Herriott Sports Performance

From the Desk of Dr. Levin:

The pro-cycling peloton whirs along, a rhythmic symphony of wind in wheels, chains on cogs. At dissonant intervals, crashes add the screech of metal on concrete, the percussion of tires exploding, and the snap of bones being broken. That’s right pro cyclists fall down and break stuff. A lot. While people break bones all the time, and cycling crashes can be violent affairs, from a non-scientific perspective it seems as though pro-bike racers as a group are a pretty brittle bunch. What gives?

Actually, from a scientific point of view cyclists really are frail. Bone mineral density (BMD) is a measurement of bone hardness. Low BMD is associated with increased rate of fractures. Just in the past year one study measured BMD in pro-cyclists and found that they had up to 20% lower bone mass than a group of young healthy men. In another study looking at the pro peloton, researchers found that 2/3 of the riders they analyzed had abnormally low BMD values.

It’s not just the pros. A study of amateur cyclists found similar results And (this one’s a little close to home) a seven year study of masters racers found a steady decline in bone mass and low bone densities throughout the study period.

Why are cyclists—from the world’s best to l’il old me—at such high risk for low bone density, osteoporosis and brittle bones? There are two factors at play which predispose cyclists to low BMD. Luckily both are relatively easy to remedy.

First, cycling as an endurance exercise puts increased nutritional demands on athletes. This means that calcium and vitamin D, which are essential to healthy bone formation, are at a premium for cyclists. Calcium, along with sodium is one of the elements lost in sweat. It’s important, therefore, to make sure that calcium containing foods (dairy, salmon, peas, beans, supplements) are part of your regular diet. However, calcium deficiency alone certainly isn’t the only factor in cycling associated bone loss, because in many of the cycling studies cyclists actually had high levels of dietary calcium.

The second, and more important factor leading to bone weakness among cyclists is that cycling is non weight bearing exercise. Bones need impact, loading and unloading, to stimulate healthy bone turnover and bone growth. That’s why bone density studies done for impact sports like soccer, tennis, and football players all showed increased bone mass compared to non athletes as well as cyclists. Strength training— weight lifting, pleiometric exercises like jumping rope, and medicine ball torture sessions all can be an important part of any cyclist’s training regimen. In fact, one study showed that cyclists who included weight bearing exercise as part of their training did not lose bone mass compared to cycling only regimens. Bottom line: train like a pro, race like a pro, but try to avoid having collarbone surgery like a pro. Eat smart, get to the gym, and keep the rubber side down.

All my years as professional athlete I’ve raced in all conditions imaginable. I’ve raced in some of the most beautiful backdrops on the planet & raced in places that made me question why I was there. I’ve had winters in So-Cal sun & stifling summers in the jungles of Central America. I’ve had days where the hardest decision of the day was what flavor scone to go with my coffee. And I’ve been shaken-down by crooked Mexican Policia, wondering if our team would just vanish from the Ruta in Mexico. I’ve raced with boken bones, road rash, saddle sores, sick, tired, sunburned, sore, blistered, mad, sad & general busted-up. It was my job. Many times a week i had to battle the same group of dudes at a different venue. I was chopped by the same guys I had chopped the previous night. I locked handlebars, crashed, had Jersey kids throw rocks at me, yelled at dudes, got screamed at, won, lost, shared in disappointment & been ecstatic. I stayed at mansions, wineries, hotels, motels, strangers houses, cars, vans, floors, couches & airports. It was my job. I loved it. I didn’t always want to kit-up, but I did. It was my job.

I still enjoy racing, I hope that joy never vanishes. But I no longer have to kit-up to collect a pay check. I show up to the start line because I want to be there.
It was a bit cathartic last weekend when we were at the Enumclaw Stage race this last weekend. A half hour before the start of the crit it started to rain. It was already cold & windy. I was not excited to race. I’m simply tired of racing in crappy weather. Also, there are a bunch of races coming up in the near future that I want to stomp…and I’m recovering from a crash last week in training. Now, old Rocket would have suited up and suffered. New, older, wiser, retired Rocket realized he did not have to race to keep his job.

