a consistent routine on the road. After years of doing it you know how to pull it off based on what's readily available in all of the places we go. 

What are some of your favorite spots around the world for food? Any favorite restaurants? 

I love France. Paris is amazing, and NYC has everything. LA is hard to beat and Singapore has the best of all worlds and lots of Asian and spicy foods that I love. My favorite restaurant is Tantina de la Playa in Bidart, France, a Basque seafood restaurant on the beach near Spain. 

We know you're involved in environmental issues with protecting the oceans. How do you feel about overfishing?

 It's a huge problem, but we have a giant population. It's definitely something we need to look 5 to 10 and even 50 to 100 years out at and figure out solutions for now and long term. 

Do you have any sustainable fish apps on your phone? 
I don't, but I'm pretty educated in which [fish] to eat and which to not order. 

Any organizations you wanna shout out that people can support to help protect the oceans and reefs? 

The first that comes to mind is the Plastic Pollution Coalition. I'll leave it at that for now but I've worked a bit with them over the past few years. 

What are your favorite beverages (alcoholic or non)? 

Lemon and honey in warm water in the morning. Fresh pressed juices during the day. Almond Milk and smoothies.

Do you cook, and if so, what's your best dish? 
I make a pretty good pancake. 

Last question: What do you eat if you want some comfort food?
 Hot Chocolate and maybe some soup.

Kara Goucher qualifies for 2012 Summer Olympics

2012-01-18T11:36:00.000-08:00

Kara Goucher of Portland, Ore., placed third in Saturday’s U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials for women in Houston, Texas, to earn a spot in the 2012 Summer Games in London.

The top three women and men advanced to the Olympic Games. Both races were held on the same day and the same course for the first time in American history.

Shalane Flanagan, Goucher’s training partner in Portland, Ore., has won in 2:25:38, followed by favorite Desiree Davila in 2:25:55 and Goucher 2:26:06. They were well under the U.S. Trials record of 2:28.

Saturday's trial was the second marathon for the 30-year-old Flanagan and first since she was the runner-up in New York in 2010. She has qualified for her third Olympics.

Davila, 28, the runner-up in Boston last year, is set to make her Olympic debut.

Goucher, 33, will compete in her second Games after running in the 5,000- and 10,000-meter races in Beijing.

Also, Jennifer Houck,27, a St. Scholastica graduate from Wright, was 47th in a field of 152 in 2:40:51; and Duluthian Katie Koski, 38, in a third U.S. Olympic Trials, was 80th in 2:45:27.

The Relationship Between Exercise and Inflammation (and What It Means for Your Workouts)

2012-01-18T11:30:00.000-08:00

By Mark Sisson

Since we’ve been on an inflammation kick the past couple weeks, I figured I’d start covering some of the areas of health and lifestyle that interact with inflammation. That doesn’t exactly narrow things down, seeing as how inflammation is involved in just about everything, but it does give me plenty of things to discuss. Today’s topic, exercise, was a little tricky, because the relationship between exercise and inflammation is anything but straightforward, seemingly fraught with inconsistencies and facts that appear to contradict one another. Exercise reduces inflammation, but it also increases it. And depending on the context, this increased inflammation due to exercise is either a good thing or a bad thing.

Sound confusing?

See for yourself. Study after study (epidemiological and clinical alike) shows that extended exercise programs generally reduce markers of inflammation (like C-reactive protein) over the long-term:

■In elderly Japanese women, a 12-week resistance training program reduced circulating levels of inflammatory markers compared to baseline; reductions in CRP were associated with increases in muscle thickness.
■American adults who engaged in frequent physical activity tended to have lower CRPs than adults who were more sedentary.
■In type 2 diabetics, (key term coming up) long-term high intensity resistance and aerobic training reduced inflammatory markers over the course of a year (independent of changes in body weight, meaning activity was the key factor).
■Endurance combined with resistance training reduced CRP in young, healthy women better than endurance training alone.
■In obese, post-menopausal women, a basic moderate cardio program lowered CRP without really affecting body weight either way over the course of a year.
■At the same time, though, several studies also show that exercise acutely spikes inflammatory markers:
■Volleyball practice elicits spikes in IL-6 in both male and female elite volleyball players.
■Acute exercise spiked CRP in cardiovascular disease patients (but a four-month exercise program lowered it).
■This table of inflammatory responses to strenuous endurance events shows some massive spikes in CRP, some up to 20-fold the baseline value.
There are many more out there, but the general gist is that regular exercise tends to lower markers of systemic inflammation while acute exercise increases markers of acute inflammation. And sometimes what’s acute can become chronic. How do we make sense of this? How do we avoid making those acute spikes a chronic, constant thing?

I had originally planned on digging through the literature and assembling a handy guide explaining the specific inflammatory responses to the different types of exercise, complete with exercise prescriptions based on cytokines and C-reactive protein and all that fun stuff until I realized that such an undertaking is too massive for a blog post, impossible given the limitations of the literature, and overly complex and frankly useless for the average reader. Instead, we have this: a rambling discussion of inflammation and exercise, peppered with helpful nuggets of advice wrought from years of personal (and painful) experience.

Effective exercise is inflammatory exercise… to a point.Some degree of inflammation is necessary if you hope to get anything tangible out of a workout regimen – hypertrophy, increased stamina, increased strength, improved work capacity – because your body gets stronger via the inflammatory response to the stress and by rebuilding and refortifying its tissues to deal with future demands. An effective training session is basically an acute stressor that initiates a transitory, temporary, but powerful inflammatory response. An effective training regimen is composed, then, of lots of those acutely stressful training sessions interspersed with plenty of recovery time against a backdrop of lots of slow moving and good nutrition. You can’t escape that.

Avoid inflammatory plateaus.Track your training. Plotted on a graph, the inflammatory responses to your training should resemble a series of peaks, dips, and valleys. If you don’t let your last exercise-induced inflammatory spike recede before exercising again, you’ll only heap more on the pile. If you keep stringing together spikes in inflammation without recovering from the previous one, they start to overlap and that starts to look a lot like chronic inflammation. That gives you a plateau, a mesa of inflammation. Avoid the mesa.

(You don’t actually have to order CRP tests after every training session and create Excel spreadsheets to “plot your inflammation.” Feeling it out is perfectly fine. Review last week’s post for symptoms and see if you qualify.)

Remember that acute inflammation (good, healthy, necessary) is characterized by an inflammatory response that resolves quickly, or as soon as the offending factor is removed. This takes a day or two, maybe even three, but as long as you remove the stinger/take your hand out of the flame/kill the pathogen/put down the barbell for a couple days, you will recover and the inflammation will subside. Inflammation becomes chronic when the stress is not removed, when you keep getting stung by the same bug/putting your hand in the flame/licking the dirty spinach/doing heavy deadlifts every single day. Don’t do these things and expect differently.

Any type of exercise – besides maybe walking – has the potential to become chronic and induce a state of chronic inflammation. Doing high-intensity Crossfit WODs every single day will do it. Training for a marathon will do it. Do what you enjoy without it becoming chronic. Endurance events aren’t going to kill you, but training for them might.

The reason why I single out Chronic Cardio, marathoning, triathlons, and other ultra-endurance events (and why it’s the easiest way to overtrain and become systemically inflamed in the process) is because excelling at those activities usually requires a ridiculous amount of training time. If you want to be the best Olympic weight lifter you can be, you’ll have to train hard and train often and undergo serious stress, but you won’t be under load for more than a second or two at a time. If you want to be the best endurance athlete you can be, you’re likely going to be “under load” for hours and hours each day. There is very little give in these sports, which is why regular endurance work is so problematic for so many people.

Endurance training is problematic for another reason: you can always complete the workout even when you should be resting. If you’re having a bad training day as an Olympic lifter, you simply won’t make the lift. You can’t slog through a heavy snatch; the necessary effort precludes you even attempting it. You’ll deload or call it a day or make it a light workout, but you’re not going to “power through,” because you physically cannot. But because endurance work is lower intensity, you can slog through the days when your body is trying to tell you to rest. It won’t be pretty, and you’ll feel awful and slow and heavy, but you’ll finish – and you’ll dig yourself in even deeper.

Interestingly, folks who run ultramarathons tend to have lower resting CRPs than marathoners. This threw me for a loop at first, but after thinking some more, it makes sense. All the ultramarathoners I knew were the guys who either couldn’t hack it as marathoners or simply didn’t want to push themselves to the brink. They were generally fairly laid back, while we marathoners were the hyper-competitive types. They would just kinda mosey along at a reasonable pace, while we treated 26.2 miles almost like an extended sprint. Our pacing was GO GO GO *slurp glucose gel pack* GO GO GO. Though they covered far more ground – sometimes more than 100 km – they never dug deep, not in the same way we did. They never had to “go to the well.” My well was running dry by the time I finished my career.

Yeah, exercise is a funny subject. There isn’t really a one-size-fits-all detailed prescription, which is why when I offer my suggestions for exercise on this blog, I try to keep them very general. Rather than prescribe this many sets of these specific lifts for this many reps at this weight, I say “lift heavy things.” That could be bodyweight, sandbags, barbells, kettlebells, or the latest in HIT machine technology. Rather than tell you to jog at this heart rate for this long at this grade this many times a week, I suggest you “move frequently at a slow pace” and “run really fast once in awhile.” You could move slowly or really quickly on your feet on the street, on a trail, on a bike, in a pool, as you garden, or even in place (burpees, anyone?). Sure, I think a day or two of lifting, one session of sprinting, and as much slow movement as you can possibly stand each week are reasonable targets for the general public, but it’s honestly really wide open.

Chris Horner on peaking for the Tour de France and Tour of California

2012-01-10T19:18:00.001-08:00

RadioShack-Nissan presented five grand tour contenders on stage at their launch last week in Luxembourg and one of their quintet of hopefuls, Chris Horner, isn’t worried about the team’s hierarchy.

The American veteran will aim to peak for both the Tour of California in May and then the Tour de France. Easier said than done, no rider has managed to pull off successful bids at both races in a single calendar year since the US race moved from February to May.

Well aware of the task at hand, Horner is a resilient character, epitomised by his desire to prolong a career when others may have chosen to retire after crashing out of last year’s Tour de France.

In this exclusive video for cyclingnews Horner talks about his recover from his crash at last year’s Tour de France that left him with serious injuries and the potential battle with Levi Leipheimer at this year’s Tour of California.

Dave Zabriskie - A Velo Super Hero Revealed

2012-01-05T19:59:00.000-08:00

By Dave Z

Happy New Year !!!

It’s hard to imagine a better way to bring in the new year than to be profiled in the current issue of Velo, the print version of Velonews.com. But there I am, posed and exposed in my alternate persona as a Super Hero.

Velo editor, Neal Rogers, does a fine job of decoding my ‘enigma’ status with an explanation of my past and present. It’s fair to say not everyone gets me but I think
he does.

At Neal’s request, and as a follow-up to his article, I wrote a ‘Day in the Life’ piece for the magazine. I think of myself as less mysterious than I’m thought of. Cycling fans around the world seem to find me puzzling. I know this from the brief chats I have at coffee shops or on group rides, from the small talk before and after races, and in the emails and messages on my web site and on Facebook. I really think of myself as a normal dude just trying to find his way through life like the rest of you. But the mystery continues. To perhaps better establish my normalcy I answer the question I’m most often asked: ‘What’s a day in your life like?’

click on the title link to read on.....

Kelly Slater's 11 ASP World Titles didn't rest on talent alone - Functional fitness was key

2011-12-28T09:35:00.000-08:00

For 20 years Kelly Slater's been the focal point of pro surfing, in large part because of his dedication to maintaining his fitness level.

Tom Servais...Show me a person who has good posture, and I'll show you someone who is increasing their chances of enjoying a long, productive career, life ... and 11 world surfing titles. OK, maybe not 11, but hear me out.

For those of us who are hunched over computers all day, commuting a half hour or more to work or carrying the kids around, posture is a hidden but alarming health issue that can gradually get worse over time. For surfers and other athletes, improper posture and muscle imbalance can lead to injuries and slow recovery. It can also dramatically affect performance on a surfboard. For more than 25 years of working with ASP athletes, including Kelly Slater, Mick Fanning and Jordy Smith, I have preached the power of posture as a vital aspect in their treatment and training as world-class competitors.

Slater has incredible body awareness and when he trains his focus is on full body mobility, stability and strength. He uses a system called Foundation Training, which emphasizes improving posture and core fitness by focusing on strengthening the back of the body to balance the overused, over-stressed front side. It teaches him how to remember what proper movement feels like.

The athlete with rounded shoulders and forward-carried head posture tends to have poor body awareness and alignment, and often walks and runs with a short, choppy gait with hips and feet turned out. These are the athletes most and often prone to declining performance, slower recovery, more injuries, sickness and eventually, a shorter career. The quality of one's movement each day is literally a window to how well the body performs and recovers. Next time you see Slater at an event, notice how effortlessly he walks, paddles out and pops up on his board. This is no coincidence: it comes from how well his central nervous system is connected to his muscles.

I started working with Slater in the early '90s. He has always had extraordinary mobility, but because his sport requires right and left sides to move differently, he always has to work towards achieving optimum balance.

Top strength and conditioning specialists focus on smoothing out and connecting movement. It's somewhat counter-intuitive, but simply training to make muscles stronger is a recipe for injury. For those of us who don't have the benefit of training with a professional strength and conditioning coach, if you want to improve your overall fitness and health, learn to move your body the way it was designed ... like you did when you were a kid, and not a slave to sitting.

Slater also has such naturally keen movement awareness and innate understanding of how important good posture is to feeling and performing at his best. Poor posture and quality of regular movement patterns over time are the main reason athletes become injured; and for us regular folks and weekend warriors, it's why we have bad backs and hips, sore necks and headaches, carpal tunnel syndrome, and so on. Good movement is measured by an ability to move how the body was designed with the least amount of stress. Interestingly, nothing illustrates quality of movement like watching a great athlete do his or her thing. Why? Because they move like kids do ... with economy of motion, balance and effortless grace. Guys like Slater make it look so effortless because they maintain a relaxed balance of form and function.

Add to this the fact that Slater has a tremendous thirst for knowledge and is a serious student of the body. He can move incredibly well in some directions, and is less effective in others. There is little doubt that he is a flat-out gifted athlete and has the drive a to be a world-class competitor, but his focus on constantly improving his health through good nutrition and improving balance, movement and posture throughout his career is undoubtedly a key factor in his longevity.

Horner begins 2012 preparations early

2011-12-20T18:48:00.000-08:00

Chris Horner (RadioShack-Nissan) has begun training a month earlier than usual as he prepares to make his return to competitive action following his heavy fall at the 2011 Tour de France.

The American suffered a broken nose, cracked ribs, concussion and a blood clot in the lung as a result of his crash on stage 7 of the Tour, and was forced to bring both his race and his season to a premature halt. After five months, Horner is keen to get back into action.

“Normally I wouldn’t even be riding now,” Horner told us. “Normally two hours in a day is the very most I’d have done in early December. Then I’d take the last three weeks of December off and start riding the home trainer while I’m up in Oregon for a week, and then I’d go up to San Diego the second week of January on the road, and then we’d normally have training camp near the end of January.”

This time around, however, Horner has been out on the road since the beginning of December, and made the most of RadioShack-Nissan’s recent training camp in Calpe, Spain to get in some warm-weather miles.

“This year, I started on the first of December and I’ll continue all the way through to the next training camp,” he said. “Basically my training for next year started the first of December rather than the first of January.”

Last winter, RadioShack’s American riders were not requested to cross the Atlantic for the team’s pre-Christmas training camp. The merger with Leopard Trek meant that Horner was happy to make the trek on this occasion.

“Normally I don’t believe so much in December training camps, but you’ve got to get together when it’s a new squad like this,” he said.

As in 2011, Horner will aim to perform strongly in week-long stage races throughout the early part of the new season as he builds towards the Tour de France, where he will play a vital role in Andy and Fränk Schleck’s overall challenge.

“I hope to have a good beginning to the season with the Basque Country and California of course, and then focus in on the Tour de France,” Horner said. “I would like to do more or less the same programme and maybe one or more stage race in there this year, just because it’s been so long since the crash at the Tour when I last raced.”

“It’s been a long time and I’m ready to race, so just for pure and simple pleasure and desire and to feel like a bike racer again, I’d like to do something a little early, like Paris-Nice or Tirreno. That would be ideal.”

No retirement plans

Although now 40 years of age, Horner has no plans to hang up his wheels and believes that his injury-curtailed 2011 campaign may even lengthen his career in the long-run. “I just skipped six months of bike racing, so maybe I’ve added another year to my career, maybe it adds to the freshness of my legs,” he said. “As long as the legs do it, I’ll continue. There’s no set date, it’ll just be a case of when I feel the legs are gone.”

Looking back over his career, Horner reckons that he has significantly less mileage on the clock than European-based professionals of his vintage, something which he feels goes a long way to explain his remarkable longevity. Although he began his career at Française des Jeux in 1997, Horner spent the period from 2000 to 2004 in the United States, before beginning his ‘second career’ in Europe with Saunier Duval.

“I raced back in the States from 2000 through to 2004. In 05, I came back over with Saunier Duval but I broke my leg early in the year, so I missed a lot of that,” he said. Then in 2009 I crashed and missed a bunch of that season too. So realistically the amount of years I’ve spent in Europe is pretty low compared to most guys who are 40 years old.

“When you look at Inigo Cuesta, I mean, that guy had done 14 Vueltas or 16 Vueltas. I can’t remember, but it was a huge number. You’d have to ask him personally, but maybe every year of his career he did 80 European races. I’d never do 80 European races. The most I’d normally do is 70 and since I came back in 05, I don’t think I’ve even done that many. But that could be why the legs are so good right now.”

The Ironwar: Mark Allen & Dave Scott

2011-12-14T20:19:00.000-08:00

By 1989 Dave Scott was a six-time Ironman champion and Mark Allen, defeated in his previous attempts, a feared contender. This time, though, all bets were off. From the start, Mark hung on to Dave with mind-numbing intensity.

Billabong Pipe Masters Wrap Up Video

2011-12-13T16:34:00.000-08:00

Kelly Slater, Billabong Pipe Masters 2011 from CI Surfboards on Vimeo.

Slater & John John Battle At Pipeline

2011-12-11T11:30:00.000-08:00

Kelly Slater beat out John John Florence during a spectacular quarterfinal round at the 41st edition of the Billabong Pipeline Masters, but the 11-time World Surfing Champion couldn’t match Australia’s Kieren Perrow.

The match-up between Slater and Florence was viewed by some as a “passing the torch” event. Slater, who is acknowledged as the greatest surfer in the sport, isn’t sure if he’ll commit to a full season in 2012. John John Florence, on the other hand, is just 19-years-old and has a long and promising career ahead of him.

Before the event, Slater said:

“I see John John as the guy to beat in this contest. He’s got three 10′s already. He lives right here and surfs here every day. If I were to lose to him, there would be no shame in that.”

Florence almost beat Slater, too. With just 8 minutes left Slater trailed his protege by 16 points. Slater was able to hit two consecutive waves to score a 9.7 and a 7.83 to beat Florence with just 46 seconds remaining.

Slater said:

“I was just trying to hold John John off for one more year. This might have been my last chance to get a few waves against him. He’s going to dominate Pipe for the next 20 years.”

Kelly Slater tees up golfing future

2011-12-08T18:57:00.000-08:00

GOLF??? - "Well then," says Kelly Slater. "Now we're talking."

The world's top surfer is on the North Shore of Oahu, signing posters for the Pipeline Masters. Described breathlessly -- but rather accurately -- as the Superbowl of Surfing, Pipe is scheduled to begin on Thursday in life-threatening, jaw-dropping waves peaking at 18 feet.

Heaving swells will dump their loads on a shallow reef, turning Pipe into a gladiator's pit. With thousands of howling spectators on the sand, man-on-man heats carry the sub-plot of everyone just wanting to get out alive.

Ambulances will be on standby. Medical staff shall be in abundance.

Slater admits the prospect of rocking and rolling at Pipe fills him with a curious mix of anxiety, excitement and outright fear and so seems relieved when conversation turns to a more genteel pursuit, the good walk spoiled.

Slater is so dedicated to the noble yet confounding game of golf, and so proficient, that he has an itch to play professionally when he quits his current day job as the greatest surfer of all.

"I like golf, I love it, I work hard on it and actually I'd like to become..."

A professional? Go on, say it. You want to become a professional. The 39-year-old raises an eyebrow: can we be trusted with such privileged information?

Just say it. It is written all over his beaming face. Slater dreams about tackling the biggest names on the USPGA Tour and here is why: he's a born competitor. A self-described perfectionist. A performer.

NATURAL GIFTS

As fit as 10 fiddlers, Slater has a golf handicap of two. Reuters watched him play 18 holes at the Arnold Palmer-designed Turtle Bay course and make no mistake, he can play.

Natural gifts are at his disposal: the agility, physical strength and fitness that Craig Stadler might have benefited from. The discipline and dedication that one of his more colorful playing partners, John Daly, never quite gripped and ripped.

The last two occasions he played the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, he beat his partner, USPGA Tour regular Pat Perez.

When he partnered Simon Dyson to win The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on The Old Course at St Andrews in 2009, it barely rated a mention. Everyone assumed the Englishman carried him. Everyone assumed wrong. The most calm figure walking down the 18th fairway was Slater.

He's played with Daly, Darren Clarke, Steve Stricker and Dustin Johnson. He's sidled up to Ernie Els on a driving range and hit balls without feeling misplaced.

Go on, admit it. You want to play at least one professional event before your time is done.

"I do think about it," he says. "Funnily enough, I just did an interview with the Golf Channel: they're doing a special for Christmas and the three golfers they followed were me, Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker.

"It's coming out Christmas Day. Point is, I'm pretty entrenched in the golf community now, even if it isn't at the competitive level yet.

"It's about the personal challenge for the moment but I would like to maybe compete in the future. There are these vague dreams in my head about it. The trouble would be the amount of time it would take to be good and confident enough.

COMPLETE TRUST

"There's a ridiculous amount of work that goes into it. I'd have to practice as much as I surfed when I was growing up. All the time I spend at the beach now, I'd have to spend on the golf course. To play those tour guys, even just one or two times, I'd have to be able to completely trust myself: trust my swing, not let any doubts get in my head. I'm not there yet.

"The Champions Tour might be my best bet but I'd have to wait till I'm 55 for that. Only the established guys get to play as soon as they turn 50. They don't want some unknown guy who's practiced for 30 years getting on and everyone is like, 'shoot, the guy we've never heard of from Oklahoma is better than anyone'.

"It would take a lot of dedication but I'm putting a lot of time into my golf. I think anyone, when they do something once, they want to become masterful at it."

Slater glides around Turtle Bay. His swing is smooth and uncomplicated. He has a baseball grip, a rarity among elite players who prefer overlapping or interlocking, but Bob Estes has forged a long career with the same ten-finger technique so it can be done.

A double-jointed back is a god-send for Slater in both surfing and golf: he has looseness and coil to spare. Text book stance. Effortless backswing. A follow-through worth photographing.

A short iron sucks back a couple of meters. The broom stick putter works well enough. He is attracted to the internal warfare that rages inside a man during a round of golf, the odd similarities of courage needed to take off on a 20-foot wave or sink a two-foot putt.

"I've played with almost all the US PGA guys except for Tiger," Slater says. "I've played with Stricker, played in a group with Darren Clarke at St Andrews, Dustin Johnson, had a couple of rounds with John Daly.

MASTER OF MIND GAMES

"First time I ever played with a pro, I was in Vegas. I went and played with a buddy called Sandy Armour. His brother is Tommy Armour III, their grandfather is one of the absolute legends of golf. Tommy was on tour.

"First hole, I was so nervous I sliced it so far right that it was crazy. Second shot, I hit it way left into deep rough. It was a par four. Third shot, I hacked it up to about 50-feet from the pin. I holed the 50-footer for par, which was pretty funny, but really it was pretty ugly and it was just the nerves of being in a different environment.

"That's what can happen when you don't completely trust yourself. But I do feel like I can hold my own. I actually beat my pro straight-up two years in a row at the Pebble Beach event so when I get it going, I can go, but that was me having a couple of great days and him having a couple of bad days. If we both had great days, he'd beat me by three or four strokes."

Slater's most immediate assignment is inside the liquid Colosseum of Pipeline. To say nothing over 18 holes could be as nerve-racking would be to overlook the essence of golf. A short putt can be as excruciating as a vertical takeoff in its own way.

As Lee Trevino said, the pressure of a ten-dollar putt when there's only five in your pocket. There are precedents for swapping sports. Grand slam tennis champion Ivan Lendl tried to make it to the 2008 US Open at Torrey Pines, but came up short in qualifying.

Australian Scott Draper, though, pulled it off, playing Davis Cup tennis and earning a start in his national golf championship. A master of mind games, patience and self-control, Slater might be better placed than most.

Michael Jordan made a lunge at professional baseball in his post-basketball years but only because his real passion, the good walk spoiled, wasn't up to scratch.

Ever played with Jordan? "No," Slater grins. "I'll wait till he gets a little better."

KELLY SLATER TALKS PIPELINE MASTERS

2011-12-07T15:46:00.000-08:00

The Primal Athlete - How to Fuel a Marathon

2011-12-07T15:42:00.000-08:00

By Mark Sisson

Having yielded to those of you who still insist on running a marathon, yesterday I offered a training strategy that gets you the best results with the least amount of damage. Today’s post is about fueling a marathon – what food to eat and when to eat it. It’s not solely about race day nutrition, because if you just focused on what to eat the day of the race, you’d be missing out on a lot (and you’d likely have problems finishing, or at the very least your performance would suffer). It’s about what to eat while training, a few days before the race, and the day of the race itself. This is the stuff I would do if I had to go back and do another marathon with my current knowledge. I might tweak things slightly if I was trying to make the Olympics, but for the average, relatively fit Primal dude or gal who wants to check this off their bucket list? This is the perfect way to fuel your efforts. And this works equally as well for those of you who think a century ride (100 miles on a bike) might be in the cards.

First, let’s examine what to do while you’re training. What do you eat? How much of it do you eat? Low-carb, high-carb?

Train Low, Race HighFor the layperson, “train low, race high” is basically a way to teach your body to do without a glut of glucose for longer periods of time. By training low on glycogen, your body grows accustomed to running on fat and conserving muscle glycogen. By training low and then racing high – with topped-off glycogen stores in your muscles – you experience a big boost in performance on race day. You’ve built up your ability to access body fat during a run, and that doesn’t go anywhere, but now you’ve suddenly got 400+ grams of muscle glycogen at your disposal. Glycogen that you’ve learned to access efficiently, rather than squander all at once. That’s huge, especially for 26.2 miles.

It’s reasonable to think that Grok often “trained low.” If low-level physical activity in a glycogen-depleted state was the norm for much of human evolution – as I think it probably was – it makes sense that its emulation in modern times would confer performance benefits. It makes sense that our bodies would conserve energy and streamline energy pathways, and that taking advantage of these physiological truths will give us enough of a racing edge without compromising our health – since we’re training “with” our physiology, rather than in direct opposition to it.

There’s been limited modern research on “train low, race high,” and it’s pretty compelling. One study found that athletes who trained twice a day on alternate days and thus had lower muscle glycogen during the second training session almost quadrupled their muscle endurance, while athletes who trained once a day on consecutive days barely doubled theirs by study’s end. Both groups of athletes performed the same amount of volume and intensity, but only one group went into every other training session with depleted glycogen – and that group saw the greatest benefits to both work capacity and energy efficiency (glycogen and fat).

During your training, keep carbs right around 150 grams per day. That may sound like a lot, especially if you’re coming from the lower end of the carb continuum, but rest assured that 150 grams of carbs is a paltry amount for most endurance athletes. At the height of my training, I was blasting through upwards of 700 grams each day. As I mentioned yesterday, increase your carbs the day before – and morning of – your interval training, because much of the benefit from intervals comes from glycogen depletion, and you gotta have glycogen in your muscles before you deplete it. But for the most part, keep carbs at a moderate (for Primal folks) to low level. Stick to approved Primal sources, of course:

■Yams/sweet potatoes
■Squashes
■White potatoes, wild/white rice (if tolerated)
■Fruit

And remember: you’re training. Your performance during a particular run on a particular training day might not go great, but you’re in this for the long haul. You’re in this for the race day boost. It’s not a competition. You’re not trying to beat the other guy (because there is no other guy), you’re trying to train your mitochondria and your energy utilization pathways so that when the time comes, when the event rolls around, you are fully prepared to give it your best showing. Keep it in perspective and don’t beat yourself up too much. One final thought on training: it’s always better to start your race slightly undertrained than over-trained.

Couple Days Before the RaceStart eating more carbs. This is the classic carbo-load, and no, it doesn’t have to reach Phelpsian levels of mayo-and-egg sandwiches on white bread, kilos of pasta, and flagons of cheese grits. You can easily stick to starchy roots, tubers, and fruit (and even rice) to pack those muscles full of glycogen. Maintain your protein intake and moderate your fat intake. You’re looking to maximize muscle glycogen stores.

