Tour de France winners- Last 15 Years

Before the dopers are eliminated:

After the dopers are removed:

LieStrong

At this point, for me, it's not doping. It's the lying, bullying, intimidation, and bribing.

World According to Lance

Judgement Day....sad day, but didnt we see this coming

Lance Armstrong's "giving up the fight" is an admission of  "I ef'd up. Busted. Guilty as charged" 

He has been given many opportunities to come clean. But all we heard was " I was never tested positive for performance enhancing drugs"  (Yup, it was never " I have never taken drugs", it was "I've never tested positive" which is not exactly true). He had his legal team trying to call in all favors owed him and get his war wagons in a circle. Reportedly, Livestrong funds and influence have been used to defend his fight.

His ego (which is larger than the state of Texas) and his arrogance will be his legacy, which means he probably will run for Governor of Texas.. and be elected! 

He will always be known as a fraud, a cheat. True, he has given so much to the sport, but so much of the good he has done had been undone

So, when they strip his title, he's the way it would look:

1999: 1. Alex Zulle 

          2. Fernando Escartin 

          3. Laurent Dufaux

2000: 1. Jan Ullrich 

          2. Joseba Beloki 

          3. Christophe Moreau

2001: 1. Jan Ullrich 

          2. Joseba Beloki

          3. Andrei Kivilev

2002:  1. Joseba Beloki 

           2. Raimondas Rumsas

           3. Santiago Botero

2003: 1. Jan Ullrich 

          2. Alexandre Vinokourov

          3. Tyler Hamilton

2004: 1. Andreas Klöden 

          2. Ivan Basso

          3. Jan Ullrich

2005: 1. Ivan Basso 

          2. Jan Ullrich (Francisco Mancebo, by default )

          3. Alexandre Vinokourov

Impressive, right. Look at the names.....all with the exception of Moreau and Kivilev have tested positive, confessed, or implicated in Operaction Peurto

Now, let them pursue Johan Bruyneel who ultimately was the master mind and biggest part of the problem.

Ban him for life.

Close case.

Move on and work on making the sport clean.

Cyclocross...here I come

Made the plung today. Not a high end bike by no means, but I think it's going to be a sweet ride. 2012.. I got a smoking deal from Paradise Garage. Matt... your customer service skills rock!

Cant wait!

Limited Brands Peloton- How we've grown!

2010

2011

2012

Pelotonia

Over 3700 pictures loaded, finallly found one of me! Sporting my pink jersey and white shorts.

Never to proud to wear pink. Thanks to Limited Brands for all they do.


Originally I had signed up to do the one day 100 mile ride, but by Friday I was running on adrenaline and changed my plans and rode both days for 180 miles. I'm so glad I did!

It truly was an amazing weekend. The weather was almost perfect, except for a few sprinkles. No heat!

This ride is my small effort to assist in the battle against cancer. I'm dedicating this effort to family, friends, children of friends, and colleagues who have faced the challenge or who are now facing the challenge that a cancer diagnosis brings. Their courage is my inspiration

We have all been touched by cancer. We have all lost family, friends, and colleagues. We all know someone who has been affected by cancer.

Large or small, every donation makes a difference. 100% of every donation will fund essential research at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute. Think of this as a donation directly to The James.

As the Midwest's first and Ohio's only freestanding cancer hospital and research institute, The James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute is one of only 40 centers in the United States designated by the National Cancer Institute as a Comprehensive Cancer Center. The James is a national leader in creating and testing new therapies based on scientific research, many of which are offered nowhere else in the world.

With your support, you will help improve lives through innovations in research with the ultimate goal of winning the war against cancer. This truly is a unique opportunity to be a part of something special.

Please help me in my fundraising goal. Donations are accepted thru Oct 12. Every donation makes a difference

Cervo Rosso kit review

My first kit review. I treated myself for my birthday with a Cervo Rosso kit, becoming a member of their Test Team.

I have to admit, I have lusted for Rapha and Assos for a long time, but could not see paying those prices. Rapha Pro Team jersey/bibs goes for about 460, low end Assos about the same.

I got a code for a 15% discount, so I went for it. In the 25 years I have been riding and racing, I never took this type of plunge on a kit, so what the heck.

Online order went smooth. The kit was shipped from Switzerland, and arrived 10 days afterwards.

I was like a kid at Christmas.. had to open. I was super impressed with the quality and the fit. The fit was true to size, I wear medium and it is a perfect fit.

Jersey

The jersey is made of two different fabrics. The front and the arms are Lycra with a somewhat silky feel. Very lightweight.  The back is polyester with a somewhat open weave. Pockets are nice and deep. no sagging.