As bike racers, it’s natural to try & not be a “pussy” when it rains, gets cold, etc. But I know that I’m tough. I don’t need to prove it. I’ve suffered. It takes a true baller to do what he/she wants & not care what everyone else thinks. I’m proud of myself (and TH & Flash) for keeping my joy joyful. Besides…I won that race last year.

So, don’t forget that bike racing is fun…keep it that way. Ball.

-Rocket

From the desk of Dr. Levin……..

Lots of crucial decisions get made during a bike race. Some help get you safely to the end of the race. When, to eat, when to drink, who to follow, when to hit the wind. Some are critical for getting you the end of the race first. Go left, go right, go NOW!!! The ability to make those decisions under pressure separates the riders with the speed and fitness to win from the guys with the same speed and fitness who actually do win. Crit sharks, of course, possess this ability instinctively. The definitive work on crit sharking has already been written in a previous blog post by one of the species, David “Rocket” Richter, and will not be repeated here. Rather, I’d like to focus on the psychological basis for successful decision making under stress. If you understand what underpins the ability to make clutch performances, you may be less likely to choke when the race is on the line. (On the other hand if you think too much…)

A number of studies have looked at factors present in athletes who deliver clutch performances, as compared to ones who choke. One study of pro golfers concluded that choking under pressure is a complex process involving the interplay of several cognitive, attentional, emotional, and situational factors. Sounds impressive, but not very helpful. (What do you expect from a study about golf? Besides, golf isn’t a sport, its a game, like Monopoly.)

More useful data comes from a some basketball studies. They focused on the role of anxiety in clutch performances. In general, anxiety can be a positive motivator. Fear of failure can lead you to push yourself beyond your comfort zone. So far so good. Anxiety becomes a problem, however, when it becomes overly self-focused. An Australian free-throw shooting study found that the biggest factor related to choking under pressure was self-conscious anxiety. That is, athletes who worried about how missing would be a personal failure were more likely to miss. In a study a little more analogous to bike racing, a study of rally car racers found that self-focus made driving performance significantly more difficult. On the other hand “perceived control” in clutch situations was more closely linked to clutch performances.

In summary, the ability to make clutch decisions under pressure has lots to do with the underlying psychology of the person making those decisions. Just knowing what to do (good coaching) and having the ability to do it (good training) aren’t enough. Add some confidence to the mix, lose a little of the self-focus, and you too can be a shark.

Carson did a great job getting through this one. Good report from a highly motivated young guy:

Todd,

Done with another big day in Redlands. I knew going into the race that I was in for some serious suffering – and I was looking forward to pushing my limits during today’s stage.

With a early afternoon start, I enjoyed a relxed morning and slept in a bit to maximize my recovery from the previous stages. A little coffee and my favorite pre-race breakfast got the day off to a good start.

With my routine dialed in, I hit the venue confident and ready for the race. After busting some Trigger Point last night, the legs were feeling pretty good, and I figured warming up for a 150km road race might be a bit excesive. And then I saw the entire Garmin team warming up on their trainers. At which point I knew the race would be “Balls-to-the-Wall” from the gun. And it was.

The first 2 crit laps were critical with sprint bonus points available. 2 laps over a 1km crit course wouldn’t take long, and I knew I would need to keep good position through the laps and heading out onto Sunset. Coming off a good spot in the grid, I rode solid position all the way out onto Sunset.

Going out of town, Larry and I got together and moved right up towards the front so that we would not be caught out by crashes or gaps on the first few laps. The next 12 laps of Sunset became a blur. Withthe break gone, and Fly-V happy to simply se tempo things became only slightly more mellow. Still, the climb took it’s toll on a large number of riders, and the group began to thin. I focused my efforts on keeping good position, and eating/drinking whenever possible.