Just eat twice the amount of carbs you’ve been eating. So, instead of one sweet potato with dinner, have one with lunch and one with dinner. Eat the whole banana instead of half the banana. Aim for about 350 grams of carbs per day. And don’t do any hard training during these last two or three taper days. Maybe some light jogging or walking.

Race DayIf you have two hours before the gun goes off, eat a light breakfast with some representation from all macronutrients. Maybe a few eggs and a banana, maybe half a yam. Nothing that sits heavy in the stomach, and make sure it’s something you can digest. If you are a coffee drinker, a cup today will help mobilize fatty acids. Don’t go zesty, don’t experiment with something new. Stick to the tried and true. If you didn’t spend the last couple of days fueling up, the most optimal race day breakfast isn’t gonna save you. Sorry to say it.

During the race, maintain your composure. Your glycogen-replete body is going to feel eminently powerful. Try not to go too fast too soon. Better to start a bit slower, get those fats into the muscle cells and then increase the pace a bit later. As for mid-race fueling, I’d forgo the usual Gatorade offerings on the course and stick to the rocket fuel found in pure glucose. Some companies sell straight glucose polymer powders (complex carbs as maltodextrin) you can mix with water to your own desired consistency and carry with you on a fuel belt. This is the one time in your life that straight glucose is your friend. The method I have recommended for 20 years is to start refueling at about an hour in to the event, taking 20 grams of glucose every 20-30 minutes. This puts enough glucose into the bloodstream to help fuel muscles without interfering with the intended fat combustion – and it “unburdens” the muscles from having to give up too much glycogen too soon. Be sure to drink enough pure water (usually offered on the course, so you don’t have to carry that) as well.

Now, if you are so inclined, you can also make your own version of a sport drink/energy gel hybrid. It may not be astoundingly delicious, but it’ll get the job done. Here’s how to do it:

1.Slightly heat some coconut water on the stove. Don’t let it get anywhere near simmering. Just let it get warm enough to melt the next three ingredients easily.

2.Add a few dashes of sea salt, preferably one with high mineral content. Sea salt provides sodium, an important electrolyte, plus trace minerals. You’re going to be burning through a lot of it during the race.

3.Add honey, preferably raw and from a local farm (remember, many store bought honey isn’t actually honey anymore).

4.Add blackstrap molasses. Blackstrap molasses comes after the third boiling of sugar cane. It contains less sugar than either white sugar, brown sugar, regular molasses, or dark molasses, but far more minerals and electrolytes. See, sugar cane is a plant with roots that stretch deep into the soil to extract nutrients (some research suggests sugar cane roots may go down as far as six meters). Very few of those nutrients make it into white or brown sugar, and regular and dark molasses contain some, but it’s blackstrap molasses which gets the bulk of the minerals. So, when you add just a couple tablespoons of blackstrap molasses to your energy drink, you’re getting more than twice the potassium than a banana, more calcium than a cup of raw spinach, and almost 100 mg of magnesium.

5.Mix it all together until everything melts and it’s a dark brown murky viscous fluid. I didn’t include specific amounts, but start with a couple tablespoons of each sweetener and the juice from one coconut (or one carton of coconut water). You’ll be cruising for the first bit of the race, thanks to your effective pre-race training and fueling, but when you really start dipping into your glycogen stores, having a banana or two and a bottle of high-potency Primal energy drink will prove useful.

Good luck. If you train and fuel smartly, you won’t really need any luck at all, but I figure it’s a nice thing to say regardless.

Once you’re done with the marathon, I’d move on to different things. Try rock climbing. Try mountain trekking. Heck, try an ultra marathon, but do it at an even easier, fat-oxidizing pace. But many of you will not. Many will get the endurance bug, and it’s a nasty one. This method of training and fueling is not a cure for the bug, but it will negate some of the worst symptoms. If you do try my training and fueling recommendations, let me know how you do. I’m especially interested in knowing how they compare to performances using other methods.

Kelly Slater Wins # 1 Surfer Poll Award

2011-12-07T15:40:00.000-08:00

In 2011, Slater picked up his 11th ASP World Title as well as his 17th SURFER Poll No. 1 trophy. There's never been another surfer like him, and the landslide he wins SURFER Poll by each year is a testament to the dominance he's exerted over four generations of surfers. In fact, making an argument that he's the best athlete of all time doesn't take much of a leap of faith.

The Primal Athlete - How to Train for a Marathon

2011-12-06T19:09:00.000-08:00

By Mark Sisson

Leading into this post, I promised myself that I wouldn’t try to dissuade people from running marathon(s) or any long distance races. I already do that plenty in other posts, so today’s is geared toward the folks that simply are going to run a marathon or marathons, regardless of what I say. I know these people exist because I used to be one. Running a marathon can be a huge bucket-list accomplishment. With that in mind, when people write in to ask me about training for a marathon, I think about what I would do in that situation knowing what I know now. How would I train to do the least damage and get the most benefit? Truth is, if I put my mind to it, and you had elite level potential, I could most likely train some of you to win the thing outright, but that’s not what this post is about. This post is about finishing the race without embarrassing and/or hurting yourself. It’s about accomplishing something big, something special. It’s about training for a decent, respectable showing in a marathon. One (or two, or three if you must) and done.

To be an effective marathoner – or even to just finish one – you have to be an effective fat burner. It is the beta-oxidation of fat, both dietary and stored body fat, that provides much of the aerobic energy you will need to maintain reasonable pace for 26.2 miles. I mean, 26.2 miles is a whole lot of miles. When you’re driving somewhere and the sign says “26 miles” to your destination, you think “That’s kinda close, but kinda far.” Now picture that on foot. Yeah. Good luck doing that as a fully dependent sugar-burner. Fat’s the ticket, and if you have spent the requisite few weeks reprogramming your body to derive most of your energy from fat while at rest and at low level of activity (through your PB diet), you will be primed to access fat while training.

With that in mind, you’re not really training for a marathon, per se – you’re training your body to become more efficient with its energy so that you can run a marathon. You’re actually reapportioning how your body uses various types of fuel at different activity levels. Thus, training for a marathon comes down to three primary goals:

1. Achieve mitochondrial biogenesis and optimality.Increasing the number of mitochondria (biogenesis) will spread the aerobic workload – the beta oxidation of fats and some glucose/glycogen- across more cellular power plants. Improving the number and efficiency of your mitochondria will allow you to do more output (running) with less reliance on glucose and/or glycogen as a primary fuel and more reliance on fat (input). In effect, this will increase your “miles per gallon.” Only instead of filling the tank with gasoline, you’re using stored body fat.

2. Increase the amount of fat burnt relative to carbs at a given work output.Glycogen depletion is the defining point of “hitting the wall,” so you want to avoid the wall as long as you can. Remember, it’s 26.2 miles. The more fat you’re able to burn and turn into useable energy, the less glycogen you’ll go through. Muscle glycogen storage is very limited, and whether you’re a sugar-burner or a fat-burner, you’re still going to store the same amount of glycogen – it’s the rate at which you deplete it that counts. If you can access fat more efficiently and use fat for work that would normally require glycogen, you’re winning. If you can train to use fat for higher workloads, you can increase or maintain the intensity without dipping too deeply into your muscle glycogen.

3. Increase your aerobic threshold.The aerobic threshold is the maximum level of output at which you are still relying primarily on the aerobic, or oxidative, energy pathways. As long as you stay under that aerobic threshold, you can train yourself primarily using fat to generate ATP energy (and your high fat diet plays a key role here, too). Once you cross that threshold you start burning more sugar. As you get further into anaerobic territory, however, you’re burning mostly sugar – liver and muscle glycogen. Sugar burns faster (and hotter), and it doesn’t last nearly as long as fat. So if you can increase your aerobic threshold, you should be able to increase the intensity of your runs without dipping too deeply into your glycogen stores. Ideally, then, a prospective marathoner will train to increase his or her aerobic threshold (we’ll save the ANaerobic threshold discussions for another day). That way, you can save the glycogen for the finish line, when it really matters.

One way to start out is to simply keep your heart rate at or below 65% of your max on longer runs (and this might eventually become 70-75% of max as your training benefits accumulate). To determine a person’s aerobic threshold, I find the most intuitive way is to have them run “long” (6-12 miles after a few weeks of sufficient low level training) runs on back-to-back days on fewer than 150 grams carbs per day. If you can complete both runs, both days, without adding back extra carbs, you’ll know you haven’t been dipping too deeply into your glycogen stores. If so, that’s your aerobic threshold pace. Remember it.

As for a specific training prescription, here’s what I’d do every week, beginning at least 12 weeks before the event and generalized for the widest possible audience:

1. Two to three slow aerobic threshold runs.These should be easy runs performed just below or at your aerobic threshold at the type of pace you can easily maintain. If you are just starting out from little run training, these sessions can be long hikes with easy jogs thrown in. These are great opportunities to just log mileage and improve fat oxidation efficiency without too much stress, where you can actually think about stuff other than the run (hey, maybe even work through some personal issues). For improving mitochondrial efficiency and stimulating mitochondrial biogenesis, these aerobic threshold runs (and your Primal Blueprint eating strategy) will be your bread and butter – the kind of low-level training I referenced in the post on improving mitochondrial efficiency through exercise.

To really promote fat oxidation, limit your carbs or even go into these runs in a slightly fasted state. When you begin dipping into glycogen, or hitting the wall (which might come soon-ish since you’re fasted or slightly carb depleted), back off. You want to stay away from the anaerobic pathway. The length of these runs will depend on your baseline endurance, and you’ll soon be able to stay under the aerobic threshold for longer (which is the whole point!). I would add a mile each week to the longest of these runs.

2. One interval session, followed by an active recovery day.Run intervals one day a week – alternating repeat 400 m one week, 800 m the next. Walk or jog for two minutes in between. For the 400s, start with as many as you can comfortably do the first week and add one each week until you are at 12 intervals for the workout; for the 800s, work your way up to 10. On a scale of 1-20 with 20 being the most intense, keep the intensity at about a 14-16. It’s not an all-out sprint, because, well, good luck sprinting 800 meters multiple times, but this is at faster than your intended marathon race pace for sure. The next day, go for a walk or hike or go bike somewhere. Don’t go climb Half Dome or anything. Keep it pretty light.

For the intervals, you’ll definitely want to carb-load the day before. Slam the sweet potatoes and yams, about 400 carb grams worth, since you’ll purposely be blasting through your glycogen that next day.

3. One race-pace run.Here, you’re trying to emulate the race pace without going the actual distance. It’s necessarily higher intensity than your regular runs, just at or slightly above your aerobic threshold. It’s going to be tougher, too, with some glycogen depletion. Don’t expect to pull out your iPhone and check Facebook in the middle of it.

Start with at least two or three miles, or a bit more than whatever length your threshold runs are, and add a mile each week (minimum).

If you plan on doing this barefoot or in minimalist running shoes, be absolutely certain your lower body is acclimated to it. A marathon is a long way for someone whose feet, calves, knees, and hips (with all the connective tissues that go along with said joints and body parts) have only been spending cursory time exercising without protective footwear. Review my post on making the barefoot transition and confirm that your ship is in shape.

Well, that’s what I’ve got. Remember, this is just general advice for the wider public. If you were my client, I’d tailor the training to you, but you’re not. For what it’s worth, this is how I’d train myself I were crazy enough to get back into running marathons, because it’s effective, it’s low-cost, and it’s actually a fairly healthy way to go about training for one. I mean who doesn’t want rockstar mitochondria?

Any runners out there? Any marathoners? How do you train?

Next time, I’ll discuss how to fuel a marathon while staying Primal. And yes, it’s very possible.

Whew, and I didn’t even mention the phrase “Chronic Cardio” once. I’m pretty proud of myself. Thanks for reading.

Mark Sisson

Kelly Slater confirmed in the Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau

2011-12-02T17:05:00.000-08:00

Kelly Slater has been confirmed in the 27th edition of the Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau. The 10-time world surfing champion was one of the invited riders and will paddle out, if a big swell hits Waimea Bay, in Hawaii, between December 1st and February 29, 2012.

The opening ceremony has already taken place and the elite surfers gave their hands to praise the gods. It’s a rare international sporting event that can have no set date, be held just eight times in a span of 27 years, and still gain strength.

But the lifeblood of the big wave Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau lies in what one man’s life represented: the best that surfing and Hawaii have to offer the world.

The story of Eddie Aikau, a Hawaiian hero who saved and inspired lives as Waimea Bay’s resident lifeguard and big wave charger, continues to touch generations. It’s a story that is told anew each December, when the opening ceremony for the event in his honor takes place on Oahu’s North Shore, as it did yesterday.

The Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau is a one-day big wave surfing event that only runs when, and if, waves at Waimea Bay reach a minimum height of 20 feet. It was last held in December of 2009.

It is a tribute to Aikau, who rode the mountainous waves of Waimea Bay in the late ’60s and early ’70s and saved lives as its first full-time lifeguard. He was lost at sea in 1978, west of the Hawaiian Islands during a voyage of the Polynesian sailing canoe, Hokule’a.

Hokule’a capsized in heavy seas, stranding her crew. Eddie insisted upon paddling for land to get help, but was never seen again.

“There will be waves,” said Hawaiian kahu (priest) Billy Mitchell, in a voice that traveled to the far reaches of the bay. “But those of you here today know that this is about much more than that.

“Eddie had a passion. He had a passion about living and loving the ocean. Whether you surf or you don’t surf, you are drawn to people like Eddie in life. People with big mana (spirit). We have to remember, and we cannot forget, someone who lived this way. Eddie never left people behind. It was his way. We need that in this life, especially now. It’s a way to surf; it’s a way to live.

“This event is Eddie’s story, and it is a ripple in the ocean to travel around the world.” The defending champion is California’s Greg Long. Past champions are Denton Miyamura (Hawaii), Keone Downing (Hawaii), Clyde Aikau (Hawaii), Noah Johnson (Hawaii), Ross Clarke-Jones (Australia), Kelly Slater (USA), and Bruce Irons (Hawaii).

BA Coaching - Coaching by Bjorn Andersson

2011-11-24T13:11:00.000-08:00

"With a career as a professional triathlete spanning over a decade it's now time for a new direction and new goals. Having done triathlons and endurance sports for the better part of my life it's still something I'm very passionate about and I'm happy to stay in the endurance world but now as a coach. With a combination of theoretical knowledge from my university studies and experience from my own career my goal is to offer customized training programs with a personal touch".

Please log onto www.bjornandersson.se for more information or contact me at info@bjornandersson.se (or just click on the title link)

Bjorn Andersson

About Björn Andersson
With a career as a professional spanning over ten years with several international victories as well as eight national titles, Björn Andersson is one of the most successful triathletes coming out of Sweden.

Career Highlights

•1st Wildflower triathlon
•1st UK 70.3 Ironman
•1st Timberman 70.3 Ironman
•1st Norseman Xtreme triathlon (course record)
•1st Nautica Malibu triathlon
•3rd European championships Ironman 70.3
•8 time national triathlon champion
•Cycling national team time trial champion

Ke11y Slater - KS11

2011-11-21T18:11:00.000-08:00

Open publication - Free publishing - More kelly

Kelly Slater Bids Farewell to San Francisco

2011-11-15T11:26:00.000-08:00

The script for the 2011 Rip Curl Pro Search San Francisco probably didn't go down the way Kelly Slater, or anyone else for that matter, pictured it. First Slater wins his 11th World Title on a perfect day at Ocean Beach. Then Slater discovers he didn't win his 11th World Title thanks to an egregious error by the ASP. Then Slater wins his 11th World Title again, this time in a subdued celebration on a cold, windy day. Then Slater is upset by 17-year-old Gabriel Medina of Brazil, who would go on to defeat Australian Joel Parkinson in the finals to win the Rip Curl Pro Search San Francisco.

Still, if you were a fan of surfing and wanted to see the world's best surfers tackle the strong currents, heavy waves and blustery conditions that often accompany Ocean Beach, chances are you weren't disappointed.

While the drama surrounding Kelly Slater's 11th World Title captured most of the attention, it was the incredible display of surfing at Ocean Beach that stole the show. Surfers like Slater, Medina, Parko, Taylor Knox and Josh Kerr humbled a lot of Ocean Beach regulars who rarely see the deep barrel rides and aerial displays that the pros did with relative ease. Without question, the thousands of spectators that assembled to watch the world's best surfers certainly didn't leave disappointed.

As for Slater, his San Francisco experience could be best described as a mixed bag. On one hand he won his 11th World Title here, and his first celebration was during an unbelievable day when Ocean Beach was offering perfect surfing conditions under clear, beautiful sunny skies with light offshore winds. The crowd went crazy and Slater had a blast later that evening drinking beer and bowling.

While it was Slater himself who discovered the ASP's mathematical error that resulted in Slater having to go back out and win another heat to make his 11th World Title official, out he went during a colder day with stronger currents and choppier waves to make sure that the chase wouldn't leave San Francisco. What did disappoint Slater a little though was losing in the quarterfinals to eventual contest winner Medina, resulting in finishing the contest tied for fifth place.

"I was totally out of sync, but got the job done earlier," said Slater shortly after his quarterfinal heat. "It's always nice to try and win the event if you're in it. I just couldn't put it together out there. I've had three fifths this year. I hate fifth places." Slater chuckled after that last comment, although given Slater's competitive drive he probably wasn't joking that much.

Slater did get a chance to talk about his experience in San Francisco. "I expected a little more fog than we had," said Slater, who has reportedly been staying in nearby Pacifica. "Basically it's about what I thought. We went and saw some of the sights, and went into the city a little bit so far. I think we're a little bit lucky with the water temp. It's a bit warmer than I think it usually is. I was surprised I didn't need booties or gloves. It was about what I thought wave wise, and it's been a good trip."

Slater is rumored to still be in the San Francisco area. Don't be surprised if you run into him in the city, or see him at Candlestick Park Sunday when the San Francisco 49ers host the New York Giants in a pivotal NFC Conference game.

Some other notes and thoughts as the Rip Curl Pro Search San Francisco has come to a close:

•One of the fascinating aspects of having an ASP World Tour contest in San Francisco was the old school feel of it. On the first day of the contest, with currents running extremely strong going north to south and no PWCs allowed, surfers like Adriano de Souza would catch waves going right, ride them as far in as they could, then run on the beach north before heading back into the water. This is what professional surfers used to do back in the '80s and '90s. Now, most ASP World Tour contests use PWCs to take surfers back to the lineup when currents become an issue. It was fun watching the surfers having to use their legs more than usual.

•Another unusual aspect of having the contest at Ocean Beach was seeing local surfers repeatedly ignore warnings from the loudspeakers by beach commentators to stay away from the contest zone. This rarely if ever occurs at other ASP World Tour events, although it was a more usual occurrence some 20 years ago. On more than one occasion, you had the best surfers in the world sitting literally in a pack of locals, all of whom were fighting for the same wave. Joel Parkinson reportedly had a local cut him off in the opening round. Kelly Slater was also among the competitors who found themselves at times surrounded by local surfers fighting for the same waves.

•Shortly after Kelly Slater's quarterfinal defeat to Medina, San Francisco 49ers starting quarterback Alex Smith and starting offensive linemen Joe Staley and Adam Snyder, a day removed from the 49ers's 19-11 victory over the Washington Redskins, stopped by Ocean Beach to watch the Rip Curl Pro Search San Francisco. Slater and Smith chatted for a short while. Slater signed autographs for Snyder, a Southern California native who has surfed since high school and owns six surfboards. The 49ers players brought their families along and looked like they were enjoying themselves.

•It was appalling watching ASP CEO Brodie Carr, who came straight to town after the ASP's World Title blunder, celebrating and having beers with ASP Tour Manager Renato Hickel shortly after the completion of the contest. Even though the majority of the surf community doesn't follow the ASP with the same passion and fervor as say a fan of the NFL does, many were clearly outraged over arguably the biggest blunder in ASP history of miscalculating the necessary points needed for the World Title. Carr did the right thing this week, resigning as CEO of the ASP. "It is my duty to accept responsibility for the recent calculation error that resulted in the premature crowning of Kelly Slater's 11th ASP World Title," said Carr. "The determination of the ASP World Title is the most important moment in professional surfing. Ultimately, the responsibility for every activity within ASP lies with me. Therefore, I have elected to resign my position as CEO." Carr wasn't the only person offering his resignation. Hickel offered to resign as well, but his resignation was declined by the ASP board. Carr's decision restores some integrity to the Association of Surfing Professionals.

•Carr's decision to resign as CEO of the ASP came after a meeting of the ASP Board of Directors in San Francisco, at Japantown's Kabuki Hotel. Carr's resignation wasn't the only issue addressed at the meeting. Acording to The Australian, the ASP board decided that starting next year, the ASP will implement drug testing to the World Tour. Details are very vague at this point, including how the tests will be administered and what drugs they will be testing for.

•It was a curious decision by the Rip Curl Pro organizers not to include Fort Point as a San Francisco location in addition to Ocean Beach, especially since a lot of their merchandise had images of Fort Point on them. During one of the lay days, a large number of pro surfers went to Fort Point to try out one of the few good point breaks north of Santa Cruz. The surfers had a great time with San Francisco's iconic left point break.

•Kalani Miller, Kelly Slater's longtime girlfriend, is a million times hotter in person, both in looks and personality. Miller, a former Roxy model who recently started a business called MIKOH Swimwear that has quickly risen in popularity, usually shows up to contests to support her boyfriend. Considering Slater's history of conquests, including Pamela Anderson, Giselle Bundchen, Bar Rafaeli, and Cameron Diaz, one could be a little surprised considering Miller prefers to be out of the limelight. Given Miller's friendly persona and beautiful looks, one can fully understand why Slater is happy settling down.

•Slater and Miller own a rescue dog named Action. When asked what breed the dog is, Miller said, "Mix. We rescued her, so we don't know the breed." Slater was introducing Action to numerous people after his quarterfinal heat, including some kids who were in the athlete area.

Bad math or not, Slater's still the best!

2011-11-08T19:04:00.000-08:00

Sad but true, Kelly Slater's eleventh World Title will forever be remembered for the ASP's inexplicable inability to properly calculate the standings and prematurely award him the title. When the news broke on Nov. 4 the surf world reacted with collective bafflement, but to be sure, mistakes happen ... and when it comes to sports, they've happened on a much larger scale. So looking to find some context, here's a few officiating slips that might compare:

On June 2, 2010, Detroit Tiger's pitcher Armando Galarraga throws a perfect game into the bottom of the ninth, then umpire Jim Joyce botches a call that would have been the final out of the game. Galarraga still gets the win, but perfection is denied. "I got a perfect game," Galarraga would tell ESPN.com afterwards. "Maybe it's not in the book, but I'm going to show my son the CD."

There's the famous 1979 Rose Bowl in which the USC and Michigan were locked in a down-to-the-wire battle. Tied at 10 points a piece, USC's Charles White fumbled on the one-yard line, which was then recovered by Michigan. But taking place before the institution of instant replay, officials awarded USC the ball in the end zone for a touchdown. USC won the game 17-10.

Another classic is Scotty Pippen's "phantom foul" from Game Five of the 1994 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals against the New York Knicks. With Michael Jordan off playing baseball, the weight of the Bulls was on Pippen's shoulders. In the closing seconds of the game Chicago was clinging to a narrow lead when referee Hue Hollins called Pippen for a foul against guard Hubert Davis during an unsuccessful three-point attempt. Davis would make all three shots to win the game, but shortly thereafter a photo would emerge that proved without doubt that Pippen had not committed a foul. Ultimately, the Knicks won the series in Game Seven.

In a 1990 NCAA football game Colorado was playing Missouri. On forth down, with seconds remaining, Buffalo quarterback Charles Johnson spiked the ball to stop the clock. Due to the officials not properly changing the down marker, Johnson received an "extra" down and would go in to score a touchdown and win the game. Colorado went on to win the National Championship that season, but not until years later did Coach Bill McCartney call the mistake "truly remorseful."

Of more legendary note, there's the 1927 Heavyweight Boxing Championship against Gene Tunney and Jack Dempsey. After upsetting Dempsey in their first fight, the two met again on Sept. 27, 1927, at Chicago's Soldier Field. Tunney was clearly winning the fight after six rounds, but in the seventh Dempsey lands a four-punch combo to knock Tunney down. While referee Dave Barry is moving Dempsey to his corner the timekeeper starts to count. When the ref returns to where Tunney is laying he should begin on the count of six, but instead begins counting at one. Tunney stays on the canvas until the count of nine, when he gets up and continues the fight. Instead of the standard 10 seconds, Tunney gets 15 seconds to recover. He would win the fight by an unanimous 10-round decision.

And finally, in 1972 the U.S. and U.S.S.R. met in the Olympic Basketball finals. With just a couple ticks left on the clock America's Doug Collins is fouled hard while cutting to the hoop. He makes the first free throw, which tied the game. Before shooting his second free throw the buzzer goes off, signaling the end of the game. But the Soviets protest, saying they called timeout before the final buzzer sounded and officials add three seconds to the clock. The Soviets inbound the ball and blow their opportunity, but while the American players are celebrating the Secretary General of the International Basketball Federation orders the refs to reset the clock again because they had put the ball into play before the clock had been officially reset. The Soviets win the game with a lay-up. The Americans are enraged and refuse to claim their silver medals, which still sit in a Swiss vault.

So there you have it, was the bad call that delayed Slater's eleventh World Title the worst call in sports history? Hardly. Embarrassing to be sure, but at the end of the day, the right guy won. And while the ASP may have some work to do polishing its image, as they say, no harm, no foul. Slater's still the best, and there's no denying that.

Kelly Slater Wins World Title Number 11

2011-11-03T13:01:00.001-07:00

"something magical happened," Kelly Slater told the crowd in his moment of triumph, and he spoke not just for himself, but for the nearly 2,000 people who showed up at Ocean Beach on Wednesday to watch one of history's greatest athletes clinch his 11th world title on the pro surfing tour.

Slater was carried up the beach on the shoulders of two friends, having won his Round 3 heat in the Rip Curl Pro Search event to clinch at least ninth place in the event, which mathematically secures the world title. A constant refrain could be heard from longtime members of the Bay Area surf community: "I can't believe it happened here."

Ocean Beach will never be a popular destination among travel-minded surfers. With its punishing surf, shifting currents and utter unpredictability, it's not even on many locals' radar. But it came to life in all its autumnal glory Wednesday, with balmy weather, offshore winds and gorgeous, blue-green waves up to eight feet on the face.

"Look at this," said Slater, surveying the breadth of Ocean Beach to the south. "The whole beach is just going off."

Just two days before, Slater stood at the site in cold, gloomy conditions and pictured "a ghost town" when the contest began. "I literally wondered if anyone would show up," he said. "And I didn't know what to expect. I'd been hearing all these rumors about people (grumpy locals) messing with the event. But everybody's been so cool. The turnout was incredible. I've had kids coming up to me saying, 'I'm so stoked to have you at our home break.' It's a very special time."

Most special of all, perhaps, is Slater's place in sports history. It may startle you to realize this, but by significant measure - absolute dominance over a long period of time - he is the greatest athlete of all time.

Slater won his first world championship in 1992, and his 2011 title - at the age of 39 - marks a 20-year span. Only briefly, during that entire time, has anyone been considered even close to Slater in reputation and competitive performance. That was the late Andy Irons, a three-time world champion who died of heart failure a year ago Wednesday.

Irons won his three titles consecutively (2002 to '04), but in two of those years Slater was in semi-retirement and not a presence on tour. And it's safe to say that at no point in those 20 years, no matter what the circumstances, did Slater lose his global reputation as the world's best.

Who else can say that? Not Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, Muhammad Ali or Roger Federer. Most of the great ones were immersed in rivalries: Ali-Joe Frazier, Federer-Rafael Nadal, Jack Nicklaus-Arnold Palmer, Magic Johnson-Larry Bird. And even among those who had no peers - the likes of Woods, Jordan and Gretzky - the dominance wasn't sustained for 20 years.

The subject of pure athletic ability is a matter of personal taste. Most would find it distasteful to bring a surfer into any conversation that concerns hitting a baseball, carrying a football into a den of violence, or standing up to 12 rounds of prizefight punishment. The comparisons hardly seem appropriate.

On the other hand, give me any living athlete in the pantheon of his sport, and let me unveil some Slater footage: dropping into a 20-foot Pipeline wave, winning the prestigious Eddie Aikau event at Waimea Bay, taking on the almost mythically dangerous reef break at Teahupo'o, Tahiti. I'll guarantee you that person's mind will be blown. Slater may have finessed his way to glory in front of the Ocean Beach crowd, but this is a serious, relentless competitor in life-threatening conditions as extreme as any sport can provide.

Fittingly, there was high drama to Slater's Round 3 heat against Australia's Dan Ross, who had the lead until the last four minutes. At that point, Slater needed a score of 6.88 (on a scale of 10) to win the man-on-man heat. At about the 3:45 mark, he picked off an ordinary wave and tore it apart with a sequence of strong, well-timed maneuvers. "Not a great wave," someone remarked in the press area, "until Kelly made it great."

