Archive for December, 2007

More On Women’s Cycling and Cycling in General

Thursday, December 27th, 2007

Well, I apologize for not responding to all of the e-mails I received after posting a topic on equal pay for women’s cycling last week due to the fact that I have been out of town with my wonderful wife. My post and my opinion apparently caused yet another stir, which I ultimately think is a good thing, because unquestioned thoughts, beliefs and policies never lead to anything good. I still stand by my position that I think women’s cycling needs to be better supported. I’m just sorry I wasn’t around to participate in the discussion that followed.

And the scales, while they may never be even, for legitimate and less than legitimate reasons, I still belive firmly in that women’s cycling deserves a lot more of the following:

  • More attention and better and far more even than the press (check the mags in other countries for examples)
  • There isn’t a doping scandal in women’s cycling every other day and that’s reason enough for me
  • Better distribution of the prize money in races (yes, the mens races bring in more $, but come on, 1/8th to 1/4th? I don’t think anyone can rightly justify this kind of disparity) sort of reminds me of similar issues of the past which one would hope would stay in the past

And again, in my opinion, due to some of the following reasons:

  • I’ve experienced a lot less ego in womens cycling for the most part and that’s quite refreshing
  • The women I’ve coached have taught me all about what it’s like to be tough. Women train hard and to the letter, so as a coach, you’d better have your act together when working with them
  • From what I’ve seen over the years, women handle training stress physiologically and mentally better than men. Don’t ask me, why, it’s just what I’ve seen as backed up by the numbers (TSS, CTL, ATL in power training data supports this in my experience, and I would venture to say that most coaches who are working with Elite women would share similar observations and experiences
  • I’ve worked with several women’s elite teams, several female National Champions and record setting teams. The thing I have seen in all of these experiences in an incredible ability to suffer, complete mental focus, solidarity, team work and success

I have also seen all of the above traits in the men that I have worked with including professional cycling teams, elite cycling teams, clubs, National and state champions. However, I just want to bring some much deserved attention and support to the women’s side of the sport. If you’ve never seen Tina Pic sprint, I’d have to say it’s one of the most amazing things to witness on the planet. I don’t know too many guys who can lead out a sprint in the 53:11 from 1,000 meters out and not get passed by anyone. And seeing Nicole Cooke yelling and spitting at the top of the Filmore climb in the SF Grand Prix several years ago was, by far, one of the coolest sights I have ever witnessed.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge fan of men’s cycling as well. Heck, I’m a male cyclist myself who has gone from being a recreational rider and loving it, to a somewhat competitive Cat. 2 at the very local level and nothing more. I’ve coached many incredible guys, worked with amazing teams and am constantly in awe of the guys who beat me by over 1 minute in a 5k on a good day by me, as well as seeing local studs like Tonkin, Trebon and Wicks double lap the field in 40 degree weather covered in mud or Jonas Carney sit on the back of a 100k crit and with 1 lap to go, move to the front and win the sprint, over and over, and over.

So, please don’t take my comments as a slight on, or towards, anyone. They are merely meant to stir up some thought and questioning of the status quo in hopes of bringing some awareness and change to things for the better for everyone involved. Cycling is such an incredible sport and we live in one of the most spectacular places in the world to do it (sans the cold, wet winters). Where else can you race the track, do a training race every day of the week all summer long, race an amazing CX series like the Cross Crusade, attend a CX clinic with over 150 people in it weekly, enjoy some of the best MTB’ing in the country, do stage races, uphill TT’s and some of the better road races in the country (and ride to more than half of them right from your front door)? That’s right baby! It’s right here in our back yard and I am grateful for it, amazed by it and proud to be a small and very new part of it.

These are just a few of MY OPINIONS and while I hope not to get crucified for them, I’d be untrue to myself if I didn’t state them publicly. As, I’ve said time and time again, my only hope is to help promote cycling as a whole, clean sport, womens cycling and empowered, educated and inspired people in general. I hope my words, thoughts and actions come across that way, because those are my intentions.