During the final 3 laps our tempo picked up as Fly-V worked to bring back the break, and riders were sitting up all around. Each time up the climb I kept looking up the road to see what the riders ahead of me where doing. I knew every ounce of energy would ne critical on the last lap, and stayed in the wheels when the pace was high – using the corners, feedzone, and slow spot ls to advance my position.

The last lap was my undoing – barely. As I crested the KOM with Chris, we were still holding onto the back of the peleton. The rollers and false flat proved to be our undoing as we were constantly jumping around guys and closing gaps. Unfortunately one gap too many opened up, and the remainder of our race was a chase. We had a strong group with the two of us, 1 Garmin, Mattis, 1 Type-1, and several others. We drove our group all the way back down to the crot course trying to come back, and fell just a little bit short. Our day eneded 5km early.

Back at the tent, and I couldn’t even think of moving out of my chair. I went into today’s stage ready to suffer. And I suffered more than I have in a long time. At the end o the day, all that suffering and fatigue felt good and I was happy to come away from today’s stage having acheived 1 of the 2 personal goals that I had set for myself.

With my first ever Redlands in the legs, it’s time for a few days to rest and recover before we get back to serious work preparing for the next big objectives.

Regards,
C-

I told Carson that the goal today was simply to stay toward the front of the race and always be looking to move forward- not easy with a field of 180 riders and LOT of turns. This one always comes down to a bunch kick and has plenty of crashes. 90 mins is a long time to be riding 28 plus mph!

Todd,

Wanted to check in tonight before racking out. Going into the crit, I had several different objectives in mind for the afternoon. Like we spoke about, the most critical thing for this afternoon was to avoid losing time – or at least large quantities of time before the Sunset RR tomorrow afternoon where the race will be settled and decided.

Before the race, I again was able to make some good preparations and wen through a steady and rhythmic preparation to the race.

After a bit of time on the rollers to spin out the legs, I rolled a few laps of the course scoping out the corners (all 11 of them, good/bad lines, as well as where the good/bad sections of pavement where. I was ready for staging and had a descent spot onthe grid behind the 30 riders who were called to the line.

From the gun, the pace was steady and high. Early in the race, I had a hard time getting going, and tried to hold at least a mid-pack position while the rhythm of the race settled in and the systems re-warmed up. As I began to work back towards the front, I suffered a flat rear tire. Into and out of the pit, and back into the race I went. I went back to work trying to pick my way up through the field.

Most of the second half of the race was about avoiding all of the crashes, flats, and rolled tires. Despite several close calls, I went through without an issue, and was riding descent position in the peleton when we got the lap cards with 10 to go. As more riders fatigued and took risks, the last 10 laps where quite nervous, with even a lap or two being nuetralized due to a big crash. After I found Chris late in the race, we were riding near to each other and helping eachother to close gaps and hold descent position. Coming through a left-right series of corners, a rider in front of us flatted and went straight through the corner, taking us to the curb. With the free laps no longer in effect, we chased the bunch for a couple laps before realizing that the pace up front was more than we could do on our own. While Chris pulled back on the throttle, I rolled the last couple laps at a tempo pace hoping to minimize my time losses before tomorrow.

After the race, I hit the recovery bottle straight away, before doing a cooldown spin with Chris and Larry. Back to the cars, we changed and loaded up for dinner and the drive backto the house. Back at the house, I had a small plate of pasta and meat to top off the tank before tomorrow’s battle royale on Sunset. A little Trigger Point, and I’ll be ready for bed.

Tomorrow’s Sumset Road Race is the queen stage here, and certainly will be where the big gaps and differences are made. I’ll be coming out swinging and ready to suffer for 12 full laps before rapping up my first ever Redlands experience.

Regards,
C-

A good ride for Carson- a confidence builder for sure!

TH,

Another day in the books, and another day getting better. Going into today, I knew we where in for a long one – 168km to be more precise. As such, I was up early for a solid, but not bloatingly filling, breakfast. With the tank topped off, I made sure my prep this morning was as close to perfect as possible – race food, clothes, bike, wheels. I don’t think there was anything missing, and I was at the venue with plenty of time to allow for a calm and methodic pre-race routine.