With about a minute to go, the judges' score came through: 7.60. Ross was fully capable of taking back the lead, but with the seconds counting down and the sea gone quiet, he never got the chance.

Whisked onto a podium for interviews, Slater heard many questions about his age. "To me, it's literally just a number," he said. "You see people 100 years old and you can't believe they lived that long, but to them, it's not baffling. I don't see why at 50 I can't be in better shape than I am right now. I think I'm going to be. That's what I'd like to represent. I mean, 39 is young to half the people in this world."

As he talked, everyone took a glance back at the ocean. After hours and hours of pure conditions, the wind was changing. Just a slight hint of onshore flow.

For the fanciful at heart, it was something magical, a sign that nothing could change until Slater clinched his title, the power of which would draw those contrary winds toward shore like a magnet.

Naturally, that's not what really happened. No way, right? Of course not.

Wednesday's highlights
-- Before the contest, some 40 surfers paddled out and gathered in a circle to pay tribute to Andy Irons, the three-time world champion who died a year ago Wednesday. Irons, who had taken ill during a contest in Puerto Rico, died of heart failure in a Dallas hotel room en route home to his native Kauai.

-- Dusty Payne, the 22-year-old Hawaiian surfer who claimed to have seen a shark during his first-round heat Tuesday, lost his man-on-man heat to Brazil's Raoni Monteiro and was eliminated from the contest.

-- Australia's Kieren Perrow had a huge day, knocking off former world champion Mick Fanning in the morning (Round 2) and world No. 3 Adriano de Souza in the afternoon (Round 3).

-- Legendary bodysurfer Mark Cunningham, visiting from Hawaii to witness the event, walked about a mile to the south of the contest site to join Dan Malloy, Tim Reyes, Steve Dwyer, Ryan Seelbach and local mainstay Kevin Starr, among others, in an all-star morning session.

-- Kelly Slater's triumph made it feel as if the contest had ended, but in fact, the climactic rounds are at hand. There's little chance of it resuming today, with smaller surf and contrary (northwest) winds predicted, and it may be several days before the northwesterlies subside.

Best of the best
To be at the top of your sport for two decades, as Kelly Slater has been for surfing, is hard to imagine. Here are some other athletes who dominated their sports, and how long they were able to sustain that dominance (years approximate in some cases):

Tiger Woods, golf: 12 years

Roger Federer, tennis: 8 years

Wayne Gretzky, hockey: 10 years

Bill Russell, NBA: 13 years

Michael Jordan, NBA: 8 years

Jerry Rice, NFL: 10 years

Edwin Moses, 400-meter hurdles: 10 years

Eddy Merckx, cycling: 12 years

Alexander Karelin, Greco-Roman wrestling heavyweight: 13 years

Carl Lewis, long jump: 16 years

Babe Ruth, baseball: 13 years

John Force, drag racing: 21 years

Pele, soccer: 13 years

Michael Schumacher, Formula 1: 11 years

Lance Armstrong at Xterra World Champs

2011-10-24T18:36:00.000-07:00

Lance Armstrong Competes in a Triathlon

KAPALUA, Hawaii -- Lance Armstrong crashed and hit his head with about a mile to go in the mountain-bike ride and faded from second to 23rd in the running leg of the XTERRA World Championship, with Austria's Michael Weiss finishing strong to win the off-road triathlon Sunday.

"I just crashed, crashed as we were coming back," the 40-year-old Armstrong said. "I hit it harder than I thought because I stood there for a while taking inventory, trying to remember my name. That probably took a little out of me, obviously, took a little out of me standing there for a minute or so. I have never hit my head that hard before."

Weiss completed the mile ocean swim, 18.3-mile mountain-bike ride and 6.1-mile trail run in 2 hours, 27 minutes. South Africa's Dan Hugo was second, 33 seconds back, and Eneko Llanos of Spain was third.

Armstrong finished in 2:36:59.

The seven-time Tour de France winner, fifth in the XTERRA USA Championship in Utah last month in his first triathlon in 22 years, faded badly in the run on a day where the temperature reached 90 degrees.

"Everybody paid the price on the run, even Weiss, who can run," Armstrong said. "It's just a damn hard course, a death march."

Weiss passed Armstrong about 14 miles into the bike leg.

"I can just say it is an honor for me to race Lance," said Weiss, a 2004 Olympian in mountain biking for Austria. "I outrode him on the bike, from my point of view."

South Africa's Conrad "The Caveman" Stoltz, the South African who won his fourth title in the event last year, dropped out on the third mile of the run.

Lesley Paterson of San Diego won the women's race.

Alberto Contador Visits California

2011-10-18T18:59:00.000-07:00

The 25th Annual Nautica Malibu Triathlon

2011-10-11T12:24:00.000-07:00

The 25th Annual Nautica Malibu Triathlon was held on September 17&18th at Zuma Beach. This year's events included a Classic Distance and International Distance triathlon, as well as the Nautica Kid's Run and Tot Trot. Congratulations to all athletes that joined us on the shores of Malibu, CA. Together we raised over $1.1 million for Children's Hospital Los Angeles and its pediatric cancer research program.

Dave Zabriskie - Do I Even Tri?

2011-10-06T15:55:00.000-07:00

By: DZ

I’ve often been asked if I’ve ever done a Triathlon and always reply with some explanation that includes how much I’m looking forward to it, one day. Well my first opportunity presented itself a few weeks ago as I was invited to join the Goo Goo Dolls relay team at the Nautica Malibu Triathlon (www.nauticamalibutri.com). Having never competed before I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, and certainly didn’t know that these triathlon’s are early morning events. Really early. I was up at 4:00am and Googled the earliest opening Starbucks in my area because I was too out of it to even make coffee. I’m not sure I really want to be the first customer of the day at Starbucks and I didn’t feel like they were entirely happy to see me around 4:30am. I arrived at the race course and was thrilled to see that the TV Show The Office would have a team competing in the celebrity relay division as well. I thought it was rather cool that I would be racing against Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson). I asked my teammates how seriously we were taking this and was told the goal was to win. Well OK…stupid question. We gave it our best shot. I put myself at near maximum effort on the bike and we beat the team from The Office as well as the very fast guys from the TV show Franklin & Bash. But glory was not be ours as we took 2nd on the day after the swim, bike and run, losing to the Glades team. I enjoyed the heck out of myself, thanks for having me guys, and look forward to competing once again.

-DZ

For more on Dave Zabriskie make sure to check out his site at (www.davezabriskie.com) or click on the title link.

Alberto Contador Rides With Fans In Sausalito, California

2011-10-05T14:44:00.000-07:00

Three-time Tour de France winner Alberto Contador met fans and the media Tuesday in Sausalito and Tiburon and called for more involvement in anti-doping regulation for riders. Contador (Saxo Bank-Sungard) said he was confident that the Court of Arbitration for Sport would rule in his favor over a 2010 clenbuterol charge next month and that the World Anti-Doping Agency would soon implement new standards for the drug in its code.

In a 40-minute question and answer session with a small group of journalists in the small Bay Area town, Contador was relaxed, flanked by his brother Fran and Specialized Racing road team manager Simone Toccafondi. After back-to-back group rides out of nearby Sausalito — the second seeing more than 100 riders meet at Mike’s Bikes and follow the Spaniard for a hard, sometimes harrowing loop in Marin County — the three-time Tour de France champion answered a run of questions about his 2012 race plans, the new Specialized Tarmac SL4 and his ongoing clenbuterol case.

To read the whole interview please click on the title link.

2011 Levi Leipheimer King Ridge GranFondo

2011-10-03T14:33:00.000-07:00

Like a Pied Piper on two wheels in a red, black and white Team RadioShack jersey, pro racer and hometown hero Leipheimer exhorted the crowd to stay safe and enjoy.

“This is the best day of the year for all of us,” he said, a grin on his face.

The inaugural year in 2009 sold out at 3,500 riders. Last year, 6,000 participants signed up. This year, the number jumped to 7,500, and every spot was snapped up.

The day was marred by several crashes, with helicopters taking one rider from Hillsborough and a couple from Canada to the hospital after they spilled on the steep and demanding King Ridge Road.

But for the vast assemblage of cyclists, the GranFondo has become a celebration not only of cycling, but of a community that turns out to embrace the sport, support the event’s charitable causes and celebrate one of the nation’s most beautiful cycling destinations.

Along with the Amgen Tour of California, which starts next year in Santa Rosa, Levi’s ride tells the cycling world it is welcome here, organizers said.

“It’s so much more than a bike ride,” said master of ceremonies David Towle, a nationally known cycling announcer in his second year at the GranFondo microphone.

The start was smooth, if prolonged, once Towle launched the third annual ride with a booming “Andiamo!”

It took a little more than 30 minutes for the last bicycle to reach the starting gate behind a sea of riders spread across both northbound lanes of Stony Point Road. Many had taken up positions more than a hour earlier to make sure they set off with the faster riders.

“Last year, I did it on a whim,” Washington, D.C., resident Chris Kawolics said. He figured it would be fun, but that the cost and hassle of shipping his bike would mean it was a one-time trip.

“This year, as soon as the website opened up, I was on it,” he said.

Fashioned after an Italian cycling tradition, the GranFondo — Italian for “great ride” — is a noncompetitive, group ride that combines fun, camaraderie, scenery and some killer hills.

The three courses ranged in difficulty from the grueling, 103-mile “gran” ride with quad-busting grades like King Ridge Road and 8,500 feet of vertical climb, to the 65-mile “medio” ride from the coast and back over Coleman Valley Road, to the “piccolo,” a more leisurely 35-mile tour of pastoral Sonoma County.

Event Director Carlos Perez, publisher and editor of Bike Monkey Magazine, said it was stunning to look out on the sea of humanity gathered “because Levi Leipheimer just had a morsel of an idea in his head.”

Cycling resonates with the outdoorsy, Wine Country, green lifestyle of Sonoma County, she said. The fondo’s fundraising purpose also appeals to a populace known for volunteerism and supporting nonprofits. “I don’t know another event that hits on all the metrics like that,” Towle said.

Last year, the fondo contributed $175,000 to local cycling initiatives and stake money for Santa Rosa’s role in the Amgen race. Other charities include community public service agencies and school programs, Forget Me Not Farm, where abused kids find comfort in working with animals, and Livestrong, founded by famed cyclist and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong.

Actor and avid cyclist Patrick Dempsey, now a two-year veteran of Leipheimer’s ride, which offers reciprocal support for Dempsey’s cancer foundation, noted seeing about 30 school kids riding bikes on the Santa Rosa Creek trail behind his hotel on Friday.

“It’s so beautiful to see that the cycling community is so supportive here,” he said. “And the countryside is gorgeous.”

Dave Zabriskie At Interbike 2011

2011-09-29T13:36:00.000-07:00

Lance Armstrong, Xterra USA Championship

2011-09-28T16:40:00.000-07:00

Natalie Coughlin's Workouts & Diet

2011-09-28T15:46:00.001-07:00

Team "Goo Goo Dolls - DZ Nuts" Takes 2nd Overall At The Malibu Celebrity Triathlon

2011-09-20T18:02:00.000-07:00

Mike Malinin, Tom Hodge and Dave Zabriskie of team "Goo Goo Dolls - DZ Nuts"

While only one person could be named the official winner of the 25th Annual Nautica Malibu Triathlon, all who showed up to Zuma Beach left with a sense of victory as the competition raised more than $1.1 million for Children's Hospital Los Angeles. With attendees and competitors including celebrities, athletes, philanthropists and organizations, a good time was had by all with a common good cause in mind.

In addition to the abundance of spectators, stars came out to support and compete in the Nautica Malibu Triathlon. Ali Vincent came in first in the celebrity female division with a time of 2:09:21, and Ryan Sutter came in first in the celebrity male division with a time of 1:33:04. Team The Lying Game brought home the victory in the Celebrity Co-Ed Relay Division with a time of 1:26:30. Also competing in the Celebrity Division were: Mike Malinin, Dave Zabriskie, Tom Hodge of team "Goo Goo Dolls - DZ Nuts", Ed Helms, Rainn Wilson, Jon Cryer, Mark Paul Gosselaar, Chris Harrison, Natalie Morales and Tiffani Thiessen, to name a few.

Team Herbalife won the Classic Non-Celebrity Co-Ed Relay Division. Other teams who participated include "Goo Goo Dolls - DZ Nuts", "The Office" team in addition to teams "The Today Show," "KTLA," "Private Practice," and "The Bold and the Beautiful."

Swim/Tom Hodge - Time :11:55

Bike/Dave Zabriskie - Time :36:53....29.2 MPH (DZ shattered the bike record)

Run/Mike Malinin - Time :27:57

Overall Time 1:19:37

Team "Goo Goo Dolls - DZ Nuts" Takes On The 2011 Malibu Celebrity Triathlon

2011-09-13T16:23:00.000-07:00

Team "Goo Goo Dolls - DZ Nuts" will be taking on the 2011 Malibu Celebrity triathlon this weekend. The team is lead by Mike Malinin of the Goo Goo Dolls as the runner, Dave Zabriskie of team Garmin Cervelo as the cyclist and Recovox's own Tom Hodge as the swimmer.

Tom Hodge and Mike Malinin

September 18, 2011 marks the 25th Nautica Malibu Triathlon, one of Southern California’s most anticipated competitions. Hosting some of the world’s finest athletes, philanthropists and celebrities, this event raises money for the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles’ Pediatric Cancer Research Program.

The triathlon event course consists of a Classic distance race that is made up of a half-mile ocean swim in the Pacific Ocean, 18-mile bike ride and four-mile run through Zuma Beach in Malibu, California.

For the fifth year, proceeds from the Nautica Malibu Triathlon will benefit the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and its Pediatric Cancer Research Program. Last year, the event raised more than $1,000,000 for the program, with the help of celebrity participants including Teri Hatcher, Gilles Marini, Julie Bowen and James Marsden.

“Each year we see so many inspiring and moving stories unfold at the Nautica Malibu Triathlon, which make all of our efforts worthwhile,” said Michael Epstein, president of Michael Epstein Sports Productions, Inc. (MESP.) “Year after year the triathlon continues to be successful thanks to all of the hard working participants, teams and sponsors.”

“We are so excited for the 25th anniversary of the Nautica Malibu Triathlon as it is one of the leading athletic events in Southern California,” said Karen Murray, President of Nautica. “We love seeing the community come together to support the amazing research and work that the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles does, and look forward to raising even more funds and awareness for this cause.”

Dedicated to curing and preventing childhood cancers, the Pediatric Cancer Research Program at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles provides groundbreaking treatments and therapies for children with some of the most serious and life-threatening forms of cancers.

With Dave Zabriskie on board as the teams cyclist, Team "Goo Goo Dolls - DZ Nuts" is sure to set a pace that will be hard to beat. Stay tuned to see how it all unfolds this Sunday.

Kelly Slater's 360s worth $100,000 at surfing's U.S. Open

2011-08-08T14:48:00.000-07:00

Kelly Slater turned a couple of big-air 360 reverses into a huge payday Sunday, winning the 2011 Nike U.S. Open of Surfing contest in Huntington Beach, Calif.

Facing Australia's Yadin Nicol in the final, Slater opened up with an 8.50 ride and never trailed, winning 16.27 to 2.57 to collect the $100,000 top prize.

It was the Cocoa Beach surfer's first U.S. Open win since defeating Shane Beschen 15 years ago.

"I guess Yadin wanted me to win because he didn't catch any waves," Slater said. "This gives me confidence."

Heading next to Tahiti on the world circuit, Slater finds himself sixth in the rankings just before the midway point of the season. The 10-time world champion skipped the previous event in South Africa to chase better waves.

The 360s were close to perfect.

"I don't practice them in free-surfing, you can get hurt," he said. "But I stuck a couple of them."

Nicol is on the "bubble" trying to qualify for the world tour.

"I was just really frustrated for him because he was sitting out the back waiting for the big sets and the big sets were close-outs," Slater said. "The small ones, he was just too far outside and I got them. I think what happened is, I got the 8.50 to start and he was just going to be patient. If he got a good one, he would have thrown a big rotator, but it just never came."

In the semifinals, Slater defeated Hawaii's Dusty Payne 17.94 to 14.90, and in the quarterfinals he defeated longtime rival Taj Burrow of Australia 15.50 to 15.27.

Tour Stars confirmed for USA Cycling Challenge

2011-08-02T20:12:00.000-07:00

Cadel Evans (BMC), Andy Schleck (Leopard-Trek) and Frank Schleck are all down to ride the USA Pro Cycling Challenge according to announcement released by the race organisation on Tuesday. The news means that the top-three of the Tour de France will all be riding in Colorado.

Tom Danielson (Garmin-Cervelo) and Ivan Basso (Liquigas-Cannondale) have also been confirmed to ride, adding to one of the strongest fields to attend a US race.

"The confirmed participation of the sport’s premiere athletes is a monumental achievement for the event in its first year," said Sean Petty, Chief Operating Officer for USA Cycling. "It shows the interest and intrigue in what will prove to be an epic battle through the Colorado Rockies."

Shawn Hunter, co-chairman of the race organisation explained that the idea was always to set the bar high for the race’s debut later this month.

"Our goal is to assemble one of the best competitive fields an American professional stage race has ever seen," said Hunter. "This is a great moment of truth for the sport in America and for our race. To have secured such an incredible lineup of teams along with the greatest riders in the world is a credit to what the owners have committed to do in the event’s inaugural year."

The announcement sees Evans return to racing in the US after a four year exodus. Colorado will be Evans’s last race of the season, and the former world champion will be looking to cap off a stellar season in style.

"I've heard good things about the race in Colorado and I know it won't be easy. But I'm up for one more challenge," said Evans.

The USA Pro Cycling Challenge is set to begin on August 22 with a 8.2km prologue around Colorado Springs.

DZNuts with Dave Zabriskie

2011-08-02T13:00:00.000-07:00

Dave Zabriskie breaks it down on his creations: DZNuts and the NutUp!

Dznuts High Viscosity Chamois cream was designed for Dave Zabriskie (DZ) by a pharmaceutical scientist to reduce and relieve chafing, irritation, and protect fragile perineal skin from bacterial and fungal infections.

Formulated for real and synthetic chamois from ONLY plant-derived natural ingredients like *Tea Tee Oil (powerful anti-bacterial and anti-fungal), *Evodia (powerful anti-inflamatory and wound healing), and *Masterwort (used by ancient Greeks for wound healing and calming properties).

"Proper MAINTAINTANANCE of the perineal area is essential during high level training and racing. Nothing can ruin stage race success faster than an infected saddle sore."

--Dave Zabriskie

To order click on the title link

22 minute Basic Routine: Learn how to move

2011-08-01T19:34:00.000-07:00

This is a video Foundation Roots made for their clients a couple years ago to use when traveling or just in need of a quick tune up. This is as basic as it gets. Do this video every day for 2 weeks. Enjoy the results.

Normann Stadler Announces Retirement

2011-08-01T19:26:00.000-07:00

Four weeks after his hear surgery Normann Stadler retires from professional triathlon.

Normann Stadler: “I am flattered that so many people believe in my comeback. Nevertheless I know that I wouldn’t be able to achieve a world class level again.”

The 38-year-old Commerzbank athlete is the only German so far who was able to win the Ironman Hawaii twice: 2004 and 2006.

Lance Armstrong wins Crested Butte Alpine Odyssey mountain bike race

2011-08-01T19:24:00.000-07:00

Lance Armstrong wins the Crested Butte Alpine Odyssey, qualifies for the 2011 Leadville 100.

Look out, Leadville 100 competitors: Lance Armstrong is coming for you again after winning yesterday's Crested Butte Alpine Odyssey mountain bike race with a time of 4:32:21, three seconds ahead of second-place finisher Greg Krause and third-place finisher Travis Scheefer. The 63-mile Crested Butte Alpine Odyssey is the third and final qualifier for the Leadville 100 (August 13), which Armstrong has previously won.

"We had a last minute entry from Lance Armstrong, which came as a huge surprise for us all and made for great racing," reports race spokeswoman Erica Reiter.

Race organizers first learned Armstrong would be racing when he tweeted about it the night before the race.

Welch back in the paddle, uh, saddle again

2011-07-29T11:47:00.000-07:00

Even before Greg Welch was forced to retire in 1999 as the world’s top-ranked triathlete, the ‘94 Ironman champion could easily envision paddles in his future. Unfortunately, they were the kind of paddles attached to a defibrillator, delivering body-jarring jolts of electricity to re-start his heart.

After 12 years and 10 heart surgeries lasting a total of more than 60 hours, Welch indeed has found the power of the paddle, but it’s a paddle of a different sort. He’ll be using it to navigate the treacherous 32-mile channel in Hawaii called Kai’iwi, a wind-whipped and shark-infested span of ocean that’s locale of the Molokai 2 Oahu Paddleboard World Championships on Sunday.

“I do have trepidation,” said Welch, 46, his native Australian accent still intact after 21 years of residence in the triathlon hotbed that is north San Diego County. “I’ve gotten over the fear of my heart problem. I couldn‘t care less about my performance. I’ll just be out there for the challenge of trying to get from Point A to Point B. And I know my limits.”

Should he forget or ignore those limits, surely, Welch will have sufficient reminder with him on his 14-foot board. For one thing, there’s that high-tech gadget just beneath the skin on the left side of his chest, an implanted defibrillator. It monitors and responds to accelerated heartbeats that result from the ventricular-tachycardia condition that drove Welch to retirement..

Perhaps more importantly, Welch will be in the standup-paddleboard (SUP) three-man team event with Encinitas buddies Roch Frey and Chuck Glynn in a relay format. Frey, who recently combined with Welch and Paul Huddle to finish the 40-mile event to Catalina, is 43 years old and coming off both hip-replacement and knee surgery. Glynn is 25.

“Chuck’s the young buck, one of the best paddleboarders around,” said Welch, “and he’s got two old cronies who are washed up and almost dead.”

If only Welch was completely joking. Nothing less than the prospect of death would be able to make a veteran triathlete – let alone the winner of five world championships, including the rare “Grand Slam” -- walk away from the world’s most grueling sport.

Consider that in ‘99, Welch was the early gold-medal favorite for the debut of triathlon in the Sumemr Olympics, which happened to be located on the Sydney Harbor course where Welch grew up racing. He was already qualified for Team Australia and ranked No. 1 in the world.

During the ’99 Ironman, however, Welch began having what he thought were asthma attacks in the first--phase swim. He stopped thrice in the water to let his breathing calm down. It happened 12-14 more times during the bicycle phase and a few more times in the running marathon, prompting Welch to pull off the road to regain his breathing. Somehow, he still finished 11th.

“I was so mad because I was one place out of the money,” said Welch. “But I could’ve killed myself. I basically had 18 cardiac arrests. But it was the Ironman. There is no (pain) threshold.”

Diagnosed with ventricular tachycardia, Welch was taking a treadmill test in Los Angeles a few months later and went into full “v-tach,” his heart rate racing to 320 beats per minute. Fitted with the internal defibrillator, he’d run, pedaled and swum his last race.

Even when doing nothing at all athletically, though, Welch’s heart issue worsened. Thirty times in 2003, the defibrillator could not control his heart rhythms systematically and zapped him with 800 volts of electricity as the last measure.

“I’d know it was coming and I was like ehhhhh, waiting for it,” Welch said. “It’s horrible, really horrible, and left me a basket case for about a year.”

As the v-tachs subsided over an 18-month period, though, Welch couldn’t stand the sedentary life and its own side-effects. Naturally drawn back to the water and the sport of his youth, he returned to surfing, but soon found that the pressure from lying on the board set off the defibrillator.

“Now I can’t even surf?” Welch said. “I was devastated. I tried golf, but couldn’t even walk a difficult course without feeling it. And then I tried paddleboarding, and once I got out there, I realized it didn’t raise my heart rate too much. I was a new-found athlete.”

See? Perfect.

Michael Ball & Rock Racing Makes Comeback?

2011-07-28T17:16:00.000-07:00

Rock Racing owner Michael Ball and Mario Cipollini

The Rock Racing professional team may have folded in dramatic style early in 2010 but the brand is set to return to the peloton after the creation of a joint-venture with an Italian fashion company.

Italian businessman Roberto Tronconi is set to relaunch the brand in Europe after long negotiations with Rock Racing founder Michael Ball. He was forced to sell his clothing brand Rock & Republic to avoid bankruptcy but kept control of the Rock Racing brand.

The team hit the headlines in 2008 when Santiago Botero, Tyler Hamilton and Oscar Sevilla were not allowed to start the Amgen Tour of California because the races' policy against riders caught for using performance enhancing drugs. Mario Cipollini joined the team that spring and rode in California but fell out with Ball after he backed out of plans to create a European-based Rock Racing team.

Rock Racing bikes and clothing will soon go on sale in Europe and the USA and Tronconi hopes to sponsor regional teams in California and New York, and an amateur team in Italy.

“Michael Ball is not dead and has not run away to Mexico,” Tronconi told us.

“I know he angered a lot of people during his time in the sport but I also think he was a visionary who was perhaps ahead of his time. Unfortunately his team faltered but we’re very excited about the brand living on as a joint-venture between my fashion company and Michael Ball.

“I’ve spoken to Michael on a regular basis and I’ve been to the US to meet him. He has helped us reproduce the amazing clothing designs that were created for the team. He’s given us two special machines for the printing and we’re going produce the same high quality clothing and distribute it around the world. We’re close to the heart of the Italian bike industry and will also produce high-quality carbon fibre frames and components.

"Unfortunately we can’t get a stand at the Eurobike show but we hope to be at La Vegas for the Interbike show.”

Tronconi has already created the rockracing.it website and the rockracing.com site will soon be relaunched.

“Some people think we’re a clone of the old Rock Racing but we’re the real deal,” Tronconi told us.

“We want to do things right but we’re convinced there is still a lot of interest for the Rock Racing brand. We’re here to stay.”

Al-Sultan claims victory in Frankfurt - Ironman

2011-07-26T12:45:00.000-07:00

Germany's Faris Al-Sultan has claimed victory at the Frankfurt Sparkasse European Ironman Championship beating compatriots Jan Raphael and Michael Gohner.

Lance Armstrong - Foundation Training

2011-07-25T22:01:00.000-07:00

Dr. Eric Goodman and Peter Park made this Private FOUNDATION video for Lance Armstrong and Doug Ulman... They are now letting everyone use it. It is not for the faint of heart! THIS IS NOT FOR BEGINNERS! Pay attention to details, keep up only as long as is comfortable, get better every day.

Eric Goodman:
Earned a doctor of chiropractic degree after undergraduate study in physiology and nutrition. He developed an innovative approach to human performance and movement in his work training elite athletes.

Peter Park:
Lance Armstrong's strength and conditioning coach and one of the top trainers in the country, owns Platinum Fitness gyms. A professional triathlete and ultrarunner, he has won two World's Toughest Triathlon titles and five top-10 finishes in Ironman competitions

Please click on the title link to learn more about Foundation Roots.

Garmin-Cervelo is top team at Tour de France

2011-07-25T14:21:00.000-07:00

Dave Zabriskie , who crashed out in Stage 9 with a broken wrist, was there in spirit when Vaughters carried a life-sized photo of the American to the podium.

Cadel Evans has been keeping fans back home up all night watching him become the first Australian to win the Tour de France.

Over the years, Evans has been better known for failing to live up to expectations. He finished second in the 2007 Tour and was expected to win the next year, but was runner-up. Last year, he was leading the race but crashed and fractured his left elbow.

This time, persistence, planning — and a little good luck — paid off.

"I hope I brought a great deal of joy to my countrymen, my country," Evans said Sunday after climbing onto the winner's podium on the Champs-Elysees. "It's been a pleasure and an honor to fly the flag over here."

The 34-year-old Evans, the oldest champion since before World War II, stood on the podium wrapped in his national flag, his eyes tearing up as he listened to the Australian national anthem. He then embraced Andy and Frank Schleck , who finished second and third, respectively.

The brothers from Luxembourg had pushed him all the way to the end but were finally defeated by his solo strength in Saturday's race against the clock.

Boulder's Garmin-Cervelo celebrated a successful Tour with the team title and three riders finishing in the top 20. Tom Danielson , the top American, finished ninth, Christian Vande Velde climbed to 17th and Ryder Hesjedal grabbed 18th place.

"We've had a great Tour, but we're most satisfied in the way that we did it," said Garmin-Cervelo manager Jonathan Vaughters on the team's website. "This team is about teamwork, sacrifice, working as a unit, and that's exactly how we rode this Tour."

The team title is determined by the time of the top-three riders in each stage.

Tyler Farrar finished the final stage in fourth place to help pace Garmin to the team title.
Tour de France

A brief look at Sunday's 21st and final stage:

Yellow jersey: BMC team leader Cadel Evans becomes the Tour's first Australian winner.

Stage winner: British sprint specialist Mark Cavendish of the HTC-Highroad team wins his fifth Tour stage this year, bringing his career total to 20.

