Hello Out There! I hope you’ve had a good Thanksgiving weekend…shopping, turkey leftovers…relaxing, enjoying time with family – whatever you were doing. I have not been as productive as I would have liked.  Still not at 100% from the CRUD but do finally have the congestion draining which is a good sign (but impacted today’s run – read on). Anyway, I just kind of took it as I could stand it.  If I felt like I need to rest…I rested. 

I didn’t get the house completely cleaned on Friday and didn’t make the spin class either. But did get started on the house and hope to get it finished this week (or at least by this time next week). Then Friday night had a little family drama. Ended up having to make a trip to the Emergency Room to bring my Dad and Grandmother home for the night.  We had brought my Grandmother home for the holiday weekend.  My Mom had a cat bite that got infected and she had ended up in the ER for IV antibiotics and was being kept overnight as she may need surgery.  YIKES!! 

After getting my Dad and Grandmother settled I headed home but did not get in bed as early as planned and didn’t sleep well.  But did make it to the grocery store on time Saturday morning.  Some kind of miracle that was… After getting off work I came home to take a short nap…and see if Mom was going to need surgery.  Thankfully she didn’t and was going to be discharged but I wasn’t sure if she would need me to take my grandmother back to the assisted living facility early or not so I kind of hung loose around the house.  No long run…but I knew I could go today.

And I got up this morning and headed out.  Was dragging a little bit but knew I could put in 12 miles.  No problem. Today I was going to Riverfront Park because it is not quite as boring on those really long runs as the dam. I get ready to set up the iPod for the run…What the FREAK? The battery is dead. DEAD! OMG!! I can’t run 12 miles without my iPod for music, mileage tracking, music, encouragement…music. Oh DANG! Now what…think, think, think.

Well, I had two options…come home, charge the iPod and come back later or run the 12 miles without the iPod.  Of course if I go home there is always the chance that something will come up and keep me from coming back.  I can not afford to miss this run.  I simply can’t…but 12 miles without my iPod just sounded like torture to me.  So, I headed home…knowing that NOT coming back was NOT an option.  And learning my first lesson of the day…check the iPod the night before a long run and make sure it is charged. HELLO!!

Came home, grabbed a short nap (told you I wasn’t at 100%…I only nap this much when I’m sick – or depressed and that may be compounding the sickness but the depression is better so I think it has more to do with the CRUD.) For lunch I decided to eat the leftovers from dinner last night. I had a craving for pigs in a blanket and had made them.  Now, they’re not really appropriate on my glycemic index diet. Okay, they’re totally not GI at all but I had a craving and figured it probably couldn’t hurt. 

Not like I’ve been completely GI this past week anyway…which may affect the scale on Tuesday… but I’m not too, too worried.  Clothes are looser…have another pair of jeans I’ve been able to fit into…and I checked the goal pants today…I’m closer.  Not close enough but closer. So I know I’m losing…inches, pounds – something.  But I’ve digressed…severely.

Anyway, I made the pigs in a blanket for dinner last night. Decided I’d just eat the leftovers for lunch today. Didn’t think about if this was proper fuel for a run or not…and I realized too late that it most certainly isn’t.  Of course, I already know this.  You don’t eat anything heavy like that before a run. And I paid for that on my run.  Lesson 2: Fuel the body properly before heading out the door.  Actually I know this lesson but got a HARSH reminder today.

Mid-afternoon I headed back to Riverfront Park for my 2nd attempt of the day. When I pulled in I was feeling good and ready to run. It was such a BEAUTIFUL day and the park was pretty crowded.  And there was a Rescue Truck and two Police cars in the parking lot.  I thought great if I collapse they’re prepared…LOL! And I still don’t know what was going on but part of the park was closed off with yellow tape and there were officials keeping people out. But I figured they were letting people enter so it ouldn’t be a dangerous situation.  I pressed on.