After rolling around for a little bit, I stripped out of the extra warm clothes and rolled to staging for the start. Second row off the line was a nice touch, but obviously not as critical in a 168km road race, as opposed to tomorrow night’s 90 minute crit. I rode near the front throughout the day, and kept a close eye on the action at the front. While I kept a lookout for a good opportunity to get into the daily escape, I also knew the effort was nearly doomed with so many intermediate sprint and KOM competitions, as well as Fly-V being keen to keep the yellow jersey for another day.

Once a small group rolled off the front, I knew things would settle down in bunch, and went straight to work on getting ready for the final part of the race, where differences could be made. Keeping the leg speed up, and staying seated as much as possible to conserve energy for the final couple laps and KOM’s when we would dial up the chase paid off huge as I was always able to make the first group over the climbs and through the windy sectors. Coming into town for the finish, I was feeling super good – good enough to think of attacking. Although, I knew the effort would be wasted as we still hadn’t caught the break, so I sat near the front half of our slightly reduced group and geared up for the sprint. Coming through the final corner, I only had modest position in the bunch, due to some swelling in the group, and the curbs lining “our half” of the road. Coming through the final corner with a 100 meters to go, I opened a good little burst and the legs felt strong. I crossed the line happy with my effort on several different levels.

Having achieved both of the personal goals I set for myself was a small private victory. And despite the race not being as selective as it was in years past, I was happy to achieve a good level to boost the moral a bit. After the slower start to my season, it is nice to get some positive mo’ rolling, and I am g-ed to keep it rolling as the season comes into full swing.

After getting back to the house, I cranked a nice recovery smoothie before jumping into a salt bath. Out of the bath, I got a massage before jumping into my Skins and getting ready for dinner. Tomorrow’s crit will offer more to lose, than to gain. I will be looking to ride descent position to avoid any crashes or losing time, before the big show gets under way on Sunday. That is certainly the stage which will make or break the race, and I am g-ed to make a good fight. 12 times Stabbing-the-Beast! On Sunset. Yeah buddy. Its gonna be good.

Dinner is hitting the table, I will keep you posted with an update tomorrow night after the crit.

Regards,
C-

The Redlands Classic marks the start of the NRC racing calendar in the U.S. Redlands is a four day stage race that takes place in and around Redlands, Ca. and was one of my favorite races during my career. The race has been going on for 26 years now (I think) and has always been considered one of the “big ones” on the schedule. All of the US pro teams show up as well as the elite amateur teams and everyone is always chomping at the bit to get the season going with some fast racing- and Redlands is FAST. The prologue has changed venues over the years but always has a steep kicker of a climb for the finish. The Friday road race is always filled with BIG rollers and some extended climbing. Oak Glen was the big finishing climb when I was still doing the race but now they are using some other nasty grade towards the end. Wind always makes this stage tough, and a big field size adds to the mayhem. The cirt is one of the fastest that I ever did during the season and is still considered one of the fastest. The Sunset Loop Road Race, the final day of racing, is for SURE one of the toughest days of racing in the US and I hear they have made the course a bit longer this year and extended the climb that the riders go up each lap- not sorry to be missing this. The stage ends with 4 laps (maybe 5) on the crit course. Ouch. Great memories.

I have 3 riders doing the race this year, once of whom is Carson Miller. Carson is from Bend, Or. and is racing the event on a composite team with a few of the BMC U-23 riders.
At 19 years of age, Carson is still young and races like Redlands are great opportunities to add experience and depth to his cycling game. Carson does a really good job of sending me detailed race reports and I thought it would make for good reading for anyone interested in seeing one of the hardest NRC stage races through the eyes of U 23 rider doing the race. Enjoy.