The other jerseys: For the first time, Cavendish takes home the green jersey, awarded to the best sprinter, which he has long coveted. The "King of the Mountains" polka-dot jersey goes to Olympic road race champion Samuel Sanchez of Spain. Pierre Rolland of France wins the white jersey given to the top young rider.

Garmin-Cervelo: Tyler Farrar places fourth in the stage, finishing 159th overall. Tom Danielson is the team's highest-ranked rider in the overall standings (ninth) as Garmin grabs the team title.

Ivan Basso will keep fighting for victory, says he is getting stronger

2011-07-20T20:43:00.000-07:00

Despite dropping down in the overall standings from fifth to seventh yesterday, Ivan Basso (Liquigas-Cannondale) still believes in himself and his team to fight for victory in the Tour de France this week.

The double Giro d’Italia winner (2006 and 2010) correctly predicted yesterday's outcome on Monday’s rest day: “[Alberto] Contador is still dangerous: he could flip the situation with one of his trademark attacks.”

Basso lost time to Contador, Cadel Evans and Samuel Sanchez yesterday when the three riders got away on the final climb of the day. Contador put in a surprising attack on the category two climb that was brought back by Leopard Trek. A second attack saw him distance himself from the favourites with only Evans and Sanchez able to match his speed.

"I had a problem with my saddle. Just when I returned, Alberto attacked," Basso told BN/De Stem. "I was forced to chase. I lost some time, but am not worried."

Basso chose to not defend his Giro crown this year, something that was taken over by the Spaniard, opting instead to focus his season around the Tour. It’s seems to have paid off as the Italian is still within an arms reach of victory.

"I am a diesel, all right. I have to learn to cope. If anyone jumps, I take time to get on their wheel."

The next three stages of the Tour will be decisive for men like Basso and the Schleck brothers who are not known for their time trial ability. It will be their last opportunity if one them were to win this year’s Tour de France.

"It's about conserving energy for as long as possible," said the Italian who has twice before finished on the Tour’s podium.

"The next three days we really climb, get the longer mountains. They will suit me better."

The Italians form was doubted coming into the race this year as a training fall on Mt Etna in May disrupted his preparation. He needed several stitches to his face and had to spend a few days off the bike.

Three weeks before the Tour de France he was seen struggling in the mountains at the Critérium du Dauphiné, his last warm up race before the Tour. However, so far in the mountain stages of the race Basso has showed himself as a true contender.

Evans and Ivan Basso ride for Aldo Sassi

2011-07-19T20:48:00.000-07:00

They are fierce rivals in the saddle, fighting tooth and nail for three weeks to try to win cycling's biggest prize - the Tour de France yellow jersey.

But Australian Cadel Evans and Italian Ivan Basso share one common and deeply private source of motivation that if successful will see both riders meet atop the podium on the Champs Elysees in Paris on Sunday and provide the tour with one of the most heart-warming finales in modern times.

As Evans and Basso enter the third and most punishing week of the 3430-kilometre tour, both riders will tap into the motivation of honouring their deceased Italian mentor and trainer Aldo Sassi.

Sassi, who died last December from a brain tumour, was honored on Saturday at a dinner in Bormio, Italy, after Mapei Day - named after the training centre that Sassi headed and an annual ride that takes thousands of cyclo-tourists up the twisting Stelvio Pass in the Italian Alps.

Evans and Basso could not attend because of their tour commitments, but they were there in spirit.

As the three-week tour continued after Monday's rest day with stage 16, a 162.5 kilometre leg from Saint Paul Trois Chateaux in the Drome of Provence to Gap at the foot of the Alps, Evans was still third overall, two minutes and six seconds behind the French race leader Thomas Voeckler.

But Evans, whose bid to win the tour last year was cruelled when he crashed and broke his elbow on stage eight when he took the yellow jersey - only to lose it in tears on stage nine, said on Monday that Sassi was still a driving force behind every pedal stroke he makes.

''Aldo is always in my thoughts when I'm suffering. Last year, riding the tour with a broken arm was nothing compared to seeing his family suffer,'' he told The Age. ''He is the one man who has had faith in me through my entire road career. Only my legs worked harder than he did for me.''

Meanwhile Basso, who won last year's Giro d'Italia after serving an 18-month ban for admitting intent to dope, was still fifth overall at 3.16.

Basso visited Sassie shortly before he died and vowed to the popular Italian trainer that he would do all he could to make this year's podium in the tour. ''Aldo is all the time in my heart,'' Basso told The Age, touching the left side of his chest. ''He is a friend and all day his memory is with me.

Basso is getting stronger as the tour continues, and benefited from the staccato attacks by Andy and Frank Schleck.

Basso has not ruled out the danger Voeckler poses as the tour nears the first of three Alpine stages

''This tour is open, but we exit the second week with Voeckler riding really, really strong,'' Basso said.

The Beauty & Agony of the Tour (Part 2)

2011-07-19T19:28:00.000-07:00

By DZ

So many miles from France and I still had a most spectacular day yesterday. I’m back home in Los Angeles to see the noted specialist, Dr. Ramin Modabber of the Santa Monica Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Group. The good doctor is a huge cycling fan, the Chief Medical Officer for the Amgen Tour of California, and for me the perfect person to consult with after my Stage 9 high speed descent ends with me crashing into a guard rail and bouncing my way down a European hillside.

There is, of course, so much beauty to the Tour. I’ll never be jaded enough not to appreciate the pageantry of it all. It’s of course a rolling circus of sorts and the mood and delight that it brings to the French nation and the global cycling community is quite extraordinary. It’s a true privilege to be riding there, but for those of us that don’t make it to Paris there’s also a very real disappointment. I certainly wish I could take that infamous left hand turn over again because I desperately wanted to see Paris this year.

When I replay the events of that day in my mind the scenes are not entirely complete. I hit my head pretty hard or maybe my memory just sucks or maybe I just hit my head pretty hard. I remember being in the front of the peloton. The chase was on. Voices in my ear piece were instructing us to close the gap. We looked around for allies. We could reel some of gap back in on the descent. But the road was slick in spots. I remember seeing it wet then dry then wet again. Ryder was near me. Julian Dean was in front of the group. Thor was behind me. Vino was close by. Now Lotto and Garmin were working together. Two Lotto riders were directly in front of me: Willems and Van Den Broeck. I was on the wheel of Lotto’s, Frederik Willems, I believe. The pace increased. We dropped off the mountain with increasing speed. Surely the gap was coming down. My ear piece echoes with: The gap at 2 minutes. 2 minutes. 2 minutes.

Voeckler’s in the break but certainly we will bring him back now. Suddenly, the left-hander and the eerie sound of screeching brakes, bikes skidding in front of me. I see the Lotto rider in front of me unclip. My mind stops, times freezes. I’m living in slow motion. Around me the horrible grating sound of metal on metal, then exploding carbon. My hands instinctively tighten on the brakes. My breath and heart beat shut down. My eyes are unemotionally fixed on a concrete post directly in front of me. A metal guard rail runs from the post both left and right. I can’t turn. My bike is locked up. The sound of rubber sliding on the pavement washes over me. My front wheel disintegrates into the concrete post. My fork is sawed in half. My hands snap backward as I flip over the top of my handlebars. My head smacks the top of the concrete post as I summersault the guard rail and bounced 20 feet down the embankment. I’m suddenly laying motionless in wooded brush. My hands are numb. My left leg is screaming in pain. I’m afraid to move but I’m alone. I wonder who will see me down here. Does anyone even know what happened? Suddenly a voice blasts over my ear piece: Crash! Crash! Crash!

I took several breaths and slowly willed my body toward the embankment. I was crawling, dragging my left leg. Half way up I hear someone above me. I crane my neck toward the road to see a helmeted motorcycle rider anxiously making his way downward. He lifts me under my arms and helps me back up to the road. Cars, riders and busted bikes are scattered all over. I’m dazed but I think about remounting my back-up bike. I try to stand but I can’t. I simply can’t. To my side is Lotto’s Willem. He looks at me searchingly and asks, “What happened?” I hesitate. It’s too hard to talk. The realization of being out of the race settles over me and I start shivering. Willem again asks, “What happened?” I just shake my head from side to side pausing only briefly to reach up to pull the radio piece from my ear as it crackles: The gap at 7 minutes. 7 minutes. 7 minutes.

An ambulance finally arrives and they load Vino. He’s broken. I watch in dazed detachment. Later he would explain his split second choice as riding off the road or riding up the back of Thor and wiping them both out. I’ll say what you already know, Vino’s a warrior. After what seemed like 45 minutes I’m loaded into a car that takes me back up the mountain we descended down and I’m dropped at a ski patrol station. I’m laid out on a stretcher, cold and pissed. Around me there’s others injured and a lot of commotion about how to get us to the hospital. Finally I get someone’s attention and order a whiskey. Instead of the drink I get a lot of confused looks. I’m nearly ready to pass out from the pain in my leg. Whiskey damn it! Cooperation is not forthcoming. I’m shivering uncontrollably now and growing more angry by the second. Someone hands me a thick under garment from my rain bag that the team left with me. I take it and put it on to warm myself but its the whiskey I really want. I root through the rain pack and pull out my full face baklava and also put it on. I draw a few angry breaths through the small holes covering my mouth and LOUDLY ask again for a whiskey in a way that now sounds more like a demand. Those around me shutter from my volume and my new look but still respond ‘No’ while mumbling to each other that I hit my head. I suspect they are rationalizing my behavior by telling each other its a head injury. Someone excitedly pops in front of me with a glass of water and the French equivalent to Tylenol and fearfully extends it toward me. I slowly lean forward, my eyes moist, my ski-masked head slightly tilted and gently whisper to him, ‘Whiskey? S’il vous plait.’

I’m finally transferred to a local hospital. I sensed they wanted me out. The attending physician reeks of cigarette smoke. How’s that possible? He’s been told I hit my head and he’s certainly been informed about my demands for whiskey. He begins to good-naturedly lecture me on the problems of alcohol. I know I’m not a drinker but he’s not going to be convinced of that so I suggest to him that we make a deal. I stop drinking if he stops smoking. He chuckles, uncommitted. I ask the doctor to think of me every time he lights up. He smiles and continues his examination.

I’m required to spend the night. Head injury. I’m not convinced of that but I have no chance to convince them that this is really just the way I am. My leg’s in a brace and on my lap is my trusty iPad. My body has shut down but I couldn’t relax. I’m restless, irritable and alone. Of course I feel lucky as well. News of broken bones and more serious injuries filter into my room. Emails come from my teammates and friends. I console myself by reading their words, sometimes more than once. Thor, Tommy D and Julian Dean are especially kind and supportive. I’m out of the Tour but I’m okay. It could have been much worse and they remind me of this fact. And while I’m worried about my hand and knee I’m also grateful that fate cleared a more gentle path for me than maybe some of the others. To see what happened to Flecha and Hoogerland later on that same stage was both sobering and horrifying.

Strangely, the days events made it so I was unable to sleep. Looking to calm myself and find a diversion I pull up the HBO crime drama OZ on my iPad and lay in bed watching the entire 3rd season. I finally pass out between 2 and 3am hopeful for an early morning pick-up by the team. At 8am I’m ready to go but my ride doesn’t show up till a few hours later. I’m transferred to the Rest Day hotel in Saint Flour, I believe. It was good to see the guys again but it would also be bittersweet as this would be my last night with them. I gently settled into my room with Ryder, my knee badly swollen, and began making plans to get back to the US. I would need to see a specialist back home.

Yesterday, Dr. Modabber kindly cleared time to see me. He x-rayed my hand and wrist and confirmed that I did not fracture any bones. He convinced his MRI tech to skip lunch to scan my knee. The pre-scan evaluation and diagnosis was not good. The possibility of a meniscal tear was high. We spoke about the required surgery and maybe removing the 3 screws that have been in my knee since my 2003 accident. But to our delight the scan showed no tear just a ‘femoral contusion’ from the impact. ‘If you can deal with the pain you can spin’ was what I was told. No climbing. No strenuous efforts. I left the doctor’s office elated and headed immediately over to one of my favorite vegan restaurants, Native Foods. To my surprise on the restaurant wall hung the framed Wall Street Journal article about the first cyclist to attempt the Tour de France on a vegan diet. In the background Lynyrd Skynrd’s ‘Freebird’ played. I couldn’t help but smile, life was offering me another special moment.

When I got back home I slipped into my gear and slow-pedaled around the lake near my house. My knee hurt, my right hand still had pain and numbness, but I was pedaling. I’m not in France with my teammates but I was pedaling. And after a brilliant and crazy 9 stages of the Tour, I was pedaling again. When I returned to the house my 3 year old boy, Waylon, was on the driveway. I lifted him onto my bike and we pedaled off together, in my head the lyrics of ‘Freebird’ playing softly.

For more on DZ please click on the title link to go to http://davezabriskie.com/

Hundreds turn out for Lance Armstrong's Sutherland Twitter Ride

2011-07-18T15:37:00.000-07:00

On an at times damp day in Sutherland - one of the most sparsely populated parts of the UK - the lure of a “Twitter Ride” with a seven-time Tour winner was enough to draw in a sizeable peloton for the planned 30 mile loop from Dornoch to near Golspie by way of Loch Fleet.

Armstrong had arrived in the area on Friday to stay at the exclusive Skibo Castle for a spot of golfing r&r on Scotland’s far north east coast. Having been out on his bike on Saturday he tweeted: “Nice 35 mile ride in/around the County of Sutherland. Small roads, no cars, and beautiful terrain.” Later that day he tweeted the rendezvous for his second Scottish Twitter Ride – the first took place in Paisley near Glasgow back in 2009.

The faithful duly arrived at the appointed time and place - the Eagle pub in Dornoch at 5pm - for the chance to ride with the Texan. Such was the throng on Dornoch's main street that, according to the Scotsman newspaper, the police had to close it to regular traffic before the riders set off. With rain falling in the area while the ride took place, the paper says there were “a few accidents” among the riders, though apparently nothing serious.

After the ride Armstrong posed for photographs and signed autographs before heading back into Skibo Castle from where he tweeted: “Thanks Scotland for coming out for a little ride. To the 1000+ who came over Dornoch - you rock! Keep ridin'..”

The Beauty & Agony of the Tour (Part 1)

2011-07-18T13:27:00.000-07:00

By DZ

A big thanks for all the well wishes, messages, tweets, emails and postings of support and concern. It’s helpful with the healing process when you know that people care about you and are willing to openly express their empathy for you. I’ve always felt fortunate to have such cool fans and that feeling becomes even more meaningful when things suddenly go south.

I haven’t been silent on purpose. From the moment I hit the ground on Stage 9 my life has been a dizzying blur: my body, bruised and painful, my mind scattered and restless, and my mood, alternating, seemingly on its own, between extreme calm and utter surliness.

I’m back in LA now, planning to see a specialist who will examine my left knee and right hand. I had x-rays taken in France but I need a new evaluation by a highly respected US specialist. I can tell you that reports of my wrist being fractured were not accurate. I may have broken a bone in my hand and I hit my knee so hard in the crash that I could not recognize it shortly afterward as it ballooned up to grotesque proportions.

Heading into the Tour I was full of energy, excitement and purpose. I was more thrilled to be there than maybe during any other year prior. My body felt fantastic and the team was ready to do some good work.More importantly, I was ready to do some great work for the team. The last thing I expected, or certainly wanted, was to be updating my site like this. But this is racing. Cycling is both a beautiful and dangerous sport and the truth is, I’m incredibly lucky, lucky to have had a great first week, and lucky to be even updating you today. There are a hundred ways in which my crash could have ended much worse than it did and when my mind travels back to the mental replay of my impact I feel a great sense of relief and gratitude (with a bit of a cold sweat mixed in).

I’ll gladly take you through some of my experiences of that first week, including the amazing Team Time Trial, Thor in Yellow and my accident. It was such a rewarding start to the Tour (except for the accident, of course). But I’ll have to do it in parts. I truly appreciate your patience in hearing from me, your kindness and support, and your understanding here.

- DZ

Bicyclists declare victory in race with JetBlue flight

2011-07-16T15:41:00.000-07:00

The six bicyclists racing a JetBlue flight from Burbank to Long Beach Saturday proved the power of the pedals, beating the flight by a long shot. The cyclists, members of the urban bicyclist organization Wolfpack Hustle, made the trip in 1 hour and 34 minutes, using the path along the Los Angeles River for most of the trek.

The cyclists and a blogger aboard the JetBlue flight left at 10:50 a.m. from the same intersection in North Hollywood –- with the blogger having to drive to the airport, arriving an hour before the 12:20 p.m. flight, then catching a ride to the aquarium in Long Beach, the finish line. The plane had just taken off when the cyclists arrived.

The cyclists had boldly predicted victory earlier Saturday morning. Joe Anthony, 33, who took the JetBlue flight, said the race was meant to show "how feasible cycling is in L.A.," And, he said, "maybe how ridiculous it is to fly 40 miles."

Thomas Voeckler a Tour de France contender, says Lance Armstrong

2011-07-16T15:20:00.000-07:00

The Tour de France has exited the Pyrenees, and in a surprising turn of events, the general classification favorites have been unable to wrest the yellow jersey from the shoulders of the courageous Frenchman Thomas Voeckler.

Even seven-time Tour champion Lance Armstrong took note of the performance, today indicating via Twitter that he thought Voeckler could win the Tour de France if he made it to the top of the Plateau de Beille with the leaders, which he did.

Armstrong himself had to go up against Voeckler's steely resolve in the 2004 Tour de France, and while he was able to finally unseat the Frenchman on the first day in the Alps.

"He wasn't 'swinging off the back' today," Armstrong said. "He was one of the strongest. The others weren't assertive and/or aggressive enough to make a selection," Armstrong said.

"He has 2:06 on Evans. Final TT is 42km. He's French. It's the Tour de France. He won't lose 2:06 in the final time trial assuming he keeps them close on Alpe d'Huez. His teammate Pierre Rolland has been a rock star and has to continue to be. Lastly, the dude knows how to suffer. Will be fun to watch."

Floyd Landis " Lance Armstrong is a bully"

2011-07-15T18:16:00.000-07:00

'Content' Ivan Basso climbing higher

2011-07-15T17:58:00.000-07:00

As the Tour de France peloton embarks on the final stage in the Pyrenees tonight, Italian Ivan Basso knows he will no longer be able to hide behind the uncertainty of his form following his brilliant ride in the 12th stage from Cugnaux to Luz-Ardiden on Thursday.

Two days before his fourth place, 30 seconds behind Spaniard Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) in the 211-kilometre stage, Basso told The Saturday Age that the lack of attention on him compared to the other favourites was not a concern. But Basso stepped out of the shadows in Thursday's first taste of the Pyrenees with a splendid ride, especially on the final 13.5-kilometre climb to the finish. His Polish teammate Sylwester Szmyd was also impressive. Four kilometres into that final climb up to Luz-Ardiden, Szmyd set the tempo on the front of the group of contenders.

What got tongues wagging was the sight of Basso, last year's Giro d'Italia winner who had served an 18-month ban for admitting intent to dope, riding on Szmyd's wheel, and then in front of Australian Cadel Evans (BMC) and Luxembourg's Andy Schleck (Leopard Trek) to take fourth behind Sanchez.

The Italian said: ''I am very content. It was an important first test for me … especially after my crash on Mount Etna [while training in May].

''Szmyd rode great today to help pace me over the Tourmalet and keep me in the group until the final part of the stage … I have to stay concentrated and remain calm. There is still lots of racing in this tour. This was only the tour's 'antipasto' [appetiser].''

As Basso was elevated from 11th to fifth overall, three minutes and 16 seconds behind French race leader Thomas Voeckler (Europcar), the big question was whether the disappointing eighth-place finish by three-time tour winner Alberto Contador, 43 seconds behind Sanchez, was evidence that he simply isn't up to winning the tour again. But Basso warned against ruling out the Spaniard, who won the Giro d'Italia in May.

''Alberto has had a lot of problems in this tour, with crashes and other difficulties,'' Basso said. ''And do not forget the efforts of the Giro. I was beat after winning the Giro last year. But no one should underestimate him. He is sure to be a force to be reckoned with in this tour.''

Contador, a mentally tough athlete who is carrying a knee injury sustained last week, set out to turn Thursday's result into a positive, even though it also highlighted the threat that the Schleck brothers - Andy and Frank - pose.

''We have seen from the beginning of the tour that the Schleck brothers were to play two cards and they would take turns attacking,'' Contador said. ''Perhaps I spent more energy than necessary and my knee has bothered me a bit but I'm happy with the outcome of this first mountain stage''.

Ivan Basso relishes Luz-Ardiden antipasto

2011-07-14T13:30:00.000-07:00

Perhaps the broadest smile at the summit of Luz-Ardiden belonged to Ivan Basso (Liquigas-Cannondale), as the Italian put his troubled Tour de France build-up behind him with a forceful showing on the race's first mountain stage.

Immediately on crossing the line, a remarkably fresh Basso could scarcely keep a grin from his face, even if his initial assessment of his day's work was a cautious one.

"It's only the first day in the mountains, so let's stay calm," he said. "I think we rode very well, but it was the first summit finish and there's still a lot to do in this Tour."

After emerging from doping control a short while later, however, Basso had time to be more expansive on what was his most impressive performance at the Tour since before his suspension for his implication in Operacion Puerto. He finished in fourth place on the stage after appearing to be among the strongest of the podium contenders, and moved up to fifth overall as a result.

"I'm smiling because it was a good performance," Basso said. "I'm very happy because I hadn't had very good sensations for a few months, since the accident I had."

A fall in training at Mount Etna in May meant that Basso had struggled in the weeks immediately before the Tour, and although his Pyrenean starter had whetted the appetite, he pointed out that the real meat of this Tour de France is still to come.

"This is only the antipasto of this Tour, because we have another two days in the Pyrenees and then the tough phase in the Alps," Basso grinned.

Szmyd's support crucial

Team manager Roberto Amadio had told Cyclingnews on the eve of the stage that other teams would set the agenda in the Pyrenees while Basso kept his powder dry, but although Leopard Trek made the running on the Tourmalet, it was Liquigas-Cannondale who seized the initiative at Luz-Ardiden.

The lime green colours of Sylvester Szmyd, in particular, shone through the gloom of the cavernous final climb, as the Pole thinned out the lead group with a relentless stint of pace-setting in the finale. Basso was fulsome in his praise of the harmony of his team.

"I'm really very happy with the work of my teammates, they were very strong in the flat, and then you saw what Szmyd did on the climbs, it was the Szmyd that you all know," Basso said. "The only off-key note of this Tour for me so far was the team time trial, but my teammates have shown in the stages since how strong they are."

When Szmyd swung over, it was Basso himself who did the most to lead the overall contenders in their attempts to close down Fränk Schleck's attacks in the finale, and the Italian came home just ahead of Cadel Evans, Andy Schleck and Damiano Cunego.

"Today it was important to see how the legs responded," Basso said. "That was the objective for all the favourites, and I think they all confirmed themselves. Rather than watching the others, I think about myself, and knowing that you're going well is an important injection of confidence."

Contador down but not out

One favourite whose performance offered more questions than confirmations was Alberto Contador, as Basso and Evans's forcing the pace in the final kilometre dislodged the Spaniard from the select group chasing Fränk Schleck and stage winner Samuel Sanchez.

Contador conceded 13 seconds to Basso, and never appeared comfortable at any point during on the long haul to the summit. Although Basso's morale was doubtless boosted by the sight of the Spaniard floundering on the final kick to the line, he stressed that Contador had the ability to recoup his losses in one fell swoop.

"I think Contador has had a lot of problems in the first part of the Tour, a lot of falls, but let's be careful not to underestimate him," Basso warned. "Contador is a champion. You need to remember that he might only need one real attack to win the Tour de France."

Cancer’s toll on wife pushes man to Ride with Lance Armstrong

2011-07-13T11:30:00.000-07:00

Stephen Moxey’s competitive spirit will not be all that’s pushing him to keep up with cycling legend Lance Armstrong.

The memory of his wife, who died of breast cancer at just 40, and the difficult journey all cancer patients face will have him pedalling hard during the Ride with Lance fundraiser next month.

“If I keep that in mind, I think I’ll make it,” Moxey said.

The Kitchener man is training diligently since signing up a few weeks ago for the Aug. 27 event benefitting the Grand River Regional Cancer Centre.

Donations are currently at about $324,000. Last year’s ride raised $1.2 million, the same as the previous year.

This is the fourth time Armstrong, a cancer survivor and seven-time Tour de France winner, will lead the 120-kilometre route through the region’s countryside in support of local cancer programs and patient care.

There’s still room for more riders, who must raise at least $20,000 to join. Out of the 50 available spots, 36 cyclists are registered.

Moxey’s goal is $50,000. Already he’s at $22,000 and his fundraising will get a big boost from his company and its many customers. Moxey and his wife, Melody, started Economy Group, which runs Economy Lube locations across Ontario. The company will match $1 donations on oil changes until the ride.

“She really cared about all her employees,” said Chris Muter, who is vice-president of operations and worked alongside Melody. “She was always there for everybody else.”

When she died, he said, “the company went through a very hard time.”

Melody celebrated her 40th birthday with a big party just a few weeks before she was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer, a rare and aggressive type. Surgeries and chemotherapy didn’t slow the disease, and she died six months later.

“There was really no way of stopping it,” said Moxey, 46.

Moxey didn’t realize at first the seriousness of the cancer, believing treatment would save her. Then he had to come to terms with the news the cancer was terminal.

He would lose his wife, whom he met in high school, and the couple’s two young daughters Mindy and Priscilla would lose their mother.

Melody remained resolute.

“She was really strong,” he said. “Nothing seemed to faze her.”

Suddenly, Moxey became a full-time father on top of running a growing business. A few years later, Moxey is adjusting to life with just his daughters, now 9 and 5.

“It’s amazing what you can go through and prosper still,” he said. “It’s been a challenge, for sure.”

2011 Tour de France - Jim Ochowicz

2011-07-13T11:23:00.000-07:00

Jim talks about Cadels chances as we hit the mountains in the 2011 Tour de France.

Normann Stadler Has Emergency Heart Surgery

2011-07-13T11:05:00.000-07:00

Recovox President Tom Hodge and Normann Stadler

Two time Ironman World Champion, Normann Stadler underwent emergency heart surgery on July 4th. The surgery was to repair a failing heart valve and an aortic aneurysm. The surgery was said to have gone well. We are wishing Normann a safe and full recovery.

There has not been an announcement as to the future of his career, but we will keep you posted. Recovox wants to wish Normann a fast recovery.

Flashback - Bob Roll Wins Mt. Diablo Hill Climb

2011-07-12T12:52:00.000-07:00

Long ago, a 22-year old amateur named Bob Roll set his sights on a race coming to his home turf—a race up Mt. Diablo. Bob knew this would be his race. He had trained up the mountain’s Northgate Road every other day. Race day came and Bobke assaulted the mountain like a man possessed, beating out the pro favorites and taking a surprise victory in the 1983 Mount Diablo Hill Climb.

Ivan Basso: “We’ve only had one off day”

2011-07-11T23:52:00.000-07:00

Ivan Basso (Liquigas-Cannondale) has staked his season on a strong performance in the Tour de France. The 2010 Giro d’Italia winner missed out on defending his title in his home tour to be fresh in July and, so far, the gamble appears to be paying off.

The 33-year-old from Gallarate, south of Varese, is currently in eleventh place, 3’36” behind new race leader Thomas Voeckler (Europcar), but within a minute of most of is rivals in the race for yellow jersey

“If they’d asked me to finish the first week of a race like this with a gap of a few seconds, a race full of mixed stages and finishes that didn’t really suit me, I’d have leapt at the chance,” he said. “We’ve only had one off day, the day of the team time trial, but apart from that we’ve proved we’re up to the challenge in the other stages.”

Liquigas-Cannondale finished 57 seconds behind team time trial winner Garmin-Cervélo on stage two, meaning Basso lost 53 seconds to BMC Racing’s Cadel Evans, the best of the genuine contenders. Other than that, Basso has lost just a handful of seconds on the three uphill finishes, and goes into the second week just 1’10” behind the Australian.

While the green and blue team has looked after Basso well in the tough, stressful first week, the Italian has been lucky in that he has avoided all of the crashes that have seen the abandon of Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky), Alexandre Vinokourov (Astana), Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Omega Pharma-Lotto) and others. This luck has been assisted though, by the Italian deliberately keeping out of trouble.

“My teammates have shown great character and also strength as they’ve protected me every day,” he said. “Naturally I thank them for that. As for me, I’ve been lucky so far as I haven’t been involved in any crashes. But I think that my customary caution has also worked in my favour. I’m not into running risks and sometimes I use up a bit more in terms of energy than my opponents.

“I’d rather waste some energy than throw away the chance to win the Tour,” he explained. “I know my strength; I’m a strong climber so I’ll focus on that to make the difference.”

With the first week out of the way, the Tour’s first big rendezvous will be on Thursday, when the stage finishes at Luz-Ardiden.

“The battle for the different classifications will calm down,” he explained, “starting with the GC: Voeckler is an expert rider and he’ll be trying to hang on to the yellow jersey for as long as possible.