My plan for today was to walk 2 minutes after each two miles through the first 8-10 and then after that every mile if necessary. I started out at an easy to maintain pace. Reminding myself that I had a long way to go. And I no more than got started and Critical Cybil started chattering away. (Critical Cybil is what I’ve decided to call my internal chatterbox for now. Writing a little poem about her and will post that when it is done.)

But anyway Critical Cybil who never has anything good to say started chattering away about how far it was, how hard it would be, how I couldn’t do it…blah, blah, blah. Whatever.  I just tuned her out and pressed on.  Two miles…walk break but my stomach is starting to feel weird. The running has really got my sinuses draining which is good but that is not helping the stomach issue. I press on… Four miles…walk break and stomach is definitely not right.  Not feeling well at all…but am headed in the direction of the bathroom.  I can take a bathroom break if necessary.

With roughly a mile to go to the bathroom (and the halfway mark) I was in trouble…had to stop running but kept a brisk pace and started praying I would make it to the bathroom.  Did not want to get sick on the path.  That would be embarrassing.  But running was out. I made it to the bathroom…but barely. Got ill…and felt a little better.  Now I have a choice. Call it a day with only 6 miles completed…or try again.

Well, quitting is never really an option. And I knew I wasn’t ill because I was sick.  I was ill because I didn’t fuel my body properly and my sinuses are draining like crazy. I decided to press on… And at first I was okay. Still a little queasy but nothing I couldn’t handle.  Made it down to the end…have to go back now and a little further to finish the twelve. I headed back…but the stomach really started being uncooperative – queasy and cramping. I had to take walk breaks more than I would have liked…but I made it back. I had a mile left to go…but just didn’t have it in me.  I really didn’t…

But I figured 11 miles…was far better than 6 miles. And I felt confident that had I been at 100% I could have finished the twelve no problem.  My legs felt good…the rest of my body felt fine…just the stomach issues were slowing me down today. So I ended the run. And when I did Lance Armstrong came on the iPod and said Congratulations! That’s your longest run ever. Now that was cool!  Hope I hear from him again after my half-marathon… That would be really cool!!

This week I have a 60 minute run tomorrow.  It will have to be in the morning because I’m actually scheduled to work at the grocery store tomorrow night (shocking I know). Cross-training on Tuesday so I’ll hit the 5:45 pm spin class (yeah, won’t be getting up at 4:30 after working tomorrow night). Speed work on Wednesday…rest day on Thursday (which is good because I don’t want to have another 7 days in a row), cross-training on Friday so I’ll be at that 5:30 am class…then my long run on Saturday morning – a long 6 miles…yeah, I can handle that.  I’ll get that done before I go to work at the grocery store at 12:30 pm.  I know working 2 days this week…what in the world…LOL!  But that is a good because maybe I can get a decent paycheck…

So, there you have it.  Learning more lessons, running more miles…pressing on…making progress.  Until next time, press on.  Dreams really do come true…as long as you keep moving towards them.

The 22nd Nov 09 was a wet day, the rain came in waves so I took to the road for a short 2 lap circuit, this cunning plan to fulfill my weekly hours was formulated because if the rain ever got to mental I wouldn’t be to far from home if i got soaked. Luckily for me rain didn’t persist for a great length of time, all I was left with was a damp jacket and cold, wet feet from the spray off the road.

Another successful 3hrs.

Here’s to wise cycling

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Morning,

We are racing today, but I thought I would fill you in on what  I have been doing down here leading up to now. This place is awesome by the way, and if you can travel to Ecuador do it! Basic race facts for Vuelta al Cotopaxi:  2 day stage race that circumnavigates Cotopaxi Volcano.  It is the most popular and best known mountain bike race in Ecuador that sells out in less than one hour.  Teams of two with a maximum of 200 teams allowed in the race. (mixed/coed, male and female race divisions).  Each day is about 65 km of double track and single track racing.  All the racers camp together after the first stage and re-start again on day two.  The entire race takes place between 3000 meters (9800 ft) and 4300 meters (14,100 ft).   Last year, Greg and I placed 3rd in the mixed category.  We had a rough race that included getting off course on the first day with many other teams and losing time.  We were also hit hard by the altitude and Greg got pretty sick from it.  Despite all of that, we still won the stage on day 2 and finished on the podium.  This year, there are some really good mixed teams including the fastest guy and girl in the whole country!  It will be competitive for sure, but now we know the race and have prepared a little better for the altitude.