You can follow Carson on Twitter: @Miller_Carson

Stage 1: Prologue
Wanted to get a report to you from earlier this afternoon. My prep for today’s prologue was spot-on. I allowed plenty of time for travel, bike check, changing etc. With everything prepped and ready to roll, I jumped on the rollers for a great TT w/u. I had plenty of time to work through the efforts and rolled up to the start ramp calm and collected.

Having had the opportunity to check out today’s course several times over the last couple days was huge. I was able to visualize the whole thing, as well as how I wanted pace my efforts through each part of the course. My personal aim was to run 10 mins or less – while I fell a little outside of that (10:33) I felt like I made a great effort, without having any aero gear. My pacing was nearly perfect, and I finished with nothing left in the tank. I opened up the effort at a slightly uncomfortable pace while the HR and blood got moving, before I really laid into the uphill portions of the course. The final 2k were the steepest pitches where tired legs would lose a lot of ground. I came to the base of the climbs and poured every ounce of energy into getting over each pitch, and jumping back up to speed over the crests. My efforts started catching up with me at 500M to go, where I dug in and made a final charge overthe last 200 meters uphill roller.

Flipped at the top, and rolled for a few mims while the HR came down and I caught my breath. Once back to the car, I pit on some fresh warmer clothes and rolled a light 30 min spin to blow out the legs. Recovery drink was slammed before I drove home for a shower and “lunch.”

I’m chillin’ with the legs up and about to bust a sesh of Trigger Point before dinner. Then it’s early to bed, and bussiness time tomorrow. We’ve got nothing to defend, so tomorrow should be a clean slate with lots of possibilities for us.

All for now. You know where/how to finder of you need anything, and I will keep you posted with reports through out the weekend. Mark my word – you’ll have daily reports and know exactly how I’m feeling. And where the team is at.

Regards,
C-

ANOTHER great one from the desk of Dr. Aaron Levin, Health Consultant to HSP:

A couple of weeks ago on a ride, (after Richter’s fifth flat tire) TH asked if I would check out the potential effectiveness of First Endurance Multi V, a sports specific multivitamin.  To be sure, they make some big, bold claims.  First, they offer “superior antioxidant protection… to protect endurance athletes from the stresses and demands of everyday training and racing.”  Sounds good.  Even better, they say that multi-V contains a patented enzyme that breaks down carbohydrates and “increases time to exhaustion by 43%.”  Sign me up.  Of course a little review of the scientific literature is never amiss, and that is what I did.

I’m going to start out by saying that multi-vitamins are a good thing, I take one every day—sometimes in the shape of a dinosaur, sometimes Betty Rubble.  I might even start taking First Endurance multi-V.  Why take a multivitamin in the first place?  Everyone needs vitamins.  They are essential nutrients, and without them people can suffer a variety of diseases, like scurvy and rickets.  But vitamins have benefits beyond preventing bizarre illnesses.  Many vitamins, including beta carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, and the minerals sulfur and selenium are “antioxidants.”  Antioxidants protect the body from “free radicals” which are chemicals that have been linked to cancer, heart disease, and aging.  More antioxidants, fewer free radicals, more better.  Ideally, a healthy diet contains adequate vitamin supplies.    Not everyone eats a healthy diet,  however, and the demands of athletic training increase the requirements of these basic nutrients.  So vitamin supplements should be a no-brainer.

Recent studies show, however, that vitamin supplementation doesn’t reduce cancer rates.  An article in the January 2010 Journal of the National Cancer institute noted that people who eat foods rich in antioxidants—like fruits and vegetables—do have lower cancer rates.  Boosting anti-oxidant levels with vitamin pills, however, did not help prevent cancer.

But who cares about cancer, you exclaim?  I want to win a bike race!  Antioxidants can probably  help you out there.   The Journal of Sports Medicine had an article last year from the University of Limerick in Ireland.  The theory was that free radicals contribute to exercise induced muscle damage, and that pretreatment with the antioxidant vitamins C and E could protect against such damage.  In fact, they did find that people taking daily doses of the vitamins maintained muscle power on the days after exercise to a greater degree than a placebo group.  