“But then the gloves will come off on Thursday. We’ve haven’t seen anything yet really. Lots of riders have been saving themselves as they’re well aware of the climbs we’ve got to face.”

While he feels ready for the challenges, he can’t say how his rivals are feeling.

“I can’t say how they’re doing because the routes weren’t selective,” he said. “Evans is the one who’s shown that he’s most in form, even though the routes suited him. If he keeps this up in the Pyrenees and the Alps, I’d say he’s the favourite.

“We haven’t seen much of Andy Schleck but he’s doing well,” he continued. “Him and Fränk are the only ones who can create superiority in numbers. Sanchez has stayed under the radar but I thought he looked brilliant. Contador? He’s the strongest and the one to fear on the climbs. I wouldn’t rule out a podium place for Klöden and Gesink though: they’ve got what it takes to make up time.

“Having said that though, my first thought is my personal performance,” he added. “I’m calm and motivated, and know I can make my mark. If someone proves that they’re stronger than me at the end, well chapeau to him. I definitely won’t be holding anything back."

Ivan Basso - Tour de France Interview

2011-07-11T23:50:00.000-07:00

LIVESTRONG Challenge rides into Davis

2011-07-11T08:12:00.000-07:00

Lance Armstrong - Check out 92 yr old Georgia! She's riding her stationary bike 100 miles today @ LSC Davis!!

DAVIS, CA - Lance Armstrong's 2011 LIVESTRONG Challenge held in Davis this weekend, attracted over 1,400 bike riders from 36 states and nine countries, all in support of cancer survivors.

In its first year in Davis, challenge participants raised more than $880,000 for cancer survivor support programs and awareness. Armstrong rode in the event Sunday morning and greeted cancer survivors young and old.

"We're thrilled and grateful to be able to bring the LIVESTRONG Challenge to Davis for the first time this year," said Armstrong, chairman and founder of LIVESTRONG. "The Davis community has opened its arms and we want to thank everyone who has contributed to the success of Sunday's Challenge."

Karen Linn, of Mariposa, said this was her third time riding in the challenge, but this year's event was special. She was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in December.

"I just finished all of my cancer treatments and everything," Linn said. "I'm free of cancer now and it means a lot to be able to do this today."

Cancer survivors who rode in the challenge Sunday received a special token of recognition.

"Anyone who received a yellow rose is a cancer survivor and they come down a special lane in celebration and a yellow rose is handed (to them) at the finish line," said Leigh Harmon with LIVESTRONG.

Sunday's bike challenge featured multi-distance rides including 20, 45, 70 or 105-mile options.

Cannon Catalina Challenge

2011-07-08T11:53:00.000-07:00

From Blair Cannon...

It's official!! I am going to attempt to swim the 21-mile Catalina Channel from Santa Catalina Island to Rancho Palos Verdes, just South of Los Angeles, to raise awareness and money to benefit Monarch School for homeless children and the Great Friend Foundation Scholarship Program for children of military families in San Diego.

The swim will begin at midnight on August 5 and I am expected to reach Rancho Palos Verdes nine to fourteen hours later. This attempt will be officially sanctioned by the Catalina Channel Swimming Federation, who will impose some restrictions. While in the water, I will not be allowed to make supporting contact with any person or object, nor will I be allowed to wear a wetsuit. I will simply wear a speedo, cap and goggles and rely on an escort boat and support crew to help me navigate the channel and toss me treats when I get hungry or thirsty.

For more information please click on the title link.

Dave Z - Le Tour 2011

2011-07-06T10:14:00.000-07:00

By DZ:

I arrived in Gois on Monday with the rest of the team in argyle style, that style being a private jet. It’s a luxury to fly this way and it happens rarely for us so when it does its hard not to be excited about it.

We came a day or two earlier than many of the other teams because we wanted to do some recon and properly check out the team time trial course. That course is FAST, very few turns and it should be quite the show of team speed and power. The team was strong in our warm up laps and we’ll certainly be going for it on Stage 2.

The following day we rode the last 100K of Stage 1. It felt good to be on the course with the guys. We were loose but serious about our recon. What we found was quite a nice drag to the finish. The run-in to that finishing climb will be difficult but we hope to be in the mix.

Yesterday we did the blood control and the team presentation in the French Amusement Park. The pageantry was all very French and we had some fun with it. Let me tell you what happened because it was quite funny (at least to us).

They organized us below the ground and we were scheduled to rise up on a platform to ground level. They wanted us to be standing in a straight line, evenly spaced across the stage, centered as possible. But at the last moment while we were under the stage, surrounded by a huge wardrobe department, Thor found a wig and put it on looking to truly play the role of the God of Thunder. Surprisingly, someone found him a hammer and he gladly assumed the character.

We decided that we would rise from below the ground and the rest of the team would bow to Thor and raise their arms in a gesture to his grandness. Thor, wig and hammer, wearing the World Champion’s Jersey was absolutely loving every second of it, and the truth is so were we. But the French stage coordinator who was organizing our team was completely freaking out. He was afraid the stage was not designed to deal with our antics and he was fearful it might tip or collapse.

The whole episode was really spur of the moment, just the guys and I having fun, being ourselves, enjoying the moment. It was all quite funny to us but then to see the photos on the internet was really quite enjoyable. Unfortunately some of the comments were from people who took it all too seriously and thought that the Tour forced Thor and the team to perform in that way. Some accused us of being actors or entertainers and not athletes. For us it was both funny and entertaining, and why not entertain the fans that were there. Clearly the one who got the most out of it all was Thor. He really seemed to enjoy himself, and maybe too much, as he’s been looking for us to bow down ever since.

Well our chef has arrived, and that’s important to someone who’s on a specific diet. He’ll be cooking some vegan foods for me which is perfect, especially since I’ve been living off of my energy bars and powered mixes since I arrived.

I have to say that I’m digging the new Tour kit. Our clothing this year is spot on. Everyone loves the changes and the fit and the predominantly white kit will serve us well over the next 3 weeks.

I also received two new bikes for the Tour. The new Cervelo S5, which feels super fast, as well as a newly painted TT bike. It all feels special and I’m really pleased by that.

I did my traditional pre-race full body shave (except for the head). It’s become a ritual for me and helps me to further zone into the moment. It’s also quite funny as well, as for many professional athletes in other sports, when the playoffs come around the shaving stops and its all about hair growth. For cyclists, and especially me, it’s all about getting the perfect shave, the less hair the better.

Was more than fired up last night as I watched the docu, The Corporation. I don’t really understand how some people get away with what they get away with. Frustrating.

My private Tour entertainment is important. Quality down time helps the body recover and the mind stay focused on the task at hand. So I’ve downloaded the HBO series OZ, as well as the first season of The X-Files. Should be good Tour entertainment for my twisted mind.

My roommate is Ryder again this year, which is perfect for both of us. We understand each other and roll with the same sense of humor. Should be good and I’ll let you know what funny shit he comes up with. I’ll tell you now you should have seen the look on his face when I told him he can’t touch my pillow.

I think my position is understandable when you know that I brought my home pillow to the Tour this year. So far my sleep has been perfect. It’s a bit hard to believe I’ve not traveled with my pillow previously but that’s the truth. I was previously relying on French hotel pillows and its definitely not worked as well as having my own. I’m so pleased by that decision that I told Ryder he’s not even allowed to look at my pillow.

DZ - Riding the Tour De Vegetable

2011-07-03T14:58:00.000-07:00

American David Zabriskie Aims to Compete in the World's Most Grueling Bike Race—As a Vegan!

To climb the Tour de France's steep mountain passes and cross its scorching plains, cyclists have tried stuffing themselves full of steak and pasta, gulping down wine and cognac, smoking cigarettes, taking amphetamines and, of course, using other drugs during the race's 107-year history. On Saturday, American David Zabriskie plans to try something entirely new: Riding the Tour on a vegan diet.

Experts say he is the first cyclist to attempt the most difficult bike race in the world sans meat, dairy or eggs. (He will cheat slightly, he says, because he plans to eat small amounts of salmon two days per week to increase iron absorption).

Cyclists in the Tour de France can burn 8,000 calories a day—so many that some riders, already lean from their training, are unable to eat enough food to keep up with calorie loss.

The conventional wisdom is that eating plenty of meat and dairy provides protein to help cyclists' muscles recover, and that the iron in red meat keeps the body producing ample amounts of hemoglobin, part of the all-important red blood cells that transport oxygen to the muscles. Iñigo San Millán, a sports-medicine professor at the University of Colorado and a former physiologist on Zabriskie's team, calls the cyclist's desire to go vegan "a strange concept." To many cyclists, he says, a vegan diet "doesn't make much sense."

Before last season, Zabriskie, who rides for the U.S.-based Garmin-Cervélo team, was a typical meat-eating athlete, scarfing down whatever he wanted so long as it didn't make him fat. But at the beginning of last season, his team's chiropractor gave him a blood test that screened his sensitivity to certain types of foods. The chiropractor, Matt Rabin, told Zabriskie he had the highest sensitivity to food on the team. Another blood test showed Zabriskie had the highest inflammation of his muscles.

During last year's Tour de France, Zabriskie turned down the red meat being passed around the dinner table because he thought it required too much energy to digest. In the late summer of last year, he began phasing out all meat from his diet and by October, he had also cut out dairy.

After nine months on the diet, Zabriskie says he's feeling better than ever. He has had some of the best results of his career and says he feels more focused. "I think a lot of people see food in terms of whether it's going to make them fat or make them skinny," he says. "I'm seeing food in terms of how it's going to make me think and will it give me clarity." Zabriskie says he's noticed that even small ailments, like canker sores and a persistent rash he used to get, have all gone away. Even his vision has improved, he says.

This winter, Zabriskie's team director, Jonathan Vaughters, caught wind of his new diet and gave him a call. Vaughters was concerned the diet would lower Zabriskie's iron intake, which is crucial for endurance athletes. He told Zabriskie that he could try the diet, so long as he took regular blood tests to monitor his level of ferritin, the protein that stores iron. He said Zabriskie should eat more dark, leafy greens and other sources of iron. Vaughters says he's fine with the diet, so long as the results are good. "At the end of the day, I just want him to go fast."

Vaughters says he was surprised when blood tests early this season showed Zabriskie's ferritin levels had remained stable on the vegan diet—which means his hemoglobin and red blood cell counts also remained normal. He says he's been pleasantly surprised by his performance. "He's won more time trials this year than he has in his career," Vaughters says. "The proof is in the pudding."

To get guidance on the diet, Zabriskie consulted with Brendan Brazier, a triathlete and author of "The Thrive Diet," a guide to vegan diets in sports that has become something of a bible for the cyclist. Brazier lives near Zabriskie in the outskirts of Los Angeles and began joining him on rides.

Earlier this season, Zabriskie said his energy levels were down and he felt weak. He wasn't sure if it was a result of the diet or a recent bug he was getting over. He got in touch with Brazier, who advised him to take vegan protein shakes made from hemp seeds, flax seeds and brown rice protein, among other ingredients. (Brazier invented the shake and markets them under the "Vega" brand). Zabriskie says he now drinks three or four of the shakes throughout the day.

Zabriskie also consulted with a professional motorcycle racer, Ben Bostrom, also a vegan, who advised Zabriskie to include small amounts of fish a couple of times a week because of the incredibly large load he puts on his body during training. "He told me, don't get too hung up on the word 'vegan'," says Zabriskie. The fish, Zabriskie says, helps his body absorb certain vitamins and iron.

During the Tour of California in May, Zabriskie won the time trial. Last month, he blew away the competition at the U.S. national time trial championships in Greenville, S.C. That victory, he says, reinforced his decision to change his diet. "I knew I had done everything right," he says.

Zabriskie is not a contender for the yellow jersey. He has raced in the Tour de France five times and finished it three times. He became the third American to wear the race's coveted yellow jersey in 2005 when he beat Lance Armstrong in the race's opening prologue. This year, if he just finishes, he could become a hero for advocates of the Vegan diet—at least those who don't mind the fish.

Vaughters says it might change the way professional athletes view veganism. "This is definitely the ultimate test of the vegan diet," he says. "If it works here, no one can ever say you can't do X,Y,Z as a vegan."

Here's what the cyclist plans to eat on race days during the Tour.

Breakfast:

Oatmeal with black strap molasses; whole food optimizer; cacao nibs; nuts; cinnamon; two tablespoons of coconut butter; an apple; hemp seeds and flax seeds

On-the-Bike Snacks:

Six Clif Bar Z bars (vegan); two Clif Bar shot blocks (vegan); two Clif Bar gels (vegan); dates; six to eight bottles of special team race drink

On the Bus, Post-Race:

White rice with maple syrup and cinnamon; vegan protein shake;

two bottles of special team recovery protein drink; goji berries

Before Dinner:

Vegan protein shake

Dinner:

White rice or pasta; salad with leafy greens; vegetables —including broccoli, spinach, carrots and beets.

Dessert:

Fresh fruit and a vegan protein shake before bed

Alberto Contador faces doping question at Tour de France press conference

2011-06-30T07:54:00.001-07:00

Alberto Contador was forced on the defensive during his pre-race Tour de France press conference after being quizzed about his still-undecided doping case from the 2010 Tour de France and his stance against doping.

In a packed room at the media centre in Le Herbiers, Sunday Times journalist and former professional Paul Kimmage lead the string of questions. He suggested that every team Contador has ever raced with has been implicated or associated with doping. He suggested Contador would be racing under a cloud at this year’s Tour de France.

Contador said Kimmage was mis-informed.

“My tolerance against doping is 100 percent but everyone can believe what they want,” he said bluntly.

He dismissed the idea that he could win the Tour de France and then be suspended and so lose his victory just a few weeks later.

“I’m able to concentrate. I’ve done it for several years. I’ve done lots of press conferences and stayed focused,” Contador said.

“There always a lot of pressure at the Tour, you can see that by the number of journalists here. The outside pressure is greater than the inside pressure. I’m able to stay focused and know that my objective is to enjoy riding my bike.

“The idea that I could lose the Tour seems ridiculous. I’ve undergone a lot of (anti-doping) controls and during my career because I’ve won a lot. It’s ridiculous that I could lose the Tour. I’m confident in the outcome of my case.”

Riis defends his team leader

Bjarne Riis tried to defend Contador, insisting that people should question the drawn out procedure that has resulted in him starting the 2011 Tour de France, while still not knowing if he will be banned for testing positive during the 2010 race.

“I beg you all to understand. If you don’t agree that Alberto is riding, you should question the system and not so much us or him,” Riis said.

“I was pretty sure there would be lot of questions about Alberto riding the Tour de France. We’ve had questions the whole year and will come again and again. The answer is the same as always: everybody would love to have had a solution a while ago, before the Tour, but that hasn’t happened. Unfortunately that’s the way it is. That’s the rules we have to respect, we can’t do anything about it.

"The system works like that. We have to respect the system as it is. Alberto was cleared by the system, and has all his rights to ride. As long as he is cleared we will continue to support him and that’s also the reason why he is starting in this Tour. I don’t see why he should be punished or suspended when cleared. I don’t think it’s fair so that’s also why he is here. “

Not a perfect race route

Contador was asked some questions about the Tour's route and admitted he wasn't sure how he'll fare following a hard Giro d'Italia.

“This is the first time I’ve done both races together. It’s not like riding the Giro and the Vuelta in 2008,” he said.

“Of course it creates doubts in your mind and the Tour is very unforgiving and you do not know how your body will respond. It was a very hard Giro this year. It’s difficult to say how I’ll perform over three weeks.

“I think it’ll all depend on how the race goes and how my legs are. We’ll see how strong I am in the Pyrenees.”

Contador refuted the idea that this year’s race route was perfect for him. He picked Andy Schleck as his number one rival but not his only one.

“It’s not the best route for me. I’d prefer a 15-30km time trial and then another 30km one. The mountains suit me but in 2007 there were 120km of time trials and that suited me better,” he said. “If I have to name my biggest rival, I’d say Andy Schleck. But there are a lot of other experienced riders who could do well and young riders fighting for victory too.”

Riis tried to be more optimistic than his team leader. “Alberto is ready after doing a hard Giro,” he said.

“He’s seen different stages of the Tour and is ready for this. He’s motivated. Alberto is uncertain of his condition after the Giro but I’m not that scared. I think I know what he can do. If he’s recovered well I think we’ll see him amongst the best.

“The main challenger will be Andy Schleck but there will be other guys that we have to pay attention to. There are seven, eight or nine riders with have a chance to get on the podium.”

Peta Todd: The Big Interview

2011-06-30T07:42:00.000-07:00

By: CP

Love seems to be the latest trend in the peloton. Johan Van Summeren proposed to his girlfriend after winning Paris-Roubaix in April, before Liquigas domestique Valerio Agnoli got down on one knee on Italian TV after the sixth stage of the Giro.

It may be a bit too soon for Peta Todd to be seen sporting a big ring, but seven months since she and Mark Cavendish started dating, things seem to be going brilliantly for one of the peloton's most recognisable couples.

In light of recent events in Italy, perhaps the need for solace and companionship is justified and needed more than ever.

We meet just three days after Wouter Weylandt's tragic accident, and I begin by asking her how she would have reacted if it was Cav who crashed badly.

"You can't comprehend it. You can't do anything. You play out a million scenarios in your head. But ultimately, you can't live your life like that," she says bluntly.

"You know it can happen and you have to choose not to think about it."

In case you don't know, Todd is a Page 3 model. From Essex. But old prejudices paint an inaccurate picture. A self-confessed geek, she is not only funny but also undeniably intelligent. Within the space of a few months, she's become extremely knowledgeable about cycling. Before we've even sat down, we're discussing the route of that day's racing in Italy.

Like everyone, Weylandt's death affected her greatly, and we're soon talking about it again. She recalls her exchange with the Manxman on the evening of that fateful day. Yes, she supported him, but they tried not to dwell on things too much.

"It's kind of what wasn't said in our conversation that stands out," she says. "I can't imagine what it would have been like at the race, so I didn't want to put more on his mind than he had already. I just told him to be careful. What more can you say?"

Crash course
Todd knew almost immediately what it was like having to deal with a bruised and battered cyclist, as Cavendish hit the deck on a handful of occasions during January's Tour Down Under.

"I was still learning the sport at the start of the year," she admits, "and although Mark just kept on saying, ‘It happens,' I always wanted to tell him, ‘Well, don't let it!'"

Cav's time competing in Australia was also an indication of how difficult it is for couples to keep their relationships strong.

"It's easier when he's in Europe because the time difference is minimal. But when he was in the States on training camp, and Australia racing, my body clock went out the window.

"Because there's only two occasions during the day you can speak to him - before and after the race - I'd be staying up to 2am just to chat to him."

Despite the late nights and all the time apart, Todd has adopted a positive approach to things, as she adds: "Yes, there's a lot of goodbyes, but then there's also a lot of hellos and you always look forward to seeing each other again."

Grand memories
Having been out to the Classics, she got her first taste of a Grand Tour during the Giro, and it's a memory that will stick with her for a long time.

"I loved the Giro, but it's mental," Todd says, before laughing. "Luckily the staff really looked after me."

"Everyone wants a piece of him when he's there, so we developed a little signal where I'd see a little finger pointing at me through the bus window.

"That was my cue to get on it and give him a hug, but that was also when everyone starts going mad!"

Todd is planning to go and watch the Tour, yet seeing as she describes it as "the Giro times a thousand", she clearly knows exactly how big the race is.

"From people I've spoken to - other riders' wives, and friends, for example - the Tour is even more crazy.

"I'll go over and watch him race but the chances are I won't see him as much and I won't get such good access."

The pair met last year in Los Angeles at an event for Help for Heroes, a charity close to Todd's heart.

She was initially surprised by his accent, expecting him to be American.

Stage presence
"He told me he was a cyclist, but I never really thought about it. Then he went up on the stage and I thought to myself, ‘Who is that?' That's when everyone told me who he was."

Not knowing who each other was, they looked each other up online shortly afterwards.

"It's a strange situation to be in, when you can Google one another," Todd jokes.

"You can find out about anything online - ex-girlfriends, what they've said, when they've lost their temper. I think he got more from the web, in the sense that I'm a Page 3 girl."

While researching for the interview, I did what Cav did and looked her up. Unsurprisingly, there's more than the modelling to be found out about on the internet. She's also mother to a five-year-old boy, Finnbar.

And there's a sponsorship page for her Help for Heroes fundraising efforts, which have already seen her climb Kilimanjaro, run the London Marathon and jump out of a plane. Her next challenge is a 1,000-mile bike ride starting later this year.

Not so fast
Because of her relationship with Cavendish, everyone believes the bike ride will be easy for her. She couldn't disagree more.

"I look terrible on a bike, and they're not really my friend," Todd declares, as she recalls how she fell off during a 300-mile ride for the charity three years back.

"People seem to forget that's it's Mark who rides the bike for a living, and not me!"

Because of Todd's association with the Sun, I ask her about the chances of Cavendish joining Team Sky, therefore making them the News Corporation couple. She laughs.

"I don't think they can put ‘because your girlfriend does Page 3' on a contract. Seriously, though, who knows? There are a lot of teams who would love to sign him."

Her final comment is an understatement. The majority of the WorldTour teams would love to sign Cavendish for 2012, and noticeably, we've returned to that four-letter word, love, once again.

Chris Horner - Pushing 40, and Getting Faster

2011-06-27T13:27:00.000-07:00

When you've raced this long, you learn to take advantage of every big opportunity you get. A conversation with the Tour de France–bound Chris Horner.

By bicyclingeditor

THIS WEEK Chris Horner of Team RadioShack heads to Europe to make final preparations before the start of the 2011 Tour de France, which begins Saturday, July 2. Bicycling.com caught up with Horner last week at his home in San Diego to talk about his long career, and why at this year's Tour he'll have his best chance ever at stepping onto the podium in Paris.

Bicycling.com: You’ve ridden for many different teams over the nearly 20 years you’ve been racing. In 2008 you signed with Astana, which sort of became RadioShack, and you’ve been there a while. How important has settling down with one team been for you?

Chris Horner: It was just important because of the riders who are here with Astana and later of course with RadioShack, which in my mind is the same team. Some people at home can look at it as completely different teams, but when you see the management that was running Astana and see the management that is running RadioShack, and the riders we took from one team to the next team, it just feels like it’s the same team.

I’ve been comfortable here and I’ve stayed here four years now. It’s nice because they understand who I am. Certainly when I came over to Europe in 1997 with Française des Jeux and I’m asking for a Coca-Cola at the dinner table and everyone’s looking at me like I’m crazy, or the soigneurs and the directors aren’t even allowing you to have a Coke, like, No, no—you can’t have that. And you gotta argue with them that you can. So that’s the difference working with a team that has a lot of Americans, and certainly that’s the difference between being 40 years old and riding good, because at 40 they look at you and they say, He knows what to do. I’m 17 years professional; I’m riding at the top of my game. And so if I say I want a Coke or say I need a Snickers, they just hand it to me, versus when I was 24, 25 on Française des Jeux. I either had to force it from them or maybe sneak it and hide the wrappers under the bed so the directors didn’t see them. [Laughs]

Bicycling.com: Do you ever feel like an outsider?

CH: In racing? Absolutely. You feel like an outsider a lot, because you gotta remember that I am an outsider. I’m an American kid in Europe. And I’m an American kid who grew up in San Diego, though I live in Bend, Oregon—a fabulous place. So when you come from places on the West Coast of the States and you’re going to Europe, it’s a huge change. OK, if I’m coming from the East Coast the difficulty is maybe half the difference. The weather you’re already kind of used to, the way the streets are set up on the East Coast are a lot like they are in Europe. But when you’re on the West Coast where you got these wide streets…. Everywhere you’re riding and driving in Europe, you’re lost. So do you feel like an outsider? Every day. You walk into a grocery store and you can’t figure out where the food is that you want or exactly what you’re buying in that box. I’ve been over there many years and it’s still there. It’s been reduced, the feeling, like versus when I went over there in ’97. You felt like an outsider every second of the day, but now it’s probably like every 20 minutes. [Laughs]

Bicycling.com: What role has sacrifice played in your career?

CH: Sacrifice is another form of natural ability. In this sport you have to have multiple things: the natural ability to go fast and the natural ability to be able to sacrifice, too. You can train yourself to be a better bike rider; you can train yourself to learn to stay at home and sacrifice and not going to the party that night and not having 10 beers and getting drunk and trying to get up in the morning and train.

But there are multiple things you gotta do. I’ve seen a lot of people who have the natural ability physically but they don’t have the ability to sacrifice. I’ve seen a lot of athletes who a have natural physical ability and the natural ability to sacrifice but they don’t have the mental part of the sport, that when they’re really suffering to push through that pain level and go to that next level. Instead, they sit up and they quit, when possibly if they pushed through that pain level for 30 seconds they’d be in that front group.

Natural ability comes in many forms, and physical natural ability is just one of them. Sacrifice is huge; physical ability is huge. Those are the two main things. But there a lot of things you gotta do in this sport, and you’ve got to do all of them good to be the best.

Bicycling.com: What’s your greatest asset as a cyclist?

CH: Knowing my limitations. That is the biggest asset that anyone as an athlete—as a cyclist anyway—needs to know. Limitations are simple. And there’s a wide range. There are limitations on how much food you can eat, how fast you can go on the bike, when to know when to attack, when to know if you should attack right now if you’re just going to blow up 10 meters after you get off the front of the group and come back and then get dropped.

When you know your limitations you can push yourself to the edge of your limitations. But if you know that going to train a thousand miles in one week is just too much, you’re over your limitations. So you need to know, what are your limitations on training, your limitations when you get to the race, your limitations on how many calories you can eat so you don’t get fat, or how many calories you can not eat so you don’t bonk. [Laughs] It goes across the whole spectrum of the sport. Know your limitations, and that will make you a fantastic professional.

Bicycling.com: Over your long career you’ve won all kinds of races: criteriums, time trials, stage races, one-day races, even field sprints. How is that you’ve ridden yourself into the role of a Grand Tour contender?

Chris Horner: It’s a difficult question. Each year you change; your physique changes. So as a professional athlete, you’re always trying to change for the better, you’re always trying to get faster, find news ways to improve. Every year I’ve been trimming a little bit of weight here and there; I’ve been training good, eating good, resting good. So you just keep focusing on what you can do to make yourself better. I’m turning 40 this year and even at 40 you still got goals—hopefully you do, otherwise you retired already. [Laughs]

Bicycling.com: So are you riding better now than you ever have?

CH: I’m riding faster than I ever have; I don’t think the power is better from three, four years ago. But I think the speed is faster because the weight is lower. The power is the same, because you take five pounds, seven pounds, sometimes as much as 10 pounds off—depending on what times of the season you’re comparing—and you’re going to go faster.

Bicycling.com: Who are the influences in your life?

CH: My kids influence me every day. I got three kids, two girls and a boy. They’re fantastic. I always like to tell everyone they are absolutely the first thing I miss when I reach the end of the driveway; the moment I step in the home when I get back they are the first thing that gives me a headache. [Laughs] My girlfriend has a huge influence on my life. Just to be a better person, to be a good parent, a loving dad. I love my girlfriend. Those are the biggest influences.

Have there been other riders who have influenced me? Certainly. Racing with Jani (Brajkovic) has always been a good influence. You see his diet and how it’s working for him and the results he gets. I take little bits and pieces from other guys, too. I’m always paying attention in the race to what people are doing. And when we go to the dinner table I’m paying attention to what people are eating and seeing what’s working for other riders.

Bicycling.com: What has having children taught you?

CH: Having kids has taught me that I love kids. Before I had kids, I didn’t think I wanted kids. And so when I had my first baby, I knew I wanted more kids. It’s also taught me that … well, it stressed me out more the finances and stuff. And especially being a professional athlete, it stresses you out more in terms of if you feel an injury coming or something that might affect your career or might affect your salary, and how you’re going to take care of your kids. When I didn’t have kids, I knew I could just go live in my RV. [Laughs] If you didn’t get paid one month, you stop renting your place, give the house back to the bank, jump in your RV and park it out in the desert and life was good still. But when you have kids that’s not an option. Kids bring an incredible amount of love into your world, and they bring an incredible amount of stress.

Bicycling.com: You always seem to be wearing a smile, so you must be the guy telling jokes at the dinner table or on the team bus.

CH: [Laughs] No! I can’t tell any jokes—I have no jokes. I’m not a jokester; it never comes out. I smile a lot, and maybe people think I’m funny, but I’m not. I’m always happy, but I’m not always funny.

Bicycling.com: Are you more laid-back these days?

CH: Personally, I don’t think so. You have to ask someone else that question. I think I’ve always been pretty laid-back. Actually, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve become grumpier. [Laughs] Certainly if you asked my girlfriend that that’s what she’d say.

Bicycling.com: Do you believe in karma?

CH: Not so much. It’s there a little bit, certainly. I want to believe in it; I always think about it being there. But nah, not so much.

Bicycling.com: Is there any karma in the professional peloton?