Before I forget, there were a few links that I wanted to share with you all before I go. Yep, they’re mostly for the women, or for those interested in helping promote women’s cycling. However, don’t worry guys, yours are coming soon, as it wouldn’t be like CNN, “fair and balanced” if I didn’t do the same ofor us guys, right? ;-) I look forward to doing that soon.

So, if you get a chance, check out these links and LMK what you think. I’m a big believer in spreading the good word in all shapes, styles, tastes and sizes. As long as I feel it can help or entertain someone, I’ll put it out there (good taste only, of course!) :-)

Relative Links

Enhancing Leadership in Women’s Cycling - USAC event to on developing women’s cycling at the local level

US Women’s Cycling Development Program Diary - On Cycling News.com

US Women’s Cycling Development Program

The Advil/ChapStick Women’s Elite Team - A group of working women who took their team to the top

Aarron’s Womens Professional Cycling Team - Directed by Micah Rice and led by some top womens pros in the US
Sorrella Forte - Great Local Women’s Team & Club who lead the way in bringing new women into the sport

I hope you enjoyed this soap box rambling, and if you didn’t, that’s not only OK too, but will probably just serve as fuel for another good discussion that will hopefully lead to us all getting to know one another better, making something good happen and learning something in the process.

Until next time…

Blessings,

JS

Posted in Upcoming Events, News, Training & Performance, Portland | No Comments »

Equal Prize Money for Female Cyclists

Friday, December 21st, 2007

As many of you know, working with female cyclists has become somewhat of a passion of mine over the years and with that comes my belief in for creating avenues for rectifying the disparaging difference between race winnings and payouts.

I personally feel that the tired old excuse that “Women’s events just don’t draw in as much money or spectators” doesn’t hold water anymore. If people put more energy into promoting those events then they would, especially seeing how women cyclists are one of the fastest growing demographics in cycling today.

It does certainly rely on grass roots efforts to help women learn more about racing early on, and help break down the barriers for facilitating that process through women’s specific, clinics, camps and mentoring programs which there are a rapidly growing # of them sprouting up every where, especially out here on the west coast. However, there are very positive strides being made in this realm all over the place.

Please keep an eye on my blog for another update on an awesome event coming up in January for women’s cycling development at the US Olympic Training Center led by my friend and colleague and Kristen Dieffenbach, PhD. For more information, please check it out now.

Enhancing Women’s Leadership in Cycling
January 25-27, 2008
At the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado

Be on the lookout for more to come on this subject here at Endurofit.com soon. However, you can help be a part of the force for positive change today by taking 1 minute to fill out an online petition at the following link thanks to the efforts of our friend Kristem Chime who sent me this link and how has really led by example by chasing her dream to be a professional cyclist by recently moving to Boulder Co. Kristen in now working with the US Women’s Development team, rides for the Kenda Elite Cycling Team, teaches other endurance athletes how to improve their performance at Dody Dynamics, health and injury prevention and chronicles her adventures on her own personal blog.Please take a moment to read and sign this petition if you believe in it’s importance at the following link.

http://www.PetitionOnline.com/equalpay/

And after doing so, be sure to check out Kristen’s many adventures and affiliations at the following sites below.

www.kriskeim.blogspot.com
www.uswcdp.org
www.teamkendatire.com
www.bodydynamics.net

Congratulations Kristen! I admire your hard work and dedication to pursuing your dream and your efforts on behalf of women’s cycling. Keep up the great work!

-JS

Posted in Travel Girl Race Reports, Upcoming Events, News, Athlete Accomplishments, Training & Performance | No Comments »

Tele-Courses for Athletes & Coaches

Wednesday, December 19th, 2007
I’d like to announce a very exciting new event and service offering here at Endurofit. Starting in January, I will be offering Tele-Courses for athletes and coaches. These will be a fun, easy to attend, low-cost way to learn more about the topic of your choosing.