So far so good.  The multi-V pills should help in muscle recovery.   How about “carbogen,” the patented First Endurance enzyme which delays exhaustion by 43%?  Well, lets put it this way.  It probably won’t hurt.   Carbogen is supposed to help break down complex carbohydrates into glucose for immediate use during exercise.  Carbogen is the enzyme that fungi use to digest carbohydrates.  (Your body makes its own enzyme which does this, called amylase.)  They cite a study, from 2002, in which trained cyclists who took carbozyme prior to a 60 minute ride at 80% VO2max outperformed those who did not have the superfungus extract.  The kicker here is that prior to exercise the athletes fasted for 12 hours, and then had a “meal replacement bar” with unknown ingredients.   If the bar was a mix of protein, fat, and complex carbohydrates, it stands to reason that the carbozyme would help endurance in that scenario.  None of those ingredients is an immediate source of energy, and unless you had the carbozyme to digest the complex carbs more quickly, you’d run out of gas.  

In reality, most of us don’t lack for sources of simple sugars during exercise.  Gels, gu, and my new favorite, EFS from 1st endurance, all provide readily available carbohydrate for use during a ride.  And keeping your sugar level up during exercise will delay time to exhaustion.  So if you like to have uncooked whole wheat pasta  and sausage for breakfast before a race, and plan on drinking water all day, by all means, load up on the Multi- V with carbozyme,  you’re going to need it.  But even if you start with a latte and a scone, the Multi-V has lots of good things going for it.  It may not prevent cancer.  It may not enable you to play the piano with your toes, like Vitamin Wonka can.  But it might help you recover, and maybe even keep you going, and going, and going…

The season is about to being and it’s time to make sure that your race bag is as ready to go as you are. Being prepared on race day will cut down on pre race stress and insure that you are not without one of the key items that could change what could be great day into a “woulda, coulda, shoulda” day.

Below is comprehensive list that I have added to over the years. You won’t won’t need ALL of it for every race, but if nothing else, maybe the list will remind you of some of the things you left off of your own list. Even the best riders forget things sometimes but having a list that you go over will help to insure that you don’t forge things often.

I have 2 race bags, a bigger one for multi-day events and single day races where I can’t decide what the weather is going to do. And a smaller bag for single day races where I know the weather will be good- for SURE. I also have a back pack foe when I ride to the start of a race (usually when out of town) and for local races that I ride too.

This list includes tools and food and casual wear as well BUT, like I said, you don;t have to take everything to every race.

The list:

RACE GEAR:

BIKE and RACE WHEELS – don’t be “that guy”

Short sleeve jersey (2-3 for stage race)

Long sleeve jersey (2 for stage race)

Undershirt (LS in the Spring, never hurts to have both, 3 for stage race)

Shorts (3 for stage race)

Extra pair of shorts (be a hero to your team mate who forgot ‘em)

Tights for warm up- seasonal

Wind vest

Wind jacket

Thermal jacket (for pre and poat race)

2 pairs cycling socks (4 for stage race)

Rain cape

Short finger AND long finger gloves

Optics- clear and dark lenses – RAIN X for clear lenses

Helmet

Cycling shoes – spare cleats

Wind shoe covers and/or booties for colder/rainy weather

2 plastic bags for wet/muddy clothes

1 bath towel and 1 washcloth for clean up

Start oil/embrocation

Chamois cream

Sun tan lotion

Lip balm with UV protection

Inhaler – if you have one and are supposed to be using it…….

I pod – for warm up

HR monitor/Strap/SRM or Powertap head unit

Pin bag- plastic baggie with extra safety pins

Sharpie pen – you never know

RACE NUMBERS

LICENSE

WALLET

FOOD for pre/post race including but not limited to:

Drink mix

Bars/gels

Gallon of water – JUST in case……

2-4 waterbottles

Post race sammy

Recovery drink mix- do NOT leave mixed in your car on a hot day!