CH: You mean if there’s one bad guy and then he crashes in the next corner? No—that’s why I don’t believe in it! Because if karma was really true, we’d see some crashes in the next corner.

Armstrong, Contador, and doping

Bicycling.com: Is cycling a cleaner sport these days?

CH: Yes, for sure. You see the differences…. The fans in the States can see it with all these young kids getting results over in Europe. And you see them, they’re riding so good and so strong. And you can see the speed differences in Europe in the field. So I think it’s a great time, it’s a fabulous time, as a youngster to be a cyclist.

Bicycling.com: What do you think about the ongoing investigation of Lance Armstrong and also Alberto Contador, with the trial for his 2010 Tour positive now pushed back until after this year’s race?

CH: The case against Lance is almost 10 years old. I think it started back in 2000. It’s not much of a case now. Whatever this case does, it’s never going to change what Lance has done for the sport. He’s done amazing stuff. He’s had amazing results in the Tour; he had an amazing result when he won the world championships so young. And he’s done amazing stuff for cancer.

Then you look at the Alberto side. The way I see it—from amongst the riders and from amongst the fans—is that a lot of people don’t know what to think about Alberto, myself included. We don’t know if he took something. Even though he tested positive, we don’t know. Did he actually really take that? Because if you pop on Google, you Google “clenbuterol,” first thing that comes up is farmers feed it to their cows, people eat the cows, people test positive. It’s guaranteed; it’s undeniable. And so a lot of fans say—and this is my biggest problem; I hear this all the time—fans say, the ignorant fans, they say, Professional athletes know everything going into their bodies. They monitor every piece of food that’s going into their body. We have no idea what kind of food we are putting into our bodies! We didn’t grow the cow, we didn’t slaughter the cow, we didn’t prepare the meat, we didn’t even serve the meat. All we did was eat the meat. That’s it. Do we know what’s going into the body in terms of do we take the choice of chicken, steak, or a candy bar or a Snickers? Absolutely. But did I prepare any of that stuff? Never. Do I prepare the bottles during the Tour de France? Never. Do we take water from the side of the road from the spectators? All the time. Do we take a Coke from the spectators? All the time. Can Alberto have taken something on purpose to cheat? Absolutely. Did he? None of us know.

When I look at it—and I’ve had plenty of time to think about this—a lot of people are like, What do you think should happen? Well, first off, I don’t think he should have won the Tour de France for that year (2010). Because I believe if you did test positive for a performance-enhancing substance like clenbuterol, then you’re out of the race. But I don’t know at this point in time if I believe that you should be suspended. Certainly, you need to leave the race; you need to have that result taken away. But I don’t know if you need to be suspended. Because I can’t control what kind of meat I have.

So when I look at what Alberto’s doing for the sport, in some way I think what is going on with Alberto right now is a positive thing, because if it would’ve been me, then I wouldn’t have fought the system. I would have just taken the positive and retired, and that would have been the end of my career. And it would have been a sad way to end it. But because it’s Alberto, he has the money to fight it. He has the money to possibly change the way they do controls in the future, where USADA, WADA, and the UCI have to acknowledge that it is possible you can have this drug in your system. Therefore, they need to find out how much is possible to have in your system at what levels so that if you took it at this level, it’d show up at this level, if you ate it, it’d show up at this level. So if you ate it, you’d be OK. Maybe they’d send you home and out of the race, but you could still race, as soon as your body is clean of it, and then you’d keep going. But it’s a bad way to end an athlete’s career.

You gotta remember, this is not just … we’re not just racing for fun. I love cycling. It’s brought me incredible joys my whole life. So I do race because I love it, but it feeds my family. So if I ate some farmer’s steak and I tested positive, I’d hate to think my kids are going without food because of that.

Bicycling.com: What do you consider your greatest victory?

CH: You can go back to the Oakland stage (of the Tour DuPont) in 1996. You can’t really narrow it all down to one but that was the start of all of it, for sure. After Oakland, the wins started to come. I can answer your question many ways, because my favorite win would be the Olympic trials in ’96. But then I could say the Tour de Suisse stage was my coming out in Europe because finally no one could say, Well, he didn’t win anything in Europe. Then I could say Basque Country as being an epic win. And I can finish off this question simply with the Tour of California, because of the exposure and the quality of the filed.

Bicycling.com: What does it mean to be a successful cyclist?

CH: It’s a difficult question. The simplest way to think of yourself as a professional athlete is you have a salary that can support your family. Once you’ve done that, you’re a success. The goals that you have for personal success, of course, are completely different—and that is, you want to be a winner. Because people always ask me, Oh, you’re a professional athlete? Yes. So you make money off that? Yes, they pay me to do it. The next question they follow up with is, Are you any good? So personally, you wanna be like, On my day, I’m the best in the world.

For me it was when I finally did the Tour de France. It was the one thing missing in my career and my resume. I don’t feel that I have to win the Tour de France to finish my career off and say, Man, I was one badass cyclist. But for me, I’d been a professional for so long—I’d won everything there is to win in the States—and I needed to know, before I retired, that I did the Tour de France. I don’t think professionally as a cyclist that you can finish your career off without doing the Tour de France.

Bicycling.com: You’ve had a difficult time trying to get to the Olympics. Would you like to ride in London in 2012?

CH: I’d love to go to the Olympics. It’s been many years now. I think I’m going on the fifth time that they’ve had selections, ever since ’92 and I was in the sport. Certainly since ’96 I should have been on the Olympic team and every year they’ve had it since. Will this be another let-down year that the national team doesn’t take me to the Olympics? Well, that’s something you’ll have to ask the national team coach, or we’ll have to wait till the Olympics to figure it out. But I think it’d be a shame. And I don’t have a problem saying this: I’ve been one of the most dominant and successful U.S. riders around, and I certainly believe my spot is deserved on the Olympic team. Whether they pick me, I don’t know if I have a whole lot of faith but I’d still like to go, and hopefully something clicks in somebody’s head and I get the call. But I don’t think I’ll lose any sleep. Since ’96 I’ve gotten used to that let-down and now it doesn’t have the same effect on me as it had in ’96. In ’96 it was devastating; now I would just call it the standard quota that the national team usually treats me with.

Bicycling.com: Let’s go back a bit. Give us your brief history of Chris Horner and the Olympics.

CH: [Laughs] There is no brief part about it! … Well, OK, here goes.

In ’96 I was certainly one of the most dominant riders in the US. I was on a small team; we were making $280 a month salary for eight months out of the year, not 12. Most of the time we had no soigneur and no mechanic showing up at the race. Half the time I had only two good teammates who were reliable, and I still managed to win 13 of the biggest races in the U.S. I still finished off the season ranked the No. 1 U.S. rider. If I wasn’t first, I got a list of seconds, thirds, fourths, and fifths longer than my arm. So, did I deserve a spot on the Olympics? Absolutely.

When you look at the Olympic trials they had in ’96, we had five races. And because it was only US riders allowed to race in them, it cut my team down and we lost Harm Jansen, who was really strong. When you look at what I did and what I won during the Olympic trials and what I had to fight against, all the big pro riders and their salaries and those guys having four guys in the final break, when I was there all by myself and picking up points and still winning at Seattle in ’96. When I won there I had to beat out Frankie Andreu and Kevin Livingston, two guys from Postal Service, and I still won outnumbered. And I still didn’t get selected.

My personal take on why I didn’t get selected? I didn’t come up through the national team. The coach decides who’s going to the Olympics, and how can a coach decide who’s going to the Olympics if it’s a rider he didn’t actually coach? There’s a huge conflict of interest in the past years on who goes and who’s not when you have a coach picking. Last time it was a selection committee of certain riders, and evidently they weren’t very educated and they picked other riders to go. And this time you look at it and maybe it’s they don’t look at me because it might be a field sprint. But certainly I have shown that I can do field sprints, I can do lead-outs, certainly I’ve shown in my 17 years of professionalism that I will work for a sprinter, and I will work for the best interest of the team, and I’m not selfish. I might not be afraid to tell you why I should be there, but I’m also not afraid to help someone to win the race, either. It’s been one of the devastating downsides of my career, not being selected, but I put it down to politics, and whenever politics is involved, you’re always fucked.

Bicycling.com: You won the Tour of California so dominantly. Now you’ve earned a spot as a co-captain at the Tour with Levi.

CH: On RadioShack we don’t have co-captains but we got quad-captains! [Laughs] So we’ve got plenty of guys on RadioShack to ride good. If it ends up I crash or I go bad, we got Jani; if something happens to him, we got Levi and we got Klodi. So it’s really a positive time to come into the Tour as a RadioShack rider because you’re going to be given help from the other riders to look after you, and you got a shot at going to the podium at the Tour de France. It’s a fantastic year.

Years past, when we had Alberto (Contador) on this team, you knew exactly what you were doing going into the Tour. There was no chance that there was going to be an opening, that you were going to win the Tour de France or even win a stage of the Tour de France, because you gotta remember, when you got a guy like a really big hitter, like Alberto—who I raced with for two years—when you show up at a race for him, you know realistically you don’t even have a shot at going for the stage. Your sole job is to be a workhorse and get the job done and look after Alberto.

Versus now.

OK, even if I don’t meet my objective, my goal of going podium, even if I don’t meet my goal of going top-five, or you crash in the first stage and you’re down 10 minutes, you change the goals and you start going for stage wins. So now you’re 10 minutes down, you’re going up Alpe d’Huez, everybody’s looking at each other, they know you’re 10 minutes down, you attack and win a stage up Alpe d’Huez. So would I be disappointed if I don’t go top 10, top-five, or podium but get a stage win? I’d be quite satisfied.

Bicycling.com: What do you see as your greatest challenge at this year’s Tour?

CH: The biggest challenge of course is just going to be what kind of fitness does Alberto (Contador) and Andy Schleck have coming into the Tour de France. Everybody racing to win the Tour de France, who wants to win a stage at the Tour, who wants to podium, has to ask themselves that question: What is Alberto’s form going to be like? What is Andy’s form? Because right now, there’s no doubt in my mind—off the form they had at last year’s Tour—no one’s capable of going that fast. That’s your first question.

Second is, Have I gotten faster to keep up with them? That’s the only thing that’s going to change. If they’re going the same speed as last year and you’re going the same speed as last year, you’re not going to beat those two. Not without an accident or an injury or something; that’s out of everybody’s hand. But that’s the question: What is Alberto’s form? What is Andy Schleck’s form?

Bicycling.com: In your view, what is so special about the Tour de France?

CH: It’s the biggest race in the world—most viewed, best athletes. All the best cyclists meet up in July. The only other race I know on the calendar that all of the best athletes meet up at is Liège–Bastogne–Liège, a one-day race in Belgium. That’s it. Other than that, you look at the Dauphine. You had a third of the good riders at the Dauphine. You had a third of the good riders at the Tour de Suisse. And you had a third of the good riders at home training still, because they just got done leaving the Giro, or they’re like myself and finished with Cali.

So when you’re watching the Dauphine, are you watching the best riders in the world? No. You watching some of them? Yes. Every race, aside from the Tour de France and Liège–Bastogne–Liège, you’re only watching some of the best riders in the world. But when you get to Liège and get to the Tour, you are watching the cream of the crop. It is the best and the hardest race, and that is what makes it so big.

Ivan Basso says condition improving at pre-Tour de France training camp

2011-06-23T07:38:00.000-07:00

Ivan Basso (Liquigas-Cannondale) has insisted that his condition is improving after his poor showing at the Critérium du Dauphiné and he is confident that he will be ready for the opening mountain stages of the Tour de France.

The Italian could only muster 26th place overall at the Dauphiné, and appeared to struggle both in the mountains and against the clock. He acknowledged that his training crash on the slopes of Mount Etna on May 17 had compromised his build-up to the race.

“With the scant preparation that I had as a result of the fall on Etna, I couldn’t go any better,” Basso told Gazzetta dello Sport. “Above all, I was missing something when I went into the red.

“An example: one day at the Dauphiné, I was on Boasson Hagen’s wheel for quarter of an hour above threshold and I was doing 430 watts. I’ve just done a test and I’m doing 440 watts at threshold. It means that my condition is improving. An excellent sign. I’ll be at my best by the ninth stage, with the first tough climbs.”

Basso is currently at a training camp with his Liquigas-Cannondale team in the Dolomites at the Passo San Pellegrino, where he has alternated blocks of two or three days of hard training with a day of recovery and resisted the temptation to over-compensate for the work his missed out on in late May.

“[Liquigas trainer] Paolo Slongo has marked me tightly because he was afraid I’d do too much,” Basso explained. “I’ve done a lot of quality work and I felt the improvement straight away.

“After the Dauphiné I was dead tired, and I allowed myself two days’ rest. Then I went to the Mapei centre to do a haemoglobin volume test, which was useful to take account of the situation.”

Noted as an assiduous trainer ever since Bjarne Riis oversaw his preparation at CSC before Operacion Puerto interrupted their relationship, Basso pays special attention to his diet in the final weeks before the Tour.

“For two months before a big race, I stop drinking coffee,” he said. “Especially in summer, it leads to dehydration.”

Contador a step ahead

When Basso first announced his intentions to skip the Giro d’Italia and focus on the Tour in 2011, it appeared as though Alberto Contador would not be on the start line due to his positive test for Clenbuterol at last year’s race. However, Basso was adamant that the potential absence of the favourite had not influenced his decision.

Contador’s Court of Arbitration for Sport hearing has been delayed until August, and the Spaniard is free to compete at the Tour.

“I didn’t pick the Tour because Alberto wasn’t going to be there, and now I’m not anxious about his presence,” Basso said. “The programme was based around three principles: my requirements, those of Nibali and, above all, those of Liquigas.”

Basso also freely acknowledged that Contador is a step ahead of him and the rest of the peloton, labelling him as a class apart.

“What does Alberto have over me? Simple, he’s a fuoriclasse, and I’m not,” Basso said. “He is among the chosen few of cycling of all-time and of world sport. I’m a good – or an excellent – rider.”

Basso ranked Andy Schleck and Cadel Evans on a par, a step below Contador, with Robert Gesink and Samuel Sanchez next in line. The Italian will himself be hoping to infiltrate those ranks this July. Flanking Basso in France will be a squad with plenty of firepower on the flat, and Liquigas were due to put in a stint of team time trial training on Thursday. However, Basso acknowledged that he may find himself a little shorter of support in the highest mountains.

“In terms of pure climbers, there will be only [Sylvester] Szmyd there to help me,” Basso said. “Then it will be up to me.”

Chris Horner Checks In Before The Tour

2011-06-22T20:33:00.000-07:00

Cavendish talks about his Tour de France

2011-06-22T11:31:00.000-07:00

Andy Schleck - Driven by Yellow

2011-06-22T11:05:00.000-07:00

Natalie Coughlin supports Tony La Russa's ARF

2011-06-21T23:39:00.000-07:00

Natalie Coughlin - "Dozer & SheRa are making their modeling debut in ARF’s Celebrity Calendar. The heat is unbearable, but at least it makes the doggies smile"!

Tony La Russa’s Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF) saves the lives of countless animals each year whose time has run out in public shelters and who are scheduled to be killed. ARF’s team of trained volunteers and expert staff make sure every animal receives proper nutrition, medical evaluation and treatment, training and lots of love as they await their new forever home. ARF’s shelter touches the lives of thousands of animals and people each year.

To learn more about ARF please click on the title link...

RadioShack's 2011 Tour de France Roster

2011-06-21T14:26:00.000-07:00

Team RadioShack announced today the Team line-up of nine riders for the Tour de France 2011 (July 2nd-24th ).

The nine riders are:

Jani Brajkovic
Chris Horner
Markel Irizar
Andreas Klöden
Levi Leipheimer
Dmitriy Muravyev
Sérgio Paulinho
Yaroslav Popovych
Haimar Zubeldia

Team Sports Manager Johan Bruyneel, together with Team Directors Dirk Demol and Alain Gallopin will direct the team.

“It was hard to make the selection of these nine riders," said Johan Bruyneel. “After the injury of Sébastien Rosseler, we still had a pre-selection of 14 riders. In the end we can say that the complete 2011 Tour roster has been chosen based on the strongest team from both a sportive and experience criteria.

"With Brajkovic, Horner, Klöden and Leipheimer we will start with four guys who will be able to contend for the general classification," continued the Director of nine Tour de France wins. “Jani Brajkovic beat Alberto Contador in last year's Critérium du Dauphiné. At age 39 Chris Horner dominated the Tour of California and proves to get better with the years. Andreas Klöden has had a healthy and strong season so far, winning the Vuelta al Pais Vasco and finishing as runner-up in Paris-Nice. And then Levi...he was so impressive in Switzerland; he is ready. Too many leaders is not an ideal situation, but we are confident we can turn this into an advantage. Together we are strong to fight against Contador and the Schlecks. Moreover, after the first decisive stages you already have a very good idea on the tactics to follow. We proved in the past that Team RadioShack is a real Team. All riders sacrifice themselves with pleasure for the common goal. Team RadioShack is not a mixture of individuals.

"The hardest part has been to disappoint some non-selected riders. It is obvious that we will tackle this 2011 Tour de France with podium contenders. We are aware we won't win mass sprints this Tour but we decided that a good GC will be worth it and we make it our main goal in this Tour."

"As we do every year, the Directors and I carefully evaluate all the riders in contention. It’s never an easy decision for us to make, but in the end, we feel confident that the chosen riders will help us achieve our goals for the 2011 Tour de France.”

BOB ROLL Tormenting Spin Instructor

2011-06-20T14:51:00.000-07:00

Round 2 - Lance Armstrong Encounter Draws Scrutiny by F.B.I.

2011-06-15T10:04:00.000-07:00

The F.B.I. has requested surveillance video from a Colorado restaurant to glean more information about a recent confrontation there between Lance Armstrong and his former teammate Tyler Hamilton, according to a restaurant co-owner.

Jodi Larner, a co-owner of the French restaurant Cache Cache in Aspen, said in a telephone interview Tuesday that she spoke to an F.B.I. agent in the morning and that he told her she would be subpoenaed for the surveillance tape.

Federal authorities, who for a year have been investigating Armstrong on suspicion of crimes relating to doping, are looking into whether the encounter between Hamilton and Armstrong on Saturday night constitutes witness tampering, said a person briefed on the matter. That person spoke on condition of anonymity because he did not want to jeopardize his access to delicate information.

A federal investigator working on the case declined to comment.

Hamilton, one of Armstrong’s teammates on the now-defunct United States Postal Service squad, is one of the witnesses in the case against Armstrong. Last year, he testified against Armstrong to a federal grand jury in Los Angeles. In an interview last month with the CBS program “60 Minutes,” he also described a secretive systematic doping scheme by the Postal Service team.

Armstrong, who has a house in Aspen, eats at Cache Cache about three times a week, Larner said. Hamilton, in Aspen as part of an event sponsored by Outside magazine, was dining on the restaurant’s patio Saturday night.

Larner, a friend of Armstrong’s, said the videotape would have images only from the kitchen area of her restaurant, so she doubted that it would help the F.B.I., she said, because the confrontation occurred in the bar area.

“I wish I had the incident on tape, so the whole world could see what happened between Tyler and Lance and shut up about it already,” she said. “It was a non-event.”

Hamilton, a 2004 Olympic gold medalist, was on his way to see a friend at the bar when he and Armstrong came face to face, said Chris Manderson, Hamilton’s lawyer. Armstrong threw out his arm to block Hamilton and began berating him, Manderson said.

“Would you feel threatened if someone said to you, ‘We’re going to destroy you on the witness stand and we’re going to make your life a living hell?’ ” Manderson said. “Not a lot of shades of gray there.”

On Monday, Manderson contacted federal authorities to notify them of the incident. He said they spoke to him about the issue more than once that day. As of Tuesday afternoon, Armstrong had not been contacted by any federal authorities seeking his side of the story.

Larner said Armstrong and his girlfriend, Anna Hansen, were having tequila drinks at the bar with Larner and two other friends when Hamilton walked by the bar at about 10 p.m. Armstrong stopped him and said, “ ‘Hey, dude,’ in a very sarcastic tone,” and Hamilton, looking shaken, tried to hug Armstrong, Larner said.

Larner said that she did not hear the rest of the conversation, but that Armstrong never left his barstool while he and Hamilton spoke.

Tony DiLucia, a patron and local real estate broker who was standing next to Armstrong and Hamilton, also said he could not hear the conversation. He said, though, that he could tell by body language that the exchange was not combative.

“It looked like two guys having an intense conversation, but Lance never stood up and Hamilton just stood there,” said DiLucia, who is friends with Larner. “In my honest estimation, I never saw any aggressive stuff happen at all. If things were heated, you’d figure Lance would at least get up.”

After the confrontation, DiLucia was invited to sit down with Armstrong to have drinks with him. Hamilton went back to his patio table and had coffee and dessert.

Larner said she told Hamilton later Saturday night that he was not welcome back at her restaurant because the group he was with did not tip its server.

The next day, she said, she returned to work to find threatening voice mails on the restaurant’s answering machine because she had stood up for Armstrong on Saturday night. She said she planned to contact the local sheriff about them.

Mark Fabiani, a spokesman for Armstrong, said he and Armstrong had nothing to add to the bystanders’ accounts of the incident.

Attorney says he's alerted feds of Tyler Hamilton's confrontation with Lance Armstrong in Aspen

2011-06-13T23:24:00.000-07:00

Cyclist Tyler Hamilton's lawyer says he notified federal authorities about the Olympic gold medalist's awkward reunion with his former teammate Lance Armstrong in an upscale Aspen bistro over the weekend, saying the run-in may have constituted witness tampering.

Attorney Chris Manderson said he believes the staff of Cache Cache may have notified Armstrong after Hamilton and his party arrived at the French restaurant for dinner on Saturday night.

"I don't believe this was a chance encounter," Manderson said. "It was well-publicized that Tyler would be in Aspen for the weekend."

Hamilton testified last year before a grand jury investigating Armstrong and other cyclists accused of using performance-enhancing drugs. He accused the seven-time Tour de France winner of using banned substances - and acknowledged his own drug use - during a May 22 interview with "60 Minutes."

Hamilton, in Aspen for an event sponsored by Outside magazine, was pushing his way through the bar area at Cache Cache when somebody stiff-armed him, Manderson said. The person blocking his path turned out to be Armstrong, Hamilton's former teammate with the U.S. Postal Service team.

According to Manderson, Armstrong was extremely confrontational, demanding to know how much CBS had paid for the interview. Armstrong, according to Manderson, also told Hamiltion that his lawyers would "tear him apart on the stand" if the investigation leads to an indictment.

Hamilton asked Armstrong to continue the discussion in private, Manderson said, but Armstrong refused to leave the bar and continued to berate him.

Cache Cache owner Jodi Larner, a friend of Armstrong's, denied there was any confrontation. She said she was at the bar with Armstrong when Hamilton walked by, and she did not see Armstrong act in a confrontational manner. Armstrong greeted Hamilton, she said, and Hamilton tried to hug Armstrong - a move Armstrong gently rebuffed. "There was no drama," she said.

Armstrong attorney Mark Fabiani told the Daily News that Hamilton and his friends pulled up in front of Armstrong's Aspen home on Sunday. The group did not approach the house but instead stood on the street, taking pictures and speaking loudly. Armstrong was not at home at the time.

"It shows how obsessed Hamilton is with Lance," Fabiani said.

Manderson said the allegation was completely untrue.

"Fabiani's allegation is utter horse----," Manderson said. "His client threatened a witness in a federal investigation, and he just wants to spin some farcical conspiracy theory? This idiotic allegation has less credibility than the infamous Iraqi information minister (Tarik Aziz)."

Dave Zabriskie - The Dauphine

2011-06-13T11:52:00.000-07:00

By: DZ

First of all Congratulations to Wiggins. It was an extremely hard version of the Dauphine this year and he pulled out the big W.

From the start I had to wonder who’s in charge of logistics? It took quite awhile to get to the hotel and we were staying on top of the mountain where the last stage would finish. It was a bit of a pain logistically to drive down a 20km mountain for the prolog in the morning but that’s what we do. It was also kind of restless sleep up there at altitude. Too much tossing and turning for me and not the more restful sleep that I need.

I was the first to go from the team because the directer was thinking the weather would be bad in the afternoon. Well the whole day was kind of a crap shoot and the weather was the best for the last guys. My corners were a little wet and I was not eager to go down. I also didn’t have the best warm up routine as everyone seemed a little off their game that early in the morning, like my bike being taken for UCI measurements when I needed to be warming up on it. Oh well, that’s the game, dealing with little things like that. In the end I was off the pace, a little too explosive for me. The truth is I’m more of a long TT guy.

The next few days went ok. I’ve been testing a new climbing technique that is really helping me stay up there on the longer climbs. We had Tyler in there for the sprint day on the 4th stage and I got up there and pulled a particularly fast train to bring the break back in the end, which felt pretty good. I really don’t think I’ve felt this healthy in a long time.

The last 3 days were the hardest of the race and the attacks were nonstop for 100km from the start. I remember on one day when things finally settled down I was on one of those verbal rolls that most of the guys in the peloton appreciate. I really don’t remember what I said or did but that fact remains that I can usually take the edge off of the moment with a sharp observation, a good-natured but nonetheless mocking imitation, or by blurting something out that’s so random, so ‘out there,’ so insanely funny that I’ve even cracked myself up from time to time. On this one day either something got lost in translation or the Rabobank rider Carlos Barredo thought my humor was directed at him, which it was not. His stare and stern look were boring a hole in me and I really didn’t want him to take a swing or try to whack me with a wheel. I quickly settled him down when I delivered this line with all the seriousness I could muster: “it’s all cool man, they gave me a special license which allows me to make fun of everybody here.” He laughed. I laughed. We all laughed.

It was a good productive week for me. I’m enjoying the racing more than ever before. The body feels good, the mind is at rest, and importantly, it appears I haven’t lost my sense of humor.

I’m back again in Girona. This morning I’ve been reunited with my family and it’s my wife’s birthday. The cake will be small, at least for me, but the celebration will be real. The family are all sleeping now, having just arrived they’re battling a bit of jet lag. Awake or not, I’m just happy that they are here and we’re together.

Till next time it’s DZ checking out with a smile on his face.

–
-Dave Z.

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Ivan Basso: There is still time before Tour's first climbs

2011-06-10T13:59:00.000-07:00

Ivan Basso (Liquigas-Cannondale) believes that he still has time to find his form before the start of the Tour de France. The Italian has struggled at the Critérium du Dauphiné, as he suffers from the fall-out of a May training crash.

Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport, Basso insisted that the only solution to his current predicament was to keep working.

“I’m still someone who has won the Giro, I won’t use a magic wand,” Basso said. “I don’t need a metamorphosis, I just need to work.”

Basso floundered during Tuesday’s time trial around Grenoble, which was held on the same course as the penultimate stage of the Tour. He ultimately lost over six minutes to stage winner Tony Martin, but he said his performance was affected by his lack of racing miles in recent weeks.

Basso had not competed since the Tour de Romandie, and spent part of May training at altitude at Mount Etna, the scene of his accident. Although he has since recovered from the facial injuries sustained in Sicily, Basso missed out on a week’s training.

“It was a hard and difficult time trial, and I’m missing race rhythm,” Basso said. “I’m here to find that. I’ve done quantity, but not a lot of quality [in training]. After the time trial I called Amadio and Zani to reassure them. I wanted them to know what my real condition is.”

Basso acknowledged that his build-up to the Tour has been far from ideal, in spite of his decision to skip the Giro d’Italia in order to pitch his preparation towards July.

“I won’t hide that it’s a very delicate moment,” Basso said. “The fall on Etna injured and upset me. I’m missing a week of work, so I won’t tell everyone that I’ll be flying at the Tour. But I’m doing everything possible to take advantage of the time that remains. And it’s quite a bit. There are 32 days to the first climbs.”

With the Dauphiné heading into a long weekend in the mountains, Basso’s ambitions are realistic for the final three stages.

“I’m looking for a ray of sunshine,” he said. “A sign that I’m on the right path.”

After the race finishes at La Toussuire on Sunday, Basso will stay in France for three more days to reconnoitre part of the Tour route. On Monday, he will view the finishes in the Massif Central at Superbesse-Sancy and Saint Fleur, before riding the Alpe d’Huez stage in its entirety on Tuesday. His reconnaissance concludes on Wednesday with the Izoard and Galibier.

Armstrong - Oakley Rebellion Commercial

2011-06-09T13:30:00.000-07:00

Are We Built to Run Barefoot?

2011-06-09T07:20:00.000-07:00

At a recent symposium of the American College of Sports Medicine’s annual meeting in Denver, cutely titled “Barefoot Running: So Easy, a Caveman Did It!,” a standing-room-only crowd waited expectantly as a slide flashed up posing this question: Does barefoot running increase or decrease skeletal injury risk?

“The answer,” said Dr. Stuart J. Warden, an associate professor of physical therapy at Indiana University, “is that it probably does both.”