Cikla bike shop hosted a women’s riding clinic that I taught at the Parque Metropolitano.  Local athletes Amanda Purtschert and Diana Marrgraff were there to help with the clinic.  Amanda is a well known endurance mountain bike racer and Diana is a world cup downhill specialist.  They were able to be the tour guides, translators and also help with spotting and technical skills.  The clinic started at 6:30 AM, so I was sure no one was going to show up that early.  I was wrong and we had about 15 women of all different levels and even a TV camera crew and reporter showed up.  After the riding there was an extension of the women’s clinic at Cikla where I showed some pictures and also spoke about equipment, bike maintenance, training and nutrition.  There are a ton of cyclists here in Ecuador and the women’s group is growing.  It’s great to be helping get more women out on bikes.  I will also be doing another women’s riding clinic in the town of Cuenca after the race.

Greg and I took the tram up Pinchincha volcano yesterday to about 4000 meters and hiked around in the clouds.  The tram normally gives you great views of Quito, but we were essentially hiking in the clouds.  I could definitely feel more difficulty breathing, but it was a great hike.  Hopefully getting up high will accelerate the acclimatization process.  The race is still going to hurt, but we are trying to do what we can to be a little better prepared for the elevation than last year.

I will be posting some more photos to my Flickr account from the trip. So feel free to cruise around over there and check them out.

Cheers

Reba

The blogs are in, and the strong opinions are out. What do you think? Who is the sportsperson of the Noughties? Not happy with the options? Write your own sporting tribute and let me know. I can almost taste the adrenaline in my mouth. Delicious.

Several weeks ago, you may have read why I think Lance Armstrong is the greatest sporting icon of the decade — part of an ongoing debate among Cardiff journalism postgrads.

Well, it’s poll time so, if you haven’t already, read my case (and perhaps some of the others — links are at the bottom of my post) and VOTE!

Is the Kazak mafia behind this?

This was a warning, pure and simple, in a deadly game of revenge.

There’s no need for police to investigate who masterminded the theft of a Team Trek-Livestrong time trial bike this weekend.

The Trek Equinox TTX SSL was stored in the future home of the Team Radio Shack, in the same building as Lance Armstrong’s Mellow Johnny bike shop in Austin, Texas. We know the guilty party: Nikolai Proskurin, president of the Kazah Cycling Federation.

Revenge is an ugly game and this is all about payback. Armstrong knows the real story and so does Radio Shack director Sportif Johan Bruyneel. Only yesterday Proskurin accused Bruyneel of sabotaging Team Astana’s attempt to re-new their ProTour license. “Bruyneel told us that he would do everything possible to ensure that they withdrew our license,” Proskurin stated.

Our guess is ex-Kazak military made the night raid on the Mellow Johnny store. Or possibly an organized crime group from the former soviet republic. This was a warning –one  bike only. Nobody tortured or killed, no abductions or ransom to pay.

But make no mistake, Nikolai Proskurin sent Radio Shack a message. You stole almost a dozen of my riders at Astana and now you’re messing with my license. Back off or there will be blood. Armstrong is probably on the phone now with Blackwater security and laying a perimeter around the store.

I hate to be the one to say these words but the kids should be sent to a safer place as long as Proskurin and his henchmen are on the prowl.

Note to Austin police: be on the lookout for burly guys with shaved heads and heavy slavic accents trying to oder bottles of Marmara Kirmizi beer in the Austin bars. An obvious tip off.

You don’t mess with the Kazaks. This is war and a simple break-in to snatch a $10,000 bike is nothing. This won’t be the last we hear from the Kazak mafia.