The sleeves are long enough and have wide cuffs. Dots of silicon prevent the sleeves from riding up.

Style is what I like, understated.

Shorts

Same level of perfection as the jersey. Put them on, the feel molded.

Some reviews have claimed the legs were too short, and I did have some concern, but I did not find that to be the case. Leg length is perfect.  As with the jersey sleeves, there are silicon dots to prevent ride up.

I did find the fabric a bit slippery on my saddle, but I have Castelli's (which had been my preference until now) with the same feel.

The chamois is their HG11. I must admit, I have not been on a long ride, but I did find comfortable. Right size, didn't feel underpadded or overpadded.

Overall
The quality is incredible. The fit is incredible. The jersey and bibs feel molded just for you.

Add the cut and the style, it's a killer! Italian look, Italian feel.

Yes, a bit pricey, but I do think it is money well spent.

Strava KOM Notifier

Want to keep track of your KOM’s. See who stripped your crown, or who is on you wheel after it. Check out this link

http://www.jonathanokeeffe.com/strava/notifier.php

Sign up, set up a notifier for your favorite segments, and recieve an email notification on position changes!
This is not affiliated with Strava, does not access your strava account.

Mother Nature reality check

Easy ride, legs were shot. Stiff north wind and the reality check from mother nature didnt help, started out with wind chills in the low 30's

I’m cooked

Longest ride, this early in years.

But, it was still an incredible day!

Yes, I am a wuss

After a week of 70, and 80s…I’m not ready for this.

Where did I hide my jackets, and leg and arm warmers?

 

Strava tip of the day- Segments

One of the great things about Strava is creating segments so you can compare times again others and see how you are improving. Please use some discretion. When you create a segment, its possible there is already one created. Maybe not be identical to one your trying to create, but it will tell you there is one that could be used. Lets not create segments, within segments, within segments......you catch my drift. This is already becoming a problem in some areas.

If you don’t want to use an existing segment, create a private segment. I have at least two dozen private segments created, and it is a great training tool as well.

Also, please refrain from creating public segments on bike trails/shared pathways. By creating a public segment , you are encouraging people to ride for KOM, and this creates a bad situation. We have a trail here in Columbus that had two popular segments. And people were riding it at all times of the day in pursuit of that KOM .There's just too many people out on the trails right now, and I don't want anything bad to happen. It already bad enough with people riding recklessly on tribars In fact, Add to it the walkers, runners, inline skaters…….it has the potential of a very bad situation.  Even if you wish to create a private segment on these trails, please ride with care and common sense,

Solidified a KOM

Took a KOM!

Great day for an easy ride

 

Great day for an easy ride. Weather-another unusually warm and humid morning. Wind was dead calm. Made me wonder if we are in for a repeat performance of last night. Got home, looked to the west. May be right. Looks like hail cores approaching the area where I was riding less than 2 hours ago.

Racing season is here

Deer Creek Road Race-

 

Overall a good day. I did get shelled on the first climb, but caught on with four other riders and we kept it going. Last lap, I cramped up on the short, steep climb, and could get back on. With 1/2 lap to go. That was frustrating.

Weather was unusually warm and humid, so I wasn’t really ready for it.

Still a good day! My fitness is better than I expected, and I think I can truly say, I haven't been this fit, this early, in a long time.

Race day tomorrow, easy spin today

Email response from local yocal

Promoter sent out postcards advising residents of a race this weekend.

One of the responses:

Hello,
This is in response to the post card I received that the bike races are going to be passing on the road I live on. I might yell things off my front porch, but it definately won't be cheering any of them on. This road is curvy and hilly and it is dangerous to drive a car on, much less riding a bike. Us people out here in the country live here for a reason, and it is not to watch bike races. I dont know if you realize, BCEO have chosen not to spend our tax dollars to pave our road, but to tar and chip it instead. If someone wipes out on a bike on this road, they are bound to end up in a hospital. People also drive like they are going to a fire around the curves on this road. Just an FYI, people out here hate bicycles on these our roads especially when Whitewater park spent so damn much money to buy up farm ground and put in a bike path just down the road from where this stupid thing is supposed to start! While I appreciate the heads up, I would rather hear that you were doing this somewhere other than on our road.

Disadvantage of entering a Strava climbing challenge if you live in Ohio

NO ELEVATION!

Humidity made it feel like June, not March

How much longer can this incredible weather last?

What a day for a ride

Sunny, mid 70s. Unbelievable  March weather

 

Back to the pain cave

Easy spin

Gadget day from hell

 

Gadget day from hell! Garmin battery was dead, Strava app kept shutting down. Had to end up using endomodo. took forever but at least I was able to download and upload to strava.