Barefoot running remains as popular and contentious a topic among exercise scientists as it is among athletes, even though it is practiced by only a tiny subset of American runners. These early-adopter runners, however, tend to be disproportionately enthusiastic and evangelical. Many cite the best seller “Born to Run,” by Christopher McDougall, which touts barefoot running, and claim that barefoot running cured them of various running-related injuries and will do so for their fellow athletes. “There are people who are convinced that barefoot runners never get injured,” said Daniel E. Lieberman, a professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard who runs barefoot himself and spoke on the topic during last week’s symposium.

But in the past year, anecdotal evidence has mounted that some runners, after kicking off their shoes, have wound up hobbled by newly acquired injuries. These maladies, instead of being prevented by barefoot running, seem to have been induced by it.

So what really happens to a modern runner when he or she trains without shoes or in the lightweight, amusingly named “barefoot running shoes” that are designed to mimic the experience of running with naked feet? That question, although pressing, cannot, as the newest science makes clear, easily be answered.

Most of us, after all, grew up wearing shoes. Shoes alter how we move. An interesting review article published this year in The Journal of Foot and Ankle Research found that if you put young children in shoes, their steps become longer than when they are barefoot, and they land with more force on their heels.

Similarly, when Dr. Lieberman traveled recently to Kenya for a study published last year in Nature, he found that Kenyan schoolchildren who lived in the city and habitually wore shoes ran differently from those who lived in the country and were almost always barefoot. Asked to run over a force platform that measured how their feet struck the ground, a majority of the urban youngsters landed on their heels and generated significant ground reaction forces or, in layman’s terms, pounding. The barefoot runners typically landed closer to the front of their feet and lightly, without generating as much apparent force.

Based on such findings, it would seem as if running barefoot should certainly be better for the body, because less pounding should mean less wear and tear. But there are problems with that theory. The first is that the body stubbornly clings to what it knows. Just taking off your shoes does not mean you’ll immediately attain proper barefoot running form, Dr. Lieberman told me. Many newbie barefoot runners continue to stride as if they were in shoes, landing heavily on their heels.

The result can be an uptick in the forces moving through the leg, Dr. Warren pointed out, since you’re creating as much force with each stride as before, but no longer have the cushioning of the shoe to help dissipate it. Most barefoot runners eventually adjust their stride, he and the other presenters agreed, landing closer to the front of their feet — since landing hard on a bare heel hurts — but in the interim, he said, “barefoot running might increase injury risk.”

Even when a barefoot runner has developed what would seem to be ideal form, the force generated may be unfamiliar to the body and potentially injurious, as another study presented at last week’s conference suggests. For the study, conducted at the Biomechanics Laboratory at the University of Massachusetts, runners strode across a force plate, deliberately landing either on the forefoot or on the heel. When heel striking, the volunteers generated the expected thudding ground reaction forces; when they landed near the front of the foot, the force was still there, though it generally had a lower frequency, or hertz.

Earlier research has shown that high-frequency forces tend to move up the body through a person’s bones. Lower-frequency forces typically move through muscles and soft tissue. So shifting to a forefoot running style, as people do when running barefoot, may lessen your risk for a stress fracture, and up your chances of developing a muscle strain or tendinitis.

So where does all of this new science leave the runner who’s been considering whether to ditch the shoes? The “evidence is not concrete for or against barefoot or shod running,” said Allison H. Gruber, a doctoral candidate at the University of Massachusetts and lead author of the hertz study. “If one is not experiencing any injuries, it is probably best to not change what you’re doing.”

On the other hand, if you do have a history of running-related injuries or simply want to see what it feels like to run as most humans have over the millenniums, then “start slowly,” said Dr. Lieberman. Remove your shoes for the last mile of your usual run and ease into barefoot running over a period of weeks, he suggests, and take care to scan the pavement or wear barefoot running shoes or inexpensive moccasins to prevent lacerations.

And pay attention to form. “Don’t overstride,” he said. Your stride should be shorter when you are running barefoot than when you are in shoes. “Don’t lean forward. Land lightly.”

On this point, he and all of the scientists agree. Humans may have been built to run barefoot, “but we did not evolve to run barefoot with bad form.”

Tyson Cole - Sushi's Great White Hope

2011-06-08T10:40:00.000-07:00

Tyson Cole and one of his best customers Lance Armstrong.

The decision to have a meal at Uchi, the Japanese restaurant in Austin, Texas, is often arrived at skeptically, at least for diners who have never tried it.

"Why bother with raw fish in the land of enchiladas and queso?" is how the Austin-based writer Paula Disbrowe put it, echoing a sentiment so commonly expressed about the restaurant it's a wonder the business ever got off the ground, much less thrived to the point where waiting an hour for a table is basically a given, even if you go at 6:30 on an uncharacteristically cold night. "I just couldn't believe that I would experience sushi bliss in Austin," Disbrowe recalled. "It seemed more dangerous than eating at a cheap East Village sushi spot on a Sunday night."

When Liz Lambert, whose Hotel San Jose and Hotel Saint Cecilia are two of Austin's most fashionable properties, brings friends from New York or Los Angeles to Uchi, "they act like we still serve the frozen shit, or fish from the Gulf, like planes don't exist." Lynn Yeldell has had similar experiences. The film colleagues from Hollywood she brought to Uchi were reluctant diners at best—and, like seemingly everyone who visits the place, enthusiastic converts by the time they left.

Yeldell was sitting with her partner, Alisa Weldon, along the short edge of Uchi's L-shaped sushi bar, recalling past dinners while sharing a series of plates from the restaurant's daily changing list of specials. On this night, these included trapezoidal segments of aji from Tokyo's Tsukiji fish market, the largest in the world, pressed against sushi rice with black sesame and miniature crosshatches of scallion. A more elaborate production brought thin slices of raw flounder subjected to a trio of ingredients—smoked sea salt, yuzu zest, candied quinoa—applied so sparingly they barely distracted the eye from the texture of the flesh. Each bite, however, was like tasting the fish in surround sound.

Uchi's dining room could be mistaken for the living quarters of a particularly expressive member of Austin's thriving tech-entrepreneur community: hard lines and wood surfaces set against floral-print wallpaper the shade of a watermelon-persimmon smoothie.

Five chefs worked in concert behind the sushi bar most of the night, forming a kind of balletic assembly line. They passed plates between them, adding elements until the dishes were complete. Periodically, one chef appeared to intercept an order before it was handed off to a waiter. He inspected plates in the manner a nearly blind man reads a small-print dictionary, bringing his head so close it appeared his eyelashes might brush the food.

That is Tyson Cole. Given the ethnic makeup of Uchi's kitchen staff, which is predominantly Asian, and the artful, sure-handed accomplishment of the food, an unknowing customer would not likely guess Cole to be Uchi's owner and executive chef. And it gets trickier. If, like me, you overheard him speaking fluent-sounding Japanese with his staff prior to catching a glimpse of him, you would be surprised to discover he is actually a white Sarasota, Florida, native and Texan transplant who, in his thirty-nine years, has spent a grand total of eighteen days in Japan.

In fact, the more one learns about Cole, the harder it is to fathom what is clear after repeat visits to Uchi: He has created one of the country's great Japanese restaurants in a landlocked city two time zones removed from the eastern border of the Pacific Rim. Japanese make up two-tenths of one percent of Austin's total population—the second-lowest percentage (native Hawaiian being the first) of any ethnic group tracked by the U.S. Census Bureau in Austin.

And to Cole's mind, the improbability of his restaurant's existence—never mind its success—only enhances the ineffable pleasure people take in dining there.

"People don't really know what to expect," Cole says of Uchi. "It's a sushi restaurant, a Japanese restaurant, but also an Austin restaurant. Until they get there and really see and feel it and touch it and eat it, they don't really know."

Cole's road to becoming one of Japanese cuisine's Great White Hopes began in the early '90s, on a day when his slumber was interrupted by his girlfriend's offer of a deal: Get a job or get out. He ended up washing dishes at an Austin sushi restaurant called Kyoto, and his introduction to the house fare wasn't exactly Proustian.

"I thought it was fucking disgusting. I hated it," Cole recalled over a lunch of empanadas and chimichurri at an Argentine café in Austin. "I'm American. I grew up with mac and cheese."

If Cole is a sympathetic observer of the skepticism-erasing phenomenon that is Uchi, it could have something to do with the fact that his own indoctrination did not reveal him to be a quick study. In his first couple of years at Kyoto, he rose from dishwasher to daytime and then nighttime waiter—and barely touched the food. For a while, he worked with a fellow non-Asian waiter who spoke Japanese. "I just thought it was stupid," he says. "I was like, 'Stop trying to fake it. You're not fucking Japanese.'"

In conversation, Cole, who is slight and goateed, betrays the saddle-leather temperament of a steak-and-potatoes Texan—which is how he described his father—but prolonged exposure to the alternative culture inside Kyoto clearly awakened something else within him. His cynicism was initially punctured by his Japanese coworkers, with whom he found himself spending most of his free time, usually drinking beer and watching Japanese cooking shows.

"Being surrounded by those types of people, and the way that they lived and the way that they did things, I had never experienced anything like that," he explains. "Everything was so black-and-white, proper and structured, beyond all of the bullshit minutiae you have to deal with in America. It wasn't like taking a trip to Japan and being like what's-his-name in Shogun. It was more like, Here I am in this restaurant working with Japanese people and having to conform to their ways—and liking it. It was about the people, a lot of it. But then the food kind of passed it."

Cole's friends ultimately got him hooked on sushi's gateway drugs. "Like any other American, I'd only eat the rolls," he says. This led to a period of tuna addiction—"I ate a lot of tekkamaki"—which piqued his curiosity enough to forgo the rice and explore sashimi. The burning-bush meal came later when, at the age of twenty-two, one of Cole's Japanese chef friends took him to Nippon, a sushi place in Houston, where he ate raw flounder with ponzu sauce.

"It was momentous, mentally," he recalls. "It didn't taste like fish. It tasted like something I'd never had."

Looking back on it, Cole realizes he was particularly taken by the ponzu's vinegar and citrus, but before he would go on to understand those elements well enough to deconstruct them in his food at Uchi, he would need to talk his way into the kitchen. Informing his Kyoto colleagues of his desire to make sushi wasn't enough.

"You're white. You can't make sushi," is how Cole recalled the response. "So I was like, 'Okay. Fuck you. I quit.'"

Thus began a wave of firings and re-hirings—he was once dismissed for giving free dessert to Denzel Washington—that textured Cole's decade-long rise from apprentice to sushi savant. He began in the kitchen, making rice and rolls outside public view. When he finally got behind the sushi line, he says, diners would occasionally "refuse for me to make their sushi because I wasn't Asian or Japanese."

Cole's whiteness remained a barrier for entry to new jobs and a source of customer suspicion. Even after having taught himself to speak serviceable Japanese, he says, he was turned down for a job at Musashino, which he'd identified as Austin's top sushi restaurant, by its chef-owner Takehiko Fuse. It was 1995, and Cole remembers being told speaking Japanese wasn't enough. He needed to know how to read and write it as well.

Fuse eventually relented and hired Cole, whose skills sharpened dramatically in his six years at Musashino. While he was surrounded by more talented colleagues, Cole says, few of them were as interested as he was in turning the job into a career. "Someone from Japan that would want to live in Texas? Most of them were musicians," he explains. "They didn't want to be chefs per se. But I wanted to be as good as I possibly could. I was always the first one there, the last one to leave."

During the end of Cole's tenure at Musashino, Fuse took him on a trip to Japan, but Cole's closest exposure with the Japanese kitchen's rigid discipline came inside the restaurant that still sits in an unmarked space below a Chinese buffet off a stretch of Austin highway. He rose to become Musashino's top lieutenant, which is when, as he puts it, "I really started developing my own style."

Certain customers learned to visit Musashino on nights they knew Cole to be on duty. "They wanted to be challenged," he says, "and they wanted to learn about [Japanese food] as much as I did." To keep up with demand, Cole shopped for ingredients that would never meet the approval of the ultra-traditional Fuse. He combined bluefin tuna sashimi with goat cheese and Fuji apples, now a signature dish on Uchi's menu.

"I was being forced to be creative," Cole says. "I wanted more colors. I wanted more toys. I wanted more things to add."

Uchi's late-afternoon, predinner staff meeting is held along a string of pushed-together tables in the restaurant's dining room. Relative to the controlled chaos of dinner service, the room is startlingly quiet as chefs bring out dishes to the floor staff for explanation and tasting. The ensuing conversation at times takes on the tone of upper-level grad students pondering Jane Austen.

A waitress broke the silence after a plate of Wagyu beef short ribs took center stage. "I thought there was going to be more lemon," she said.

"I don't get the salt at all," offered a colleague.

While the beef was marinated in a mixture that included sake kasu—the yeast deposits left behind after sake ferments—the dish is what Cole calls an "Uchi-fication" of a Thai staple, created in collaboration with his Thailand-born chefs. The dish was slightly modified from the night prior, when the beef came sliced thin through the bone; grilled medium rare but still, considering the cut, remarkably tender; resonant of citrus but also sansho, a Japanese cousin of the Szechuan pepper; and with an invisible dusting of toasted rice, which electrified certain bites with a crackly texture while reining in some of the beef's fat-marbled richness.

"We really make a point to bring everyone's experiences and skills into the picture," Cole says, referring to the short ribs. "I'm the one who edits it."

Masa Saio, Uchi's head sushi chef, brought out a plate of hiramasa—you may know it as amberjack—sashimi, one of the evening's three featured raw fish from Tsukiji. Saio, who is Japanese, has been at the restaurant since the day it opened in 2003, when Cole made a point to have plenty of Asian chefs on his staff, in part for appearances' sake. "It needed to look authentic," he explains.

Cole conferred with Saio in Japanese as his staff plucked at the hiramasa with chopsticks. He then turned his attention to Paul Qui, the restaurant's Filipino chef de cuisine, who will move over to Cole's new restaurant, Uchiko, when it opens in the summer. Unlike the flagship, Uchiko will accept reservations but otherwise conform to Cole's prevailing sensibility.

Which is what, exactly? Even before he'd ever tasted Japanese food, the one-time painter remembers being visually mesmerized by it: "Look at all those different colors of the flesh!" Today, Cole can speak at length about the femininity of Japanese—and, by extension, his—cooking, a characteristic that makes his food the antonym of the barbecue and Tex-Mex for which Austin is justifiably famous. Before he settled on Uchi, the chef spent hours writing names on paper, hoping to hit on a visually sensual grouping of letters.

"I kept coming back to s's and u's and o's, because of the curves," he says. "I thought they were really feminine."

Uchi is also Japanese for "house," and to Cole one of the main attractions of the restaurant's space is that it used to be one. "It doesn't feel too Japanese," he says. "I didn't want it to be clichéd. We wanted it to be an Austin restaurant, and Austin is accessible. You can go into any restaurant any time, day or night, in shorts, sandals, T-shirt, whatever."

A few hours after the staff meeting, diners waiting for a table spilled out Uchi's front door. Cole says veterans of the long table waits have developed a drinking game involving the animals lurking in the branches of the wallpaper.

Earlier in the day, the kitchen received a shipment of Australian finger limes. "The pulp is like caviar," says Yoshi Okai, one of Uchi's sushi chefs, and he's right, provided you can imagine caviar discharging a piercingly tart fruit juice when it explodes in your mouth. During dinner, he gently placed a small mound of the pale-green orbs on the surface of pieces of John Dory nigiri. The only other ingredient was a tuft of peppery radish sprouts, which Okai cut from a miniature potted garden of herbs and microgreens with his swordlike sushi knife. The accent ingredients' sour-vegetal bite focused the fish's sweetness like a white screen does the contours of a shadow.

A similar play of flavors unfolded more expansively in a dish based on a South American technique for making ceviche. Slices of yellowtail tuna belly sat at the edge of a pool of a gazpacho-like sauce made of cucumber, jalapeños, citrus, and juiced fennel bulb. A thick line of wasabi was embedded with golden brook-trout roe, the only non-green element save for the fish, which was dabbed with a paste of garlic, salt, lime zest, and Thai chilies Cole calls "Uchi chimichurri."

Each bite seemed to reveal an ingredient that altered the dish's direction. In the end, it tasted like justification for bringing yellowtail ashore.

"You can say, 'Oh, that dish isn't Japanese,'" Cole would explain later. "But the thinking behind it and the aesthetic of it is Japanese. The presentation is Japanese. And some of the flavor profiles remind you of Japanese food. That's my responsibility"

Dave Zabriskie returns to Spain

2011-06-05T11:53:00.000-07:00

By: DZ

After Nationals I flew straight out to Barcelona. I was traveling with the tools of my profession. I had 4 bikes with me. Moving those through an airport is no easy task even with the best of the luggage carts. I really wanted to blend in while passing through Customs. I thought it best to be with a big crowd and not to be isolated on a short line with all my gear. It took some tricky maneuvering with 4 bikes in tow, but, remarkably, I made it through without being stopped. I wasn’t breaking any laws, it’s just a pain in the chamois to get stopped and questioned. With that much stuff I thought I might be just the candidate for the endless amusement of the Custom’s control officers.

Right outside of the airport doors the faithful taxi driver was there to help me. He happily drove me to Girona. Walking into my apartment here gave me a surprising feeling of being home, which I guess means that after 11 years I’m finally getting used to it here. Funny how we adapt, sometimes quickly and sometimes slowly.

I ran into Jacky Bobby (Jack Bobridge) my Garmin teammate. I like this kid and he’s a true talent. We spent some time together in Switzerland at the Tour of Romandie and through some fortunate set of circumstances we ended up rooming together. During our down time our conversations eventually led to lifestyle and diet. I’m not a preacher so I tread easy when folks ask me about my diet (or my opinion of theirs) and that was certainly the case when Jacky and I spoke. But the kid is not only a talented cyclist he’s also a smart listener. After Romandie Jacky did some of his own research, drastically changed his diet and says he is really feeling quite good (which he wasn’t always before). He has cut out dairy and red meat from his diet. I must say I too felt pretty good (about the fact that he was feeling better) and for having this kind of positive influence on him. Maybe I am a preacher.

But I’m going solo at the moment and mostly preaching to myself. You should hear that rap. The apartment has been pretty lonely with the family not coming over for another week. I told myself I needed some hobbies. I debated that a bit with myself and I reminded myself of all the video gaming I’ve done. But I don’t really game much any more. I reminded myself how much I enjoyed TV. But I don’t find much satisfaction with what’s on television any more. So I started reading this book on the Ipad about Area 51, and so far that’s been pretty interesting. When I get through it I’ll let you know the title and whether or not I recommend the book.

Still fighting a little jet lag, but on my way to the Dauphine tomorrow so that should help me to get back into a routine. I’m pretty excited to go to the race. After the drama of the California Tour and then the National’s, it’s really no fun to be sitting around alone with not much to do but some light training and ‘light’ reading. Although I think it just snowed where I’m going to race and something tells me they don’t give a shit.

Dave Z.

Ivan Basso resumes racing at the Dauphiné

2011-06-05T11:43:00.000-07:00

Ivan Basso (Liquigas) will be racing again at the Dauphiné, starting with the 5.4-km flat prologue in Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne on Sunday. It will be the first time the Italian has put a race number on his back since the Tour de Romandie, one month ago. He’s still on the road to recovery since he crashed in training in Sicily on May 17.

Basso travelled to France on Friday with his Australian teammate and regular training partner Cameron Wurf to ride an Alpine stage of the Tour de France prior to taking part in the Dauphiné. “I’ll go and see some more stages after the Dauphiné, so I’ll have a clear picture of the Tour de France in the Alps”, to told us.

“I’m still in the process of recovering from my crash,” Basso said. “It’s been a real halt in my preparation for the Tour de France. I’ve resumed training slowly. I’ve been struggling quite a lot since. I’m getting better but my form is far behind where I wanted to be.”

At the Dauphiné, Basso will race against riders who have made the top ten of the Giro d’Italia and who will want to capitalize on their current form, like Joaquim Rodriguez (5th) and Kanstantsin Sivtsov (10th). Among the GC contenders of the Tour de France, hot favourites for the Alpine race are Cadel Evans, Samuel Sanchez, Robert Gesink, Tony Martin, Jurgen Van den Broeck, Bradley Wiggins, Alexandre Vinokourov and defending champion Janez Brajkovic.

“I wouldn’t say that my ambitions for the Dauphiné are limited, they are non existent,” Basso made clear.

“I’m coming to look for the right race rhythm for the Tour de France. This is an important week for me. I won’t be able to deliver results but I’ve looked at the course of the Dauphiné and the number of uphill stage finishes will help to make the efforts I need right now. It’ll give me a first indication on what my shape is like at the moment. The sensations will be far more important than the results. I have one month to find the right rhythm and present myself on the start line of the Tour de France with the ideal condition.”

Freddie Rodriguez joins Team Exergy

2011-06-04T15:25:00.000-07:00

Freddie Rodriguez has joined the US-based UCI Continental Team Exergy and will take to the starting line at the TD Bank Philadelphia International Cycling Championship on Sunday. The decorated sprinter will captain his new outfit during the one-day classic and is confident that his own fitness will carry through to a strong performance.

"I had kept my eye on Team Exergy, the team, riders, message and where they want to go in the future,” Rodriguez said. “I wanted a team that can use someone like myself to mentor the riders and help them grow and that I can continue to grow with. We decided that this was a good time to come on board. My fitness is up to the point where I feel like I am competitive.”

Rodriguez, 37, was born in Bogotá, Colombia and now resides with his family in Berkeley, California. He is a notable sprinter having raced for international teams Mapei, Domo-Farm Frites, Acqua e Sapone and Predictor-Lotto throughout his career.

“Freddie will fill many roles this year but we are most excited about the wealth of knowledge and experience he can share with our riders,” said Team Exergy partner Remi McManus. “Freddie is the most decorated cyclist racing in the US peloton and we are thrilled to have him.”

Rodriguez will debut for Team Exergy at a race with which he's very familiar, the TD Bank International Cycling championship, an event that doubled as the USPro Championships through 2005 whereby the first American to cross the line won the national title. Rodriguez won the stars and stripes jersey on three occasions in 2000, 2001 and 2004.

“I have high ambitions for this weekend,” Rodriguez said. “I have come into this race and have either won or been on the podium in the past. I think I’ve been on the podium at least five, maybe seven, times. I feel good, my testing and power files are up to par. My only weakness is the lack of high-end racing. The motivation is there and this is a good start because it is a race that I really love.”

He competed under the now defunct Rock Racing team for two seasons, in 2008 and 2009. He spent last season and much of this year competing for the local team Specialized Racing that is linked to his Fast Freddie Rodriguez Foundation. He placed sixth at the Merco Cycling Classic Downtown Grand Prix in March and contested several other California-based events this spring.

“Last March I was left without a team when Rock Racing folded and I was building a house and had a new born, so we had a lot going on,” Rodriguez said. “I decided it was better to concentrate on my family and get everyone situated. I spent that year launching my own clothing company [Prooff] and the Fast Freddie Foundation so we teamed up with Team Specialized development and work with kids.”

Team Exergy also added twin brothers Kevin and Conor Mullervy to its roster.

The team's roster also includes Andres Diaz, Carlos Alzate, Matt Cooke, Chris Hong, Kai Applequist, Eric Barlevev, Sam Johnson, Erik Slack, Ben Chaddock and Quinn Keogh.

"These additions were yet another step toward building the best possible team for the future,” McManus said. “I think I speak for all us when I say we are very excited to bring Freddie and the Gingers into the fold. These guys are not only good racers they have ties to their communities and charities, which is a very important aspect within our team."

Mark Allen: Race Recovery

2011-06-01T22:31:00.000-07:00

by Mark Allen

Many of you are starting into the meat of your racing season, which can mean lots of races on the calendar. The challenge to hitting good performances at more than one or two of them can be not so much about gaining more and more fitness, but rather making sure you are fresh and recovered from a previous race if the next one is close. What close means is going to depend the distance of each event. So let's take a look at a few scenarios and give some guidance on how to recover well during your racing season from race to race.

Recovery Starts Before The Race.
This is one of the least understood issues about recovery from a triathlon. It is not just what happens after you race in the days or weeks that follow that will either lengthen or shorten your recovery period, but also what you do in your pre-race preparation. A race is a huge demand on the body, even a sprint triathlon if done at your top capacity. If you go into a race tired from training, dehydrated from not attending to your fluid intake in the week leading up to your race, under-rested because of lack of sleep or just plain stressed from life, the race itself can push you over the edge that causes you to get sick, injured or to end up just plain and simply burned out.

This described me in the first few years of my career. I thought I was fairly invincible with my training so I did not back off enough in my tapers and as a consequence always raced with residual muscle breakdown that had not fully repaired from my daily workouts. I underestimated the amount of time I needed to sleep to really be fully charged going into a competition. And being the procrastinator that I am, I usually ended up sleep deprived because I didn't plan ahead with my prerace equipment and packing needs (see our April newsletter for tips on a checklist of what to have with you for racing). The result was that post-race I would be slightly injured, burned out with no energy for a few weeks rather than just tired for a day or two, and I often got a little sick. All of these things kept me from training for the next race, so of course to make up once I did get my feet back under me I would over-train to overcompensate for the days I missed, which of course put me right back into a state where instead of a few easy days of recovery after an event, it would take weeks again.

So the takeaway lesson is that if you have multiple races in a short period of time, go into each and every one more rested than you feel you need so that your recovery afterward is strictly going to be from what you did in the race rather than a compounded recovery period that is from over-training and racing.

Active Recovery.
One of the best ways to recover post-race is to do active recovery. Sitting around may feel like what you want to do (and there is a place for just chillin' like a villain) but if you can do some very easy swim, bike and run workouts in the few days after you race this will flush out your muscles and will help the food you eat in those days target the areas that were just used a little more effectively. If your legs are super-sore as they usually will be after a half or full Ironman race, exchange the running for some easy walking until you feel the soreness is gone.

The worst thing for post-race recovery is sitting still for a few days. The soreness will go away, which feels like you are recovering, but your muscles will become like cement rather than recovering in a manner that keeps them supple. So even if you are doing your final race of the season and don't plan on much activity for a while, try to do active recovery for 3-14 days after your race as a way to ensure smooth working muscles before you put your body in dry dock.

Keep It Healthy.
The tendency after a race is to splurge on all the vices you may have deprived yourself of leading up to a big competition. Unfortunately, for most of us that doe not mean we are going to gorge ourselves on a bunch of carrots. It's likely going to look more like teenager's junk food binge. However, all that great tasting stuff is going to be severely lacking in the nutrients that your body needs to recover and repair quickly. Go ahead and treat yourself to some of your favorite decadence, but also try to put in a base of good nutritious food and lots of plain good water along with it.

Wise Wisdom.
On great rule of thumb is to make sure to give yourself one easy day for every mile you run in your race before you go out and do anything really fast or taxing. This is a great way to put the brakes on long enough after a hard race to allow your body time to recover before you add more muscle damage into the mix. Both good and bad races can leave an athlete with a tendency to go back at it hard too soon. A good race fills you up with so much enthusiasm that without this simple rule as a safeguard you may get back into the swing of hard training too soon. The frustration from a poor result can do the same thing making you want to go out there right away and train even harder than before so that the next race does bring the finish that you had hoped for. But either way, temper the fast stuff until you are in the clear with a day of easy training for every mile that you did in the run segment of your triathlon.

Good luck!

Mark

Dave Z - Greenville and the Random Thoughts of an Amused Cyclist

2011-06-01T10:58:00.000-07:00

By: DZ

Get me to Greenville
My flight from LA was early last Thursday and my routing was through Atlanta. My plane was significantly delayed in Atlanta and I would not arrive into Greenville, home of the 2011 US National Championships, until 2am Friday morning. As a result I felt wiped and would get to sleep early Friday night and wouldn’t wake until 9am Saturday morning. That late wake up startled me but the added rest was necessary for the mission I was on.

You cannot win alone
I’m an old pro and I’ve known this truth a long time. I would need some service support in Greenville but our service trailer and mechanics were in California after the Amgen Tour of Cali. They hurriedly packed and left Sunday night after the final stage in Thousand Oaks. After a tough week of service in California for these unsung heroes who support the riders things were about to get worse, as they made their way east across the country and into the mouth of some crazy weather. Eric, from our continental team’s service staff was doing me a huge favor by pledging to be in Greenville to support my efforts in Saturday’s TT championships. Eric (and his uncle) braved lightning storms, tornadoes, and enough bad weather to turn the meek back around, but he soldiered on toward South Carolina seeking shelter along the way and doing his best to stay out of harm’s way. I think it was a relief for both of us when we eventually met again 5 days later in Greenville.

Besides Eric, I needed to find additional team support for an event that was not really for the team. I was more than fortunate that one of our crack assistants, Alyssa, would be willing to join me in Greenville. She would act as my physio, help me with my arrangements and help take the stress out of what would be a very stressful day. A huge thank you to both of them.