RL and Moe from MTNBikeRiders.com were in attendance as always. Moe recently underwent shoulder surgery and is on the “injury recovery list”… get well soon!

Jim De Haven attacking about mid track during his race run. He went on to finish 6th on the podium for KHS!

Chuck Valenzuela tying one on! Valenzuela took the Pro Vet win in the DH by 6 seconds.

During his race run, Johnson was unfortunately held up by another competitor who refused to give him the right of way. This effected his overall result but he was just too tired to protest for a rerun.

www.craigglaspell.com

Except for one minor mental error, I had a good DH final on Sunday morning. I stayed on the gas to the very end and finally got on the podium at Fontana for KHS.

PRO MEN DH RESULTS

Left to right: Quinton Spaulding (KHS Factory), Jon Buckell (Foes Racing), David K (ODI), Waylon Smith (Mongoose), Troy D’Elia (Foes Racing)

It has been a long time since I was on a podium in Fontana, but with the good track and continued training, it paid off!

Valenzuela takes the WIN for team KHS!

Landy podiums for KHS.

Raffles… everybody’s favorite!

Everybody wins something at S.R.C.

Happy Birthday Jeremiah!!  KIDS… please DO NOT try this at home, even if it’s your birthday!

Thanks to our esteemed sponsors for a fantastic 2009 season!!

KHS will be at Bootleg Canyon – Dec 19th-20th for the Screamin Santa DH and Super D.

Please stay tuned for more pictures and updates, as they become available.

All the best,

Q.

Wheelie Man Beppu in the 2009 Tour de France.

The wheelie is a big dealie.

Armstrong and Johan Bruyneel know what it takes to put together an invincible team for the grand tours.

First, there are the rouleurs, the guys for the flats who can hammer all day, setting a murderous tempo and shoving everyone away from Lance like a New York club bouncer.

Then, there are the super climbers, the guys that deliver Lance up into the high mountains, setting him up for the final, decisive attack. They’re emaciated, ruthless and into torture.

But the forgotten role, one overlooked by most teams but always optimized when Lance is in charge is “the wheelie man.” This is a misunderstood role. Most of the old school euro squads dismiss the wheelie man as non-essential, a circus extra.

Instead they’ll select an extra climber or lead-out man. This is foolish and the results bear out the thesis. In point of fact, the wheelie man has proven one of the many decisive weapons in Armstrong’s tour arsenal.

The role was pioneered by Floyd Landis in the days of the powerful US Postal team. From 2002 to 2004, Landis drove the pace in the Alps and Pyrenees, delivering Armstrong to three yellow jerseys and then celebrating with monstrous wheelies. Soon, the other teams feared Armstrong’s Blue Train and the deadly wheelie.

Now, at almost 38 years of age and hunting for one last maillot jaune in the 2010 Tour de France, Armstrong is taking no chances. Monday, Radio Shack officials confirmed that wheelie man Fumiyuki Beppu was on the squad. It’s the final piece of the tour puzzle.

Does the Saxo Bank team of Andy Schleck have a wheelie man? Nope. Has Astana taken steps to sign a top wheelie man? Doubtful. Thus we see once again the meticulous preparation of Lance Armstrong. Nothing is left to chance — not even the wheelie man. Welcome Beppu.

China's Fuyu Li is on the Radio Shack roster.

Team Radio Shack is at full occupancy. They have riders, a ProTour License, the Director Sportif with the most Tour de France winners and a superstar or two. Can Alberto Contador and Astana say the same? Not yet.

Assembled from the Astana donor team, Lance Armstrong, director Johan Bruyneel and company now have the roster locked up for 2010. There is no A in this team, no Alberto. The script is tight and no alternations necessary.

Radio Shack features 26 riders from 16 different countries. “It is a well balanced team,” said Bruyneel. “We have experienced riders – with some of them I worked already many years in my former teams – but we also have young talents who can develop in the perfect environment.” It’s a good thing Bruyneel speaks about five languages.