I will be concurrently offering a Tele-course series for athletes and one for coaches throughout the year. The series for athletes, called Performance Cycling, will be made up of 8 week blocks of conference calls that correspond with the phase of the season that we are in at the time. The series for coaches will be called Performance Coaching and will focus on helping coaches sharpen their skills and create the business they desire.

Each week, I will present on a different topic for an hour in each Tele-course, and each session will be recorded and provided to all attendees. I will be joined throughout by experts in the field of Human Performance Development and each session will include a question and answer session at the end.

You will not want to miss this ground breaking event as it is the first of its kind and will be a fun filled, information packed learning experience for all who attend.

For more information on these Tele-courses, please visit the following links. I look forward to having you in class this season!

Performance Cycling Tele-Courses for Athletes

Performance Coaching Tele-Courses for Coaches

JS

Posted in Upcoming Events, News, Training & Performance | No Comments »

Cross Crusade SS “World Championships” Report

Saturday, December 15th, 2007

December 15th, 2007

-by Erik Tonkin

“All in all it was a success. Each one of the boys won a race on Sunday. It started w/ me. Since I didn’t make it out there Sat. to “qualify” for the silly SS World Championships race, there was a last-ditch, winner-is-in qualifier for the victor of the CrossCrusade single-speed race.

The Packers-Vikings game was on TV, so I watched the first half. I was conflicted to say the least. I tore myself away at the last second and arrived at the venue in my car only 5min. before the start. There was no time to change, so I stayed in my latest pair of super-pants and threw on my pre-pinned single-speed jersey. I powered the Paddy Wagon–fixed-gear, of course–to a come-from-behind victory. I guess I did it the hard way. That’s the good news.

The bad news is that it toasted me a bit for the next event, the A Men’s race. Ryan naturally won it. All I can say is I held it together enough to finish somewhere in the top-10, and I proved I have some speed left by taking the first lap winner’s prime. I gunned it from, like, 10th wheel up to Ryan, who’d already dropped everybody, to get it at the line. Then he quickly dropped me, and I went backwards further.

Of course, I had to save something for my third race of the day and its premier event: the aforementioned silly World Single-Speed Cyclocross Championship. Barry took it in front of Adam Craig and Ryan. It really was a blast. For me, I some how rode into the top-10 by virtue of utilizing the Tequila Shot Short-Cut during the race’s middle laps. I’m not a big drinker, so I Chevy-Chased the shot my first time thru, flipped-off the crowd gathered there, and was met with a barrage of whatever they could throw at me. The next time thru I said, “OK, OK: I’ll do it for real this time.” They force-fed me the double-shot, but I managed to choke up enough of it to spit what was left back into the crowd. Everybody loved that so much….I figured I’d better try to hide from the short-cut for awhile. I skipped it the next lap, but they were on to me: armed with head-sized rubber balls, one southpaw had pretty…good aim, as he nailed me right in the nuts! But I kept her upright. My dick still hurts, though.

Little did they know I was taking beer hand-ups on the run-up, which I was mostly riding (except when I wanted a beer hand-up, which was every other lap, at least). I was pretty lit by two to go: again, I aint’s no big drinker, so the alcohol and my sore soler-plexus tempered my “racing”. I guess the cramping didn’t help, either. A group of serious single-speeders caught me, so I don’t know where I finished. All I know is I completed the Hat Trick, so it was a good thing I raced in my Team S&M hockey jersey.

So, too, did Barry. Un-choreographed, we both showed up sporting the old jerseys. It was sweet. I raced mine for all three events, and he wore his for both of his races. Barry rode his single-speed in the A race, but he took it easy late in the race: he caught up with me and then sat up. Adam rode his sweet single-speed in the A race, too, and he totally schooled me. I guess I was barely fit enough to do the first two races, let alone all three.

We also had a banner day at the shop on Sat. It was nothing but last-second ‘cross bike sales and single-speed conversions. It’s hard not to believe the hype