Made the mistake in taking the trail home. Everyone and their dogs came out of hibernation today. If was an insane mess.

Sufferfest- Extra Shot

Windy, but it was near 70. Great ride

Hurry up daylight savings time! I

That was a cold and windy ride!

Tomorrows forecast, back to the 50’s

Love cycling Swag

Thank you Strava!

Thanks for making me an Ambassador!

Elbowz Cycling Team - Austin to Dallas

Neoteric Racing

Neoteric Racing

Coming soon to Ohio!

Neoteric Racing, base in Austin, TX, is more than a cycling team. Aside from our goal to be the best in our sport, our passion is to fight cancer and raise awareness through cycling. We have all been touched by cancer, and we are committed to spreading our message and never give up the fight against this dreadful disease.

In 2012 and beyond our goal is to expand our presence across the United States. As we race we will continue to spread our message and raise awareness. Neoteric Racing is in for the long haul – losing is not an option!

Another season-

Racing season is almost here...already!

As usual, I'm not as ready as I would like to be. I was making decent progress, being helped by the much milder winter than normal. Then came the cruise. Now I have to get my fitness back and she the extra pounds I picked up.

I gave up on local teams. If they don't want me, I don't need them. I'll be riding for the Cycle Smart team, a great group of riders from all across the nation.

I did get my license from USA Cycling yesterday. Racing age- 55 years. One think I lost track of..I've been racing since 1993 under my current number. I actually started in 1987. I can remember when the did the number regorg in 1993. That really pissed off a bunch of people

First race of the season will be March 18

Back to reality

Cruise is over, back to dreary Ohio.

Time to get back on the bike and shed the pounds gained while crusing

Time to move forward

One escaped (Armstrong)

Another a sacrificial lamp (Contador)

One had the high powered attorneys and doctors on his side. No one wanted him to come down.

The other didn’t.

Time to forget the past, and move forward.  What’s been done has been done. Time for all riders to ride and race clean

Why has cycling, especially racing, become so elitist?

In 1987, when I started riding, and was getting into racing, finding a club and team to ride with was not a problem. I was living in Albuquerque at the time, and had no less than a dozen teams to choose from. I contacted them by snail mail of land line (hard to remember those days) and got the same response from every one “Sure, we would really like to have you on our team”

Fast forward to 2012.

Okay, I admit, I’m an unknown in the cycling community here. I got back in to racing in 2007, put out a few inquiries, but could not find a team to ride with. Really no big deal, I could deal with it. My work schedule was some what prohibitive, not really allowing me to time to “join them in a group ride to see if they would be a good fit”. (How many times do you see that? Why don’t the say “to see if you're a good fit for us”.) And I didn’t really have the opportunity to race more than two or three times a season. I just opted to ride with an out of town club who welcomed me, I had a team kit, and didn’t have unattached on my license.

Now things have changed. I know have a better work schedule, which will allow more time to do the  “check you out” team rides, weekend group ride, and racing. I’ve sent out I don’t know how many emails… and did not get ONE response.

I’m not a podium contender. I’m a cat 4, 54 years old, with few opportunities to race masters. I’m not looking for a free ride. I’m not looking for any freebies or reimbursements. I would like to  look at it this way. It’s not what you can do for me, but what can I do for you. I love cycling, I love to race, and only want to have the opportunity to ride with a local team and hopefully, in the process, get more people involved. One reason I was so excited to be selected as a Strava Ambassador.

Cycling has always been elitist, there is no denying that. Have someone come out to a a group ride on an old bike, or steel frame, and hairy legs, and immediate judgments were made. And I have been guilty as charged. And I will also admit something that others would not, those some of those we were judging as Fred’s could beat my ass in a New York minute. And after getting back into racing after 7 years off, I know how it feels to be the one judged. I was riding a 10 year old Giant aluminum. It was a sweet ride for me. Oh sure, I would have like newer and better, but it was out of my budget. And I saw the sneers, I know I was being judged.

I’m not a high budget racer. I don’t have a gold card, I’m not independently wealthy. I’m not a social butterfly. I just love to ride my bike, and ride and or race as hard as I can on any given day. But, it seems we have come to the point where it all comes down to who we know, how new and expensive our ride is, the gadgets we have, and what our power tap readings say.

Me. I ride and race a two old year BMC SLT01. No power meter ( I don’t have to drive myself crazy over analyzing the stats). I just depend on my outdated Garmin 305.  And my legs.

Day 4- Paleo diet

Day 4-

Up at my usual 430AM to hit the pain cave. I did feel a lot better this morning, and did get in a hard workout thanks to Sufferfest Revolver. I managed to average a hr of 155 for the 45 minutes.