Radio Shack is definitely going global and in particular has a strong Asian flavor, with Japanese rider Fumiyuki Beppu and Chinese talent Fuyu Li. Perhaps sponsors Trek (bikes), Radio Shack (electronics),  and Armstrong’s Livestrong foundation (cancer fund raising) see big opportunities in that part of the world.

In last year’s Tour de France, Beppu won the Combativity award in stage 21 from Montereau-Fault-Yonne to Paris Champs-Élysées. He also placed 8th in stage 3 and 7th in stage 19. Fuyu Li re-unites with Johan Bruyeel, having ridden for the Discovery Channel squad in 2007.

“Our main goal will be the Tour de France and other stage races,” said Bruyneel. ” But I am confident that, with these riders, we can perform very well in the one-day races as well.

The first training camp will take place in Tucson, Arizona in the second week of December. Lance Armstrong will make sure China’s Fuyu Li gets a full introduction to Mexican food.

door René Schrier

Een nieuwtje met dank aan wielerupdate.nl. De Japanner Fumiyuk Beppu stapt verrassend over van de Nederlandse Skil-Shimano ploeg naar de nieuwe ploeg van Lance Armstrong Team RadioShack.

Eigenlijk vind ik dat raar. Daar moeten commerciële belangen dus een rol spelen. Want neem nu eens iemand als Johnny Hoogerland, die deed het zeker niet slechter dan Beppu. Waarom nemen zo iemand dan niet? Aangenomen dat Hoogerland dat zou willen. Er fietsen wel meer Japanners bij RadioShack. Dat zal het wel zijn.

Beppu bij de start van de Tour-etappe vanuit Marseille dit jaar. foto René Schrier

De technische leiding van de ploeg is in handen van Johan Bruyneel. Dirk Demol, Alain Gallopin, Viatcheslav Ekimov en Jos Azevedo zijn er ploegleider. Bruyneel is tevreden over de samenstelling van zijn ploeg. “Dit is een uitgebalanceerd team,” aldus de Belg. “We beschikken over enkele ervaren renners, waarvan ik met sommigen al jaren samen heb gewerkt. Maar we hebben ook talenten die zich in een perfecte omgeving kunnen ontwikkelen. Ik ben blij dat onze sponsor wil investeren in de toekomst van de wielersport. De Tour wordt onze belangrijkste wedstrijd dit jaar maar ik ben er van overtuigd dat we met deze renners ook in de klassiekers goed voor de dag kunnen komen.”

Selectie RadioShack 2010
Lance Armstrong, Fumiyuki Beppu, Sam Bewley, Jani Brajkovic, Matthew Busche, Ben Hermans, Chris Horner, Daryl Impey , Markel Irizar, Andreas Klden, Levi Leipheimer, Geoffroy Lequatre, Fuyu Li, Tiago Machado, Jason McCartney, Dmitriy Muravyev, Srgio Paulinho, Yaroslav Popovych, Gregory Rast, Sbastien Rosseler, Ivan Rovny, Jos Luis Rubiera, Bjorn Selander, Gert Steegmans, Tomas Vaitkus enHaimar Zubeldia

Believe it or not the author of the world famous Ziggy cartoon (Tom Wilson) also lives in Cincinnati.  My we are a talented bunch.  And a generous one. 

I mentioned before that Tom had written a book called Zig Zagging: Loving Madly….Losing Badly…How Ziggy Saved My Life.  I bought the book several months ago and read it in one sitting.  It delves into Tom’s personal battles with survival both after taking over Ziggy from his father when he became ill to dealing with his wife’s battle with cancer and her ultimate death from it. 

Not an emotional person but twice this year something I read or saw has made me cry unexpectedly.  The first was watching UP and the second was reading this book.    It is a great book and what makes it even better is that to celebrate his wife’s life, Tom is giving all the proceeds from his book between November 18, 2009 (the anniversary of her death) until January 19, 2009 (her birthday) to LiveStrong (The Lance Armstrong Foundation).

Go here to read more from Tom himself and click here to order the book.  

I created a fan art toon to promote this great cause.  So if anyone needs a gift for a cartoony loving friend/family member, get this book.

Follow me via TWITTER updates. or help share the post by clicking below…

Morning,

Grabbing some internet here at the hotel in Quito after what seemed like a weeklong flight. I highly recommend not flying with bikes, but sometimes duty calls. Greg and I took both the S-Works 29er and my S-Works Era down to the race, but we are also doing some riding clinics at various Specialized dealers. Cuenca is one of the main riding destinations in Ecuador and that is where we will be doing both riding clinics. Then it is off to the Vuelta al Cotopaxi, the largest MTB race in Ecuador. It is a two day stage race, with each day averaging 70km. The hardest part is dealing with the altitude since the course is between 10,000 and 14,000 feet. Needless to say, your power output is a little lower here. At least when I get home I will feel like a champion at 6,000 feet!

I am excited to see some old friends from last year, Daniel from Cikla Bike Shop gave us the best riding tour ever, and we met one of the closest knit cycling communities I have ever seen. I will keep you posted throughout my trip along with some pictures, Ecuador has some of the most beautiful scenery in the world.

Cheers

Reba

Packing for Ecuador, or cleaning and repacking I should say!

By 2010, cancer will be the number one cause of death on this planet.

The LIVESTRONG way of life holds that speaking out about cancer is imperative. If we let cancer pick us off in silence, without screaming as it takes the people we love, without protesting at the top of our lungs as more and more of us are affected, nothing will change.

Our leaders, faced with many competing issues and interests, will leave this disease on the back burner, where it has grown stronger, decade after decade. And millions more of us will continue to die needlessly.

These grim facts spurred me to return to professional cycling and begin the LIVESTRONG Global Cancer Campaign. Our goal is to raise awareness of the toll cancer has taken on billions of families, encourage world leaders to take action, and dispel the stigmas faced by many survivors. Strength lies in numbers, and our aim is to recruit the entire world.

I retired from professional sports in 2005, happy to devote myself to my family, the LIVESTRONG movement, and a life no longer dominated by constant training.

It was the first time in my adult life that I’d had any sustained time off, and for three years I invested my energy in the full-time fight against cancer, along with a list of interests I had always wanted more time for.

Art was at the top of that list. Studying and collecting art has been a passion and a pleasure for many years, an enthusiasm I share with good friends like Nike CEO Mark Parker. In retirement, I was finally able to focus on it more deeply. It was during this time that an idea arose to offer artists a forum in which to convey the LIVESTRONG ideals and portray what the movement means to them and how they see it changing the world. STAGES came together as a result, an unprecedented and unique undertaking.
Its importance is immense.

STAGES will project hope, strength, and commitment to millions and carry the LIVESTRONG Global Cancer Campaign all over the world. I am humbled by the effort and energy given by so many to bring STAGES to life and couldn’t be more grateful to Nike and all the artists involved.

My thanks to them and to you.

LIVESTRONG.

Lance Armstrong Founder and Chairman, Lance Armstrong Foundation

www.stages09.com

Today’s training, a steady 2hr ride.

Clifton Suspension Bridge

Ashton Court

Yanley Lane

Dundry Lane

The Chew Valley

Chew Stoke

Regil

Barrow Gurney

Home

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I listen to these commercials every single day.

Then the work begins. Pushing myself like I’ve never done before. My whole life.

For the first time, I am the last to leave.

And when the day ends. I go home. Sleep.

Then I wake up. Do it all over again.

To most people the idea of cycling the gruelling yet iconic 874 miles route between Lands End and John O’Groats is a major achievement. While it was exactly that, for me cycling the length of the UK is warm up for a challenge on an altogether bigger scale. My plan in a nutshell is in March 2012 to Cycle Around the World in 100 Days, this means pedalling a minimum of 18,000 miles in all and approaching 200 miles per day.

To give you some comparison the current record stands at 176 days and I think the average daily mileage was about 110-120 miles. So why do I think I can almost cut this record in half? It is built on my philosophy; You can Achieve anything if you are willing to mind to it. When I say this I don’t mean positive thinking, I mean specific level headed planning, preparation and precise execution.

With this challenge I want to spark peoples imagination, expand what they think they are capable of, provoke there thoughts and belief’s about themselves, push themselves further and this is not just on a physical level but on a mental, financial, social, vocational, spiritual and familial level.

If we listen to the media shapers, 2009 will be regarded as one of the most historic years in all of mankind on many levels.  Some of the biggies that come to mind are the economic collapse/panic that gripped the world, the unprecedented financial spending by Washington on bailouts and stimuli packages, the election of our countries first non-Caucasian president and his Nobel prize after weeks in office,  Congress and the President attempting radical policy changes despite the protests of constituents, the circus surrounding Michael Jackson’s death, the comeback of Lance Armstrong (wait that only matters to a niche group of lycra wearing geeks) and certainly the pandemic fear of Swine Flu (I just won’t participate in the conspiracy to call it H1N1).

It’s the last one that has me thinking about how we’ve responded to this global pandemic and health crisis.  Most of us have had a case of the flu and for the most part have come through it fine.  Some just tough it out, while others have used a short course of antibiotics to help their immune systems fight it off.  Historically we’ve never thought of the flu as a dire, life and death menace that required consistent changes in our daily lives.  In fact, the CDC estimates that annually influenza kills over 30,000 US citizens yet I can’t recall major changes happening across society.  Not so with the frenzy surrounding Swine Flu in 2009.  It made headlines around the globe, had special live coverage of the World Health Organization press conference (I can’t believe I actually watched it while traveling for work), even Elmo got involved with a public service announcement!  The behavioral changes are everywhere; people coughing into elbows, grown men singing Happy Birthday while washing their hands, fist bumps instead of hand-shakes, face masks on air planes and the ever present hand sanitizer.  One month ago I attended a trade show at McCormack Place and the alcohol based things were everywhere.  I passed a gauntlet of them in the hallway leading to the convention floor, they were at the sample stations in every booth (including ours), they were being handed out with company logos on them (the hottest category of company merchandising in 2009), in bathrooms, in hotel lobbies and I think I saw one in a cab!

Do we take our spiritual health as seriously as we take this recent physical threat?  Are we more concerned with the body and potential death than for their spiritual life?  Where’s the public service announcement warning us to take care and precaution with our hearts, minds and souls?  We know that won’t happen, but I think God has given us sanitizers for our spiritual life.  The two that most quickly come to mind are the Bible and prayer.  I have begun to read Scripture every morning as a way to make time for that part of my spiritual health routine.  Followed with a brief prayer I feel better protected to start my day and ward off life’s impurities (Ephesians 6:12-18 For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world’s rulers of the darkness…¹⁸ with all prayer and requests, praying at all times in the Spirit, and being watchful to this end in all perseverance and requests for all the saints:).  I can’t control all that I’m exposed to in a day, but that’s the beauty of prayer sanitizer.  I can access that whenever I’ve been exposed to life’s germs or I’ve exposed someone else to my sickness.  We all seem to spend a lot more time on the computer and must realize that the flu strains that exist on-line are immense and more deadly than we can imagine.  I won’t list them, but we know that perversions live a mere mouse click away.  Again, the cleansing power of God’s Word is also just a mouse click away in those moments of need!  I am trying to make it a habit that my first stop on-line is to read a daily devotional from my e-mail.  This starts my on-line day off with God at the forefront of my mind.  Certainly prayer is also close at hand when spending time in the virtual world.  What better ways to disinfect ourselves of the contaminations that we come in contact with daily than regular use of these beautiful sanitizers that God has provided for the health our hearts, souls and minds?

by Lance Maylath

I'm so money, I'm so in trouble.

Good news or bad news? Depends on the jersey.