Pre-race Routine
Everyone’s routine is their own. There are some general rules but each rider tweaks their pre-race routine to best suit their body. My warm up in Greenville was mild, the weather was getting warmer and riding second to last I knew I’d be in the heat of the day. I wanted to ‘open up’ but I didn’t want to over heat. I stayed in the shade, primed myself on the trainer, and then when I entered the starting area I intentionally did a few swinging leg stretches in which I raise my leg as high in front of me as possible. When my foot goes above my head the startled look on the other riders is priceless, as high reaching leg swings are not one of the general rules.

Three Laps
I felt like I rode the perfect race. I heard Zirbel’s first lap time before I left the chute so I had a good gauge on what the number was to beat. I zoned in immediately, my head was in it and I bore down throughout the 6.9 mile course, which we would circle three times.

Bostrom
On my third and last lap of the course I suddenly had philosopher, cyclist and motocross racer extraordinaire Ben Bostrom’s words in my head. On training rides together Ben is fond of saying, ‘we’ve got a long way to go but only a short time to get there.’ His words were added inspiration on my final lap as I dug deeper to make the ride just a little bit shorter.

Podium Girls
To avoid the occupational hazards of the job by running off stage after the champagne has been passed out is completely unacceptable. Part of the extended joy of beating the field is the opportunity for mild abuse of the podium girls. Following the premeditated antics of the podium girls in Greenville I’ve been in touch with the USA Cycling and I believe substantial fines are forthcoming.

Taylor Phinney
The kid is special and he’s been a worthy national champ for the past year. He has a bright future and is a special talent. He’s also been a great motivator for me (as I suspect I’ve been for him).

Tejay van Garderen
I consider him a friend. He started 1 minute ahead of me on the TT course and may have been just a bit surprised when I passed him on the second lap. I saw him at the hotel afterward and he flipped me off, and then smiled. I think the smile means we’re still friends.

Dave Towle
I heard afterward that Dave Towle, the race announcer, told the audience watching the TT Championships that my 6th national title is a record that would likely stand for a very long time. ‘Check back with me in 20 years and let’s see if anyone’s even close,’ is how I believe he put it. Let’s hope Dave is psychic.

6
I’ve heard from an incredibly reliable source that 5 is crazy jealous, but I don’t really give a damn.

Whole Foods Market
I had my pre-race dinner at Whole Foods and I had my post race lunch at Whole Foods. Draw your own conclusion.

Hangover 2
I loved the first film and was anxious to see the 2nd. I went to see the film Saturday night with some friends as part of our celebratory evening and we laughed our asses off. Am I completely out of my mind when I say sign me up for a race in Thailand? And the monkey’s on my team.

Thai Food
Ok, Bangkok is likely a long way off for me so my friends and I settled on Greenville’s best Thai restaurant, Lemongrass. The owner came to our table remembering me from 2009 when our team also had a meal at her restaurant. A slight, kind and gracious woman who knows little about cycling, was unimpressed by my wins that year or this, but remembers well how cool our après cycling gear was in ’09 and with tilted head seriously questioned my less styled look this year.

The Underground
If you find yourself in Greenville don’t hesitate to visit one of the cooler coffee shops I’ve ever had the pleasure of being in. They call it The Underground because it’s in the basement of a corner building. Modest but hip, understated but comfortable, with a staff well-versed in friendly southern hospitality, you’ll find good coffee and just the right vibe, especially for this unrecognized connoisseur of the black bean.

Happy Birthday Son
In Solvang it was a fun moment for me to bring my son Waylon up on the podium. I won the time trial at the Amgen Tour of California and he was celebrating on the podium with me. But my family couldn’t make the trip to Greenville as Waylon was ill. I really wanted him there with me as it would be his 3rd birthday on the weekend of our national championships and I would head immediately afterward to Spain. I think I made the best of it when I passed my championship medal to a friend and asked him to bring it back home for me and to place it around my son’s neck and to tell him I said, ‘Happy Birthday’.

California
I’ve got only one thing to say to that golden state now that I’m back in Girona: California, you better be there when I get back.

Dave Z Takes 6th US Time Trial Championship

2011-05-28T13:05:00.000-07:00

Dave Zabriskie (Garmin-Cervelo) won his sixth stars-and-stripes jersey at the USA Cycling Pro Time Trial Championships on Saturday in Greenville, South Carolina.

The California resident blazed through the three-lap, 33.3kms parcours in a time of 40:23, topping silver medalist Tom Zirbel (Jamis-Sutter Home) by 31 seconds while bronze medalist Matt Busche (RadioShack) finished 59 seconds off the pace.

"It boils down to giving it everything I have," Zabriskie said. "I love this event and wearing the stars-and-stripes, I take a lot of pride in it. I enjoy wearing the jersey and it gets better and better. It's not easy coming here with the pressure of winning it quite a few times.

"It was a nice course and I liked it," Zabriskie said. "The last time I did it, in 2009, I felt pretty good. Today, I just wanted to destroy myself. I knew Tom's time and that I would have to fight to beat that. I was fighting for the last 500 metres and I gave it full gas. Tom rode a good time today."

Ivan Basso back on the bike after Etna accident

2011-05-26T07:43:00.000-07:00

Almost ten days after his accident on the slopes of Mount Etna, Ivan Basso is back training with his Liquigas-Cannondale team in preparation for the Tour de France. Still suffering from the 15 stitches he received to facial injuries after the fall, Basso is gradually increasing his hours on the bike since last Friday, and slowly coming back to the level of form he had prior to the crash.

"Ivan's fitness is getting better every day," said sports director and trainer Paolo Slongo from the team's training camp in Sicily, due to end this Saturday. "But we don't want to force things. Gradually, he has been back on the bike for short and not very intensive rides. There is no need to create too much stress at the moment: Ivan will soon come back to his initial programme."

Basso admitted that he is already putting a lot of pressure on himself without the squad having to push him. "I have great desire to get back into the rhythm, but I don't want to generate any complications," he said on the team's website. "It's all but easy to head out with the stitches in my face. I'm doing my utmost not to lose too much time. I hope my injuries will heal soon and that I can take up my training programme again in view of the Tour."

Other Liquigas riders at the training camp include Maciej Bodnar, Davide Cimolai, Mauro Finetto, Kristijan Koren, Dominik Nerz, Maciej Paterski and Simone Ponzi.

Armstrong’s business stronger than ever

2011-05-25T14:07:00.000-07:00

As the federal investigation continues and more of his teammates speak out against him, the speculation is that Lance Armstrong’s golden name is getting smeared by the day and that his strong business empire is slowly crumbling.

Armstrong’s business portfolio is stronger than ever. Instead of small endorsement deals with the likes Coca-Cola and Subaru, which he had in his cycling days, the endorsements he has today are even more lucrative.

That’s because Armstrong has lent his name to smaller companies, like Honey Stinger and FRS, for an equity stake, instead of a one-time fee. And his Nike Livestrong line has grown from 80 million rubber bracelets sold to a significant business of apparel and shoes that is expected to hit $75 million this year.

“Our relationship with Lance remains as strong as ever,” said Nike spokesman Derek Kent. “We are proud to work with him and support his foundation. Nike does not condone the use of banned substances and Lance has been unwavering on that position as well.”

Meanwhile, donations to the Lance Armstrong Foundation continue to come in.

Since the foundation was created, donations have increased. In 2002, the LAF passed $6 million in donations, annual funding surpassed the $20 million mark, the $30 million mark in 2008, the $40 million mark in 2009 and is on target to blow by the $50 million mark this year. This occurred as donors to the American Cancer Society has plummeted in recent years along with the challenging economy.

Whether that will change now, short of the finding of that alleged positive test from 2001 or an indictment against Armstrong, is anyone’s guess. On Monday, former international cycling chief Hein Verbruggen told the AP that there was never any cover-up to save Armstrong. As of now, Armstrong’s business thus far has been as bulletproof as his adamant responses that he never took performance enhancing drugs.

On another tangent, it seems that because of what Armstrong has done for cancer, some people don’t care about whether he used performance-enhancing drugs and certainly aren’t happy about the government spending time on an investigation. In a Twitter poll I took on Sunday night, 85.2 percent of the 459 people who voted said that it was not important for the government to find out if Armstrong cheated, 7.8 percent said it was very important, while 7 percent said it was somewhat important.

What’s interesting about the government’s involvement is that it concerns them because Armstrong’s teams were funded by the U.S. Postal Service. The USPS paid $31.9 million to fund the team from 2001-2004. At issue, is whether the government was defrauded by paying for the sponsorship as the cyclists used performance enhancing drugs.

Fraud or not, what’s funny is the fact that the United States Postal Service hired two firms that showed that the sponsor received $103.6 million in domestic exposure from the sponsorship. That seems like pretty effective marketing to me. Plus, it seems a little bit misguided when you consider that the U.S. Postal Service is on track to lose $7 billion this year. That’s down from the $8.5 billion they lost last year.

DZ - The Amgen Tour of California

2011-05-25T10:06:00.000-07:00

By: DZ

Well the ATOC has come and gone. The lead-up to the race is anxious. The training methodical. The review of the course, the team selection and strategy are all a very deliberate process. And then, literally, in the blur of a week its over. Because a week like this is so intense it goes by much faster than when we’re not racing.

The start in Tahoe couldn’t have gone any worse for a bike race. Regardless of how it may have looked on TV, let me tell you it was a true winter snow storm. It would have been impossible to race in those conditions and I’m not shy in saying that I was happy that the stage was cancelled. There would have been carnage on the road, a crazy spectacle that would not have been the proper start to typically beautiful stage race.

But even the 2nd stage wouldn’t go unaffected. They had to shorten the 2nd stage because of the storm, but it was good that the race organizers made the decision early and everyone involved made it happen from Nevada City. It felt good to get the race going.We were all a bit pent up and ready to roll. I felt physically well and mentally prepared for the week. But when I lost some time on the circuits in Sacramento I’d have to say I wasn’t entirely pleased. I lost more time on the summit finish on Sierra road. My climbing legs just aren’t ‘on’ yet. But I don’t think anyone in the world was going to beat Chris Horner on that day, or for the overall in this year’s race. He was and is in amazing form.

Surprisingly, I didn’t feel like I had good legs for the time trial when I started my ride on the now familiar Solvang TT course. When I started I had my doubts right away. The legs were firing but I simply wasn’t convinced that I was truly at my strongest. But there are times when the body isn’t cooperating that you have to erase the doubt for yourself, shut out the negative thoughts and simply, purely, undoubtedly, motor on. I knew I wanted to fight for this win in Solvang, so that’s exactly what I did. And I would keep on fighting right through the finish line. But I have to tell, in a moment that even surprised me, as I took the final turn into the finishing straight, in a moment of total exaltation, I let out a huge roar. I can’t say I’ve done that before, but it felt good and strangely, it felt right.

And let me tell you it was a great feeling to get the win. But there were quite a few riders between my finish and Chris Horner, the last rider to leave the start ramp. I waited with anxious anticipation to see how some of the others would do, even strolling through the finish area to watch some of the riders on the jumbo screen that was set up there. It was fun to be among all the friendly fans. It was a treat for me to bring my boy up on the podium and as a treat to him, one that he’ll appreciate much more years from now, I had the podium girls kiss his cheeks rather than mine. On that day, at least at that moment, I think we both took the win.

Well what can I say about the big mountain stage? Mt. Baldy was simply everything I thought it would be, a very hard stage. The team did well there and put some pressure on the race but in the end Horner and Levi were too strong. But Tommy D. hung in there with the leaders and his ride up Baldy would help secure him a 3rd place spot on the podium. I was happy for him.

The team stayed downtown Saturday evening. I ended up relaxing at a Starbucks near the Staples Center for about 3 hours after the Baldy stage just soaking in all the ‘America’ I could. I’m away too often and those Americana moments maybe mean more to me than most others. I even splurged and drank something called a, mocha coconut frappuccino. Come on! Who comes up with this stuff? Well they’re welcome over at my house, because, damn, that was pretty tasty. Truth is, that’s not the type of indulgence that I typically allow myself, and it won’t be happening again anytime soon, but it was a real nice treat after the punishment of doing Baldy at race pace. Afterwards, I ran into the very likable Burke Swindlehurst, and we caught up for awhile, and quite excitedly made mountain bike plans for the off-season. I look forward to tearing up the dirt with that dude.

Riding Stage 8 into Thousand Oaks was super cool for me. I kept thinking to myself, I’m home. I know these roads and I’m happy to be racing here. The crowds were amazing. I guess I just wasn’t expecting there to be as many folks at the finish area as there were. And it was great to see so many of my friends, old and new, come out to the race. I wanted to take a few flyers off the front of the peloton for the home crowd but the course wasn’t very conducive for that, or, maybe I was just at my limit after a rather tough week. But it was all good nonetheless. And regardless of what some other riders may say, I could hear you and I can tell you that I appreciated all the shout-outs.

As we did last year, our guys won the team competition. It’s always nice to get back up on that podium to celebrate. And as they should, our celebrations always include a bit of champagne. Now I can’t say exactly what comes over me when I’m given the big bottle but much like the incredible Hulk goes through his transformation, well so do I. Except I’m not angry, quite the opposite. I’m celebrating and that means I’ve got to spray champagne all over the place, including a significant dousing of those innocent podium girls. Those girls in their high heels are slow on their feet and no match for an old pro like myself. They’re getting wet or I’m going for a second bottle. I even tried to sneak a squeeze bottle of ketchup up onto the podium just in case I ran out of champagne. But the team’s PR person is on to me and my crazy humor and frisked me before I went on stage and took the ketchup away. Now that would have been quite the scene.

We had our Sunday night team meal at one of my favorite local restaurants. It was fun to share a little local flavor with the guys and to reflect back on the week and to toast our collective team effort. Everyone was in a good mood and it was fun to wind down afterward with the guys.

Well, I know it’s sudden, but I really can’t wait for this race next year….but please, no snow.

Armstrong will survive '60 Minutes,' the feds

2011-05-24T23:11:00.000-07:00

Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong is now facing the systematic disemboweling of his legacy as an athletic icon. As revealed Sunday on "60 Minutes" - a show that usually doesn't do sports features unless there's a synergistic tie-in with CBS Sports - three of Armstrong's teammates have testified to a federal grand jury that they saw the great cyclist take performance enhancing drugs. Armstrong's top "lieutenant" Tyler Hamilton said, "He took what we all took. ... There was EPO, there was testosterone. And I did see a transfusion, a blood transfusion."

"60 Minutes" also broke the news that George Hincapie, Armstrong's closest friend and teammate, finally relented and testified to federal investigators. According to reporter Scott Pelley, Hincapie stated "that he and Armstrong supplied each other with the blood-booster EPO and discussed having used testosterone - another banned substance during their preparation for races."

Hincapie is apparently shocked that his confidential grand jury testimony was leaked. He released a statement through his attorney where he said, "I can confirm to you that I never spoke with '60 Minutes.' I have no idea where they got their information." (Hincapie will be releasing his LiveNaïve rubber bracelets later this month.)

For what it's worth, I find these federal grand juries aimed at "cleaning up sports" a vulgar use of government power. In cycling, it's particularly noxious. This is a sport that desperately needs organization and labor protections. Cyclists are pushed to extend their bodies beyond all possible human limits. Since 2000, 12 professional cyclists have died during races. Imagine the outcry if 12 NFL players had died on the field during the same time span.

Blood doping is a logical outcome of a sport where people push themselves to death for the enjoyment of fans and benefit of sponsors. Of the top 10 finishers in Armstrong's seven Tour De France victories, 41 out of 70 have tested positive for PEDS. That's what happens when there is no union, no commissioner, no controlling authority other than sponsors - and highly competitive athletes pushing themselves at all costs to make it through the Pyrenees in one piece.

As for Armstrong, he has come out swinging with his typically furious denials, saying, "CBS's reporting on this subject has been replete with broken promises, false assurances and selective reliance on witnesses upon whom no reputable journalist would rely." Armstrong has long insisted on his innocence and touted his reputation as "the most tested athlete on the planet." Clearly he and the media believe his reputation as an athletic icon - like that of baseball greats Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens - is hanging by the thread. But unlike other athletes, Armstrong's legacy is secure. That's because his support comes from a far less fickle place than fandom.

In Robert Lipsyte's recently released memoir "An Accidental Sportswriter," the great columnist reveals that the only modern athlete who sends his pulse racing is Armstrong. "He's the closest thing I have to a celebrity jock hero," says Lipsyte. This is a remarkable statement from a writer who is a great critic of that nexus of sports, media and hero worship which he brands "jock-sniffing."

But his affection for Armstrong transcends cycling. Bob Lipsyte is a cancer survivor. Like many cancer survivors, he sees Armstrong as more than an icon of athletics, but an icon of survival and recovery.

Lipsyte's love was cemented when he heard someone ask Armstrong how his belief in God helped him beat cancer and Armstrong responded, "Everyone should believe in something, and I believe in surgery, chemotherapy, and my doctors."

Armstrong also believes that everyone should have access to the kind of medicine that allowed him to beat death. He's helped raise, through his LiveStrong foundation with their ubiquitous yellow bracelets, more than $400 million dollars for medical research. This is why Armstrong doesn't just have defenders. He has, in the legions of cancer survivors across our toxic nation, an army.

The Associated Press quoted cancer survivor and amateur cyclist Raifie Bass, who said, "Lance is a true inspiration for so many people. He's just a person that really is a great motivator for me as a cyclist and as a cancer survivor. What Lance has done for the global message of cancer and awareness, it's unstoppable... it's not how many Tours he won or what he's done for cycling. It's what he's done for cancer."

What a country. We have a federal government spending untold amounts to "clean up" performance enhancing drugs in cycling, targeting someone whose celebrity and efforts are critical in the fight against cancer. How about we close down the grand jury and in return, cycling agrees to get a commissioner, a union and a method to handle their own drug testing? How about we take the money being spent to find out what someone might have taken to survive these torturous races, and donate it to cancer research?

I'm sure federal prosecutors have other people's garbage to sift through, and "60 Minutes" could then be free to finish its hard-hitting story about what makes NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell so dreamy. However this ends, I wouldn't bet against Lance Armstrong. The LiveStrong Army is bonded by something stronger than sports... and stronger than the Feds.

Chris Horner 100 per cent focused on Tour de France after California victory

2011-05-23T14:13:00.000-07:00

RadioShack's Chris Horner took home the most nostalgic overall victory of his career at the Amgen Tour of California that concluded with the eighth and final stage in Thousand Oaks on Sunday. The American will skip the USA Pro Cycling Championships next weekend and instead turn his attention to a podium performance, and perhaps an overall win, at the Tour de France in July.

"I was nostalgic all day," said Horner in the closing press conference. "I was having a grin from ear-to-ear. I've done so much training up here on these roads, maybe going back as far as 1991. I've really built my career training here. This Southern California area has been my stomping grounds. As soon as they added the summit finishes this race really became a goal for me. I want to say that the crowds throughout California and on the summit finishes were epic."

RadioShack announced that it would support two team leaders during the Amgen Tour of California; Horner and three-time overall winner Levi Leipheimer. However, Horner proved to be the stronger of the two riders on the first mountaintop finish on Sierra Road, stage four of the eight-day race. He maintained his overall race lead through the second and more decisive mountaintop finish on Mt. Baldy during stage seven, where Leipheimer took the stage win.

"I don't mean this to sound bad, but he's been more professional," said Leipheimer who showed unwavering support for Horner during this week. "And you're seeing the result of that. I've had some health issues this year, and the team wasn't that confident in me coming into this race, and they needed someone as a plan B, and it turned out to be Chris. I think it was smart of the team, I'm happy because I've shown that I could have won, but my teammate was better. And there's no denying that."

Horner finished the race with a 38 seconds ahead of Leipheimer in the overall classification. Tom Danielson of Garmin-Cervelo finished the race in third place followed by his teammate Christian Vande Velde in fourth, Tejay Van Garderen of HTC-Highroad in fifth and Laurens Ten Dam of Rabobank in sixth.

Garmin-Cervelo came to the race with a strong team of climbers that included Dave Zabriskie, who won the stage six time trial in Solvang, Ryder Hesjedal, Dan Martin and Andrew Talansky. The race included other strong overall contenders in Andy Schleck and Linus Gerdemann (Leopard Trek), Rory Sutherland (UnitedHealthcare), Steve Morabito (BMC Racing) and Damiano Caruso (Liquigas-Cannondale).

"It was an honour to stand on the podium with Chris and Levi," Danielson said. "I started my career with Chris on Saturn and with Levi on Discovery Channel and I learned a lot from both. I wouldn't be half the rider that I am today without having raced with these guys. I enjoyed racing for third place and being able to celebrate it with them. That being said, Garmin-Cervelo did a great job this week and we definitely gave RadioShack a run for their money."

Eyeing the Tour de France podium

Horner will turn his attention to preparing for the Tour de France in July where he hopes to secure a podium position. He went into last year's Tour working for his former teammate, and seven-time winner, Lance Armstrong in 2010. Adversity took Armstrong out of contention to place in the overall ranking and after days of working as a domestique, Horner managed to finish the race with a top 10.

"The Tour de France will be my next objective," Horner said. "I have definite plans of riding there in 100 per cent form. I will focus solely on working to bring my form back up to 100 per cent for the Tour de France. I plan on being top five, if not on the podium. I think I can climb with anyone in the world and I'll show that in July."

Leipheimer will also focus on a strong performance at the Tour de France. According to Horner, the pair will likely enter the race as co-leader in similar fashion to the Amgen Tour of California. Leipheimer is no stranger to the Grand Tour podium having placed third overall at both the Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana.

"Levi and I will have to do everything exactly correctly to come into the Tour de France with good form," Horner said. "It's a very small window. Make no mistake with RadioShack, this team is 100 per cent dedicated to the rider who can win the Tour de France. I have no problem working for Levi; he has no problem working for me. We have fantastic Jani [Brajkovic], who could shine at the Tour de France, and certainly [Andreas Kloden] Klödi there. But I expect to be there with four guys who have a little bit of freedom. It will be become really clear after the first mountain stage, and this team, we get along really well, and we'll support the strongest rider."

Horner noted some strong contenders that he will have to face at the Tour de France including Saxo Bank SunGard's Alberto Contador, Liquigas-Cannondale's Ivan Basso, BMC's Cadel Evans and Leopard Trek's Andy Schleck, among others.

"We already know who the leaders are for the Tour de France," Horner said. "No one has the form that Alberto Contador has displayed. He is good at every race. It is spectacular to see how often he can ride that form. Andy Schleck's form of last year was as good as if not better than Alberto in the climbs, maybe vice-versa in the time trial. Andy will be the big favorite, his brother Fränk will be there to back him up."

"Those two teams have to carry the whole weight of the race on their shoulders," he added. "And RadioShack will have a little bit of freedom to rest and come into it with really good form. At this moment I have not seen anyone go faster than I have seen Andy and Alberto go in July. At this moment, that is our target, those two are the five-star favorites."

No USA Pro Cycling Championships for Horner or Leipheimer

Both Horner and Leipheimer will skip the USA Cycling National Championships held from May 29-31 in Greenville, South Carolina. The duo will attend a sponsor event and take time to recover and better prepare for the Tour de France.

"I would love to do go to the USPro Championships but with the Nissan thing I am going to have to avoid the USPro Championships," Horner said. "It was originally in my plans but the Nissan has been a great sponsor and they have asked myself and Levi to be at their events, which run just after the USPro Championships."

"There has to be some time for me to spend with my kids and family," he added. "It was too difficult to fly to USPro Championships and fly back to Oregon, back to Michigan for Nissan, back to Oregon and fly to the Tour of Suisse. I asked to avoid the USPro Championships so that I can spend more time with my kids."

DZ time trials to stage win ahead of Leipheimer

2011-05-21T16:34:00.000-07:00

David Zabriskie made up for his disastrous day on Sierra Road by crushing the Solvang time trial in a new course record. The Garmin-Cervélo man who was second overall in last year's race boosted his team's fortunes with the stage 6 victory, topping Levi Leipeimer (RadioShack) by 26 seconds and best young rider Tejay Van Garderen (HTC-Highroad) by 40.

It's the first time trial stage win for Zabriskie here in California. His only other stage victory in the Amgen Tour came last year in the stage from San Francisco to Santa Cruz, where he bested Michael Rogers and Leipheimer with a crafty attack in the final 500m.

"I knew the last stretch was a headwind and I had to go hard there. I didn't feel like I was super strong, but it was a good ride," Zabriskie said. "Today was obviously the best I've ever done here. I had no radio, just did my own thing and it worked."

The stage win was sweet revenge after his general classification hopes were dashed when he couldn't follow the RadioShack riders on the stage 4 finishing climb. "The time trial is my strong suit, and I wanted to have a good ride and have some salvation.

Zabriskie explained what was different today. "A time trial is a different position on the bike. I can cheat the elements a little - I'm good at that. On a climb you need constant pressure on the pedals and sometimes my body gives out on a climb like that, when everyone's going really really hard."

For the three previous visits to Solvang, it's been Leipheimer who has dominated the Danish-themed town's stage, but despite setting the fastest intermediate split, he couldn't hold his effort to the line to take his fourth stage here.

When he learned he had fallen shy of the stage win, Leipheimer angrily pounded on his bars and rode away, not speaking with the press. When he did return, the American offered no excuses for his ride and instead praised the performance of Zabriskie.

"Dave rode a super fast time trial," Leipheimer said.

Leipheimer also dismissed comparisons of today’s record breaking ride with his own previous rides in Solvang.

"[It’s different now that] we're in May, the roads have been repaved; I think the winds were a little more favourable. I think whoever won today was going to set the course record,” the American said.

RadioShack teammate Chris Horner held his own on the course, finishing sixth, only losing 36 seconds to Leipheimer – enough to keep him comfortably in the race lead going into tomorrow’s difficult Mt Baldy stage.

"I knew I was going to have to suffer as part of the job. So far the team has done all the work, and today was the most work I had to do in the whole Amgen Tour of California," Horner said.

"Today was about damage control. I knew I would lose a little bit of time, but I was confident to hold the jersey."

"It was all about keeping the bike upright, hitting the times out on course and then letting it all hang out in the final 2km."

The battle for the final overall podium heated up, with UnitedHealthcare's Rory Sutherland putting in a strong performance to steal back two seconds on Garmin-Cervélo's Christian Vande Velde to leapfrog the American. Tom Danielson (Garmin-Cervélo), was also surpassed by Sutherland.

"I think that you can see from the times from the finish that the wind changed today and got harder later on," said Sutherland. "The guys who were in the top five positions, Tejay did a really good time at the end and Levi. The times of the last guys were higher than what would be expected.

"I thought it would be a little bit closer time-wise but the guys around me were the guys that were around me at the start. It wasn’t the most fun time trial that I have ever done. It was incredibly headwind-y."

The outcome of today's stage puts the Garmin-Cervélo even more on the defensive as they try to chase a podium position as well as unseat the RadioShack duo.

"Vande Velde was on good form to make a good result in the time trial today," said manager Jonathan Vaughters. "We're definitely the underdogs for the next few days. Tomorrow, there will be fireworks. we'll put on a show tomorrow, I mean, you know, it's going to be tough. Horner is really strong right now."

In the best young rider competition, Tejay Van Garderen (HTC-Highroad) put in an impressive performance to take third on the stage, extending his lead in the classification over Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale).

"I'm definitely happy with how the race is going," said Van Garderen. "I made some tactical errors on Sierra Road. I tried too hard to stay with Horner and faded, I should have stayed within myself."

"[But] The team's proud of me. I would have hoped to be higher on GC than I am, but when Horner's on the form he's on, even [Alberto] Contador couldn't have beaten him on Sierra Road."

Chris Horner's Epic Ride - Video

2011-05-20T00:19:00.000-07:00

'20+ year career. 500 drug controls worldwide, in and out of competition. Never a failed test. I rest my case.'

2011-05-19T23:53:00.000-07:00

Seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong has denied claims by former team-mate Tyler Hamilton that they took performance-enhancing drugs together.

Hamilton has accused seven-time Tour de France winner Armstrong of doping while insisting the majority of his fellow riders did likewise.

His accusations, aired on CBS programme '60 Minutes', come a year after Floyd Landis, another former Armstrong team-mate, made similar allegations of drug use by Armstrong and the team.

In response, Armstrong tweeted: '20+ year career. 500 drug controls worldwide, in and out of competition. Never a failed test. I rest my case.'

Hamilton won a gold medal at the 2004 Athens Games but later failed a drug test.

However, he was allowed to keep his medal because problems at a laboratory meant his 'B' sample could not be tested.

Months later, he was caught blood doping and served a two-year ban which ended in 2007.

Hamilton returned to racing and won the 2008 US road championship, but he retired last spring after admitting he took an antidepressant that contained the banned steroid DHEA. He was officially banned from cycling for eight years.

His accusations come after he testified before the Los Angeles grand jury investigating Armstrong.

Armstrong's spokesman Mark Fabiani released a statement that read: 'Hamilton is actively seeking to make money by writing a book, and now he has completely changed the story he has always told before so that he could get himself on '60 Minutes' and increase his chances with publishers.

'But greed and a hunger for publicity cannot change the facts: Lance Armstrong is the most tested athlete in the history of sports. He has passed nearly 500 tests over 20 years of competition.'