So far no withdrawals, and I'm sticking to the diet.

And I'm down to 173!

Day 2- Paleo Diet

Decided it was time to make a change, besides, I need to be Speedo ready for our cruise next month. NOT!

I started the year hovering at around 180. I never got over 170 last winter, so I came in having some major overhauling to do. The holiday was hectic, lots of overtime, and lots of excuses to not ride when I got home, knowing I was going to be back in the office in about 10 hours.

A few years ago (well, 10 years ago) I weight 150. Thats down from 250 when I started riding in 1987. Despite being 150, I always carried that spare tire. Now its time to see if I get deflate it, and decided to start with the Paleo Diet.

Giving up whole grains and dairy products is going to be tough, and day one without sugar was tough. I was never really hunger, just in need of a snack. Thats where almonds become a godsend!

Last night was a light dinner, but it was healthy. I was also wondering if I was going to be able to stick to the plan. I started feeling a little sick to the stomach and was really worn down. One problem I had yesterday was I cut back to much on carbs. Gotta change that. Had a apple before bed, I was good.

I was up at 415AM to hit the trainer before work. One hour session of Sufferfest-HHNF. I mean, Sufferfest will have you crying for mercy on a good day. I was ready to collapse after this session!

After a couple of eggs and a banana I felt a lot better. So far today.. no hunger pains, and actaully, overall, feeling much better!

Made it... I'm a Strava Ambassador

"Is this a Strava Segment?" #shitcyclistssay

So, do you Strava?

My first introduction to Strava was almost two years ago. I was in the market for a GPS device, and my google search lead me to the Strava site. I found the Garmin Edge for 150.00, which even today, would be a great price.

Since then I have logged 494 rides for over 14,100 miles. Strava is a continued "work in progress" that is only getting better.

What do I like:

1) segments. This allows tracking your performance on segments against others, a virtual competition with others. This can help turn any ride into an interval training session as you hit various segments. Recently added was the ability so search and explore segments making it possible for you to find routes and segments that you could challenge yourself against.

2) the social-networking component. I find it interesting to see what types of rides other people in my area are doing, and to see who's riding my routes and segments, and allows me to find other ride routes.

3) Iphone and android apps for those who prefer something not bar mounted, and it allows you to save your ride and upload it when the ride is completed.

4) like having my training and workout information online, so I can access it from multiple locations and devices.

5) provides motivation to ride. Making something public motivates you not to be a slacker.

I do feel the club/team aspect is underutilized. I think this aspect has lots of potential and something I really want to push and get more interest in.

Yes, I use Garmin connect. Only because I am able to get reporting from their site.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or suggestions!

Sh*t Cyclists Say!

DEAD ON!

Gingrich and Republican Family Values

As seen on craigslist

Dude, your wife bought you a bike? Why be an ungrateful Dbag?

Doing better this year

I started the new year at 182 pounds. Last year I never got over 170 during the winter.

Key factors this winter- work schedule combined with lots of overtime.

But, I’ve been committed. My weight is coming down, and I’ve been more committed to the trainer this year. It had also helped that we have had unseasonably warm weather, meaning more outdoor  rides than normal. So far, I’ve ridden 12 out of 14 days!

Pelotonia registration in complete , Here is this link to my donation page.

How gay is this?

More to come... these take forever to upload

First use of GoPro from David Buckner on Vimeo.

Just got back from my ride. We have a very milky sun, and I was freezing my tail. But...it was still great being able to ride outside this time of the year!



I did get a handle bar mount and took video of most of my ride, but its taking forever to upload.

Rick Santorum- What a D Bag

Google on word- Santorum

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/06/rick_santorum_gay_marriage-sex-_n_1131485.html?igoogle=1

PEZ Speak: Italian For Cyclists

PEZ Speak: Italian For Cyclists: Message by Corey Sar Fox
Here at PEZ, we are unabashedly Italo-philes. After the racing and the riding and the eating and especially the drinking, comes time to learn some of the language. While pointing and sign language are acceptable ways to communicate with accoLogoutmmodating Italians, throwing around a few choice words garners appreciation, throwing around cycling ones earns you Serious Bonus Points.

Pelotonia 12- New Route! I'm excited

Jan 1- countdown to Armageddon begins

Not getting off to a good start, I weighed in at 182 pounds this monring. I've been putting in too much overtime, meaning I've got some serious pain cave sessions ahead.

I still find it hard to believe that I was able to ride, on Jan 1, with a single layer! Temp was at 50 degrees. Unheard of, unthinkable for Ohio on Jan. 1. But, those 50 mph gusts that we got just as I finished my ride means changes are coming. Still doesn't sound as bad as it could for this time of the year