Two-time Tour de France winner Alberto Contador announced he’s reached a preliminary agreement with Astana to finish up the remainder of the contract that runs through the end of 2010. We’re assuming Michael “Chicken” Rasmussen wasn’t on hand to offer legal advice on the amusing issue of pre-contracts.

Alberto will continue to ride for the donor team of Radio Shack, a roster stripped bare but now adding spare parts. After Johan Bruyneel’s tell-all dishathon about the Astana management — or lack thereof — it would be hard to say this is a team on the rebound. Building a strong team is more than a plug ‘n’ play proposition. This isn’t an X-Box game.

Corralling and motivating big egos and pushing them to ride for somebody else isn’t a simple job. Throw in a director Sportif that hasn’t led a team at this level in years and you have a stir-fry for disaster. Winner: Alberto’s bank account, loser, the man with aspirations for a third Tour de France victory.

Put a big W in the column for team Astana. After nearby bumbling away the best stage racer on the planet through administrative stupidity and cluelessness, the Kazak sponsored team hung on and kept Contador in the fold — and kept the team from folding without him. This is the proverbial gang that couldn’t shoot straight but somehow they got lucky despite themselves. As Hunter Thompson once said, “Even a blind pig finds an acorn now and then.”

The biggest loser is the team of Alejandro Valverde, the powerful Caisse d’Epargne squad. With a fifty-fifty chance that Valverde will have his two year ban in Italy extended to the entire cycling universe, Caisse will be the headless horseman for the grand tours. Management will wish they’d loaned Contador a few nasty lawyers and threw more euros and promised him a small island next to Johnny Depp’s tropical digs.

Another loser: the credibility of the UCI. After a first round “no” on approving Astana’s ProTour license, a spokesman for the governing body said Alberto was legally free to leave Astana. Yet Alberto’s legal team apparently decided that UCI 2.15.139, article 8.1.f was not a Get Out of Kazak Jail Free card and couldn’t figure a way to extricate the Spanish rider. The UCI claim was widely reported and silently retracted. Another embarrassment for an organization that seems to have little control over anything including their own regulations.

Winners: Andy Schleck and Lance Armstrong. A team in turmoil and re-organization with a depleted roster and problematic riders such as Alexander Vinokourov is less than likely to have the same firepower or cohesiveness it had under Johan Bruyneel’s firm hand. Twisted Spoke is guessing that most of Contador’s attacks in the 2010 tour will be “unscripted” because his team won’t have a script to begin with. There is laughter in Saxo Bank land and applause from Radio Shack.

Lance and company succeeded in de-constructing Astana of quality riders like Andreas Kloden, Levi Leipheimer and Chris Horner. (They even took the shoe-shine guy.) Contador will miss these top riders once the Alps and Pyrenees arrive in July. El Pistelero has plenty of money to count, whether he can count on his team is another question.

As a Personal Trainer and Ultra Distance Cyclist I get asked many different questions about cycling, how to train? How do I get better at hill climbing? And so on, but one question that I’ve been getting lately is about saddle sores.

If you are an experience cyclist you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about, if you are new to cycling saddle sores in a nutshell are caused by pressure and friction on the skin of the upper thigh and back side.

The most common saddle sores are the chafing of the inside of the upper leg and back side, this occurs simply because of the repetitive action of the pedal stroke together with dampness form sweat and lack of breathability from shorts causing redness and discomfort.

The theory behind this pressure and friction is small blood vessels are prevented from bringing blood to the skin decrease the amount of nutrients getting to there. Following this skin defences are compromised and any trapped bacteria may be able to proliferate.

Here are ways of preventing the development of saddle sores:

Keep yourself dry

Keep yourself clean

Always wear fresh shorts

Wear synthetic padded shorts

Don’t suddenly increase weekly mileage

Use a seat that provides adequate padding

Check your seat position

If you have developed saddle sores here are ideas on treatment:

Modify your training (more standing hills and sprints)

Soak in hot bath everyday, the heat will increase blood flow to area

Use Vaseline

Antifungal, antibacterial cream