Tools and Such – Don’t assume your teammates will have tools for you

2 tubes

1 extra tubular tire

Spare wheels?

Valve extender for deep dish rims and disks

Extra cassette- IF unsure of terrain include chain whip, wrench and cassette tool

Pump

Alan key set

Plastic bag with a few rags

Wind trainer – IF you have the room. More important for TT’s

Disk wheel adaptor

Zip ties

Pocket knife

RAIN BAG:

The rain bag is an essential item that should live in your race bag, that way you will never forget it. A rain bag should be around the size of a shoe bag and should go with you to every race, that way when the weather turns sour you are prepared. Below is a list of recommended items. Some of these items are from the list above but it’s worth having doubles.

Clear lens optics – Rain X

Thermal booties

Rain cape (clear pvc with and without sleeves – that’s the best case scenario)

Long finger gloves

Thermal skull cap

Cotton cycling cap

2 plastic grocery bags

Arm warmers

Leg warmers

Hot embrocation

PRE/POST RACE CASUAL WEAR:

Travel to the event in comfortable clothing that REPRESENTS YOUR SPONSORS. Limit chamois time when off of the bike. Leave yourself enough time to get kitted up at the event without having to rush. Spring racing will require that you often wear a coat in the am, keep yourself WARM, don’t assume that the weather at your house will be the same at the course!

Parka- waterproof if possible with hood

Flip flops and OR running shoes OR BOOTS if rainy conditions

Warm ups

Extra t- shirt – you might sweat through the pre race tee

Sweatshirt

Umbrella

Shorts- seasonable

Baseball cap and or Beanie

Extra socks

You want to be comfortable after your event so don’t travel home in the clammy chamois, change out into a pair of clean compression tights and start the recovery process right away. If it’s a rainy event, get out of your wet clothes asap. If you know you’re going to get wet, have your bag set up so that when you return to the car you can access the plastic bags and towel straight away and get a hat on your head right away to help keep the heat in. Maybe have a thermos of hot tea waiting, you’ll be the envy of your teammates!

Mix your recovery bottle as soon as you get back to the car (assuming you are not freezing cold and wet as stated above). If you are heading out for a cool down ride, take your recovery bottle with you and change into a dry jersey before you head back out and if the weather is cool (below 60) put on a light jacket and even a pair of leg warmers.

TH & I recently returned from Frostbike. Frostbike is an annual trade show put on by Quality Bike Products, one of our wholesalers. It’s sort of a mini Interbike, but it’s not in ‘Vegas. It’s in Bloomington, Minnesota. Minnesota is layered with a nice 20-inch coat of snow…but no snow on the roads. Minnesota snow patrol is the special forces of the transportation industry. Seattle snow patrol…the shoe bomber.

We had the first two days chuck-full with seminars. Good stuff, we learned a lot. But I felt like I was in detention. I spent friday completely indoors. That may be a first in my life! Then I found out it was like 60-degrees in Seattle & everyone had epic ride tales. I nearly smashed the tv…but then I couldn’t watch Olympic curling.

But the next day I ventured outside in the 3-degree sun to catch our shuttle to QBP. The trade show was great. Interbike is so busy, it’s really hard to talk with anyone because of time restraints & distractions. But Frostbike was great. We talked in-depth with the owner of Ridley, Jochim Aerts and he gave us a personal tour and some insight into Ridley’s future- that’s valuable stuff to us. We told him about our Super Ronde trip and we’re excited to meet up with him there. We also had dinner with Stan, of Stan’s No-Tubes tubeless tire systems. He talked a lot about tubeless tires & what he’s up to. He’s taking-on the road scene now and we are really excited about this as we have been fans of tubeless for years. He has a new road rim coming out soon. The face-to-face conversations went on all day. It was great to put faces with the names & voices. We really tightened up our relationships with our manufactures & vendors.

We wrapped things up, hopped on a plane & discussed what we extracted from the weekend. It really made our brains fire & we have some great things for you in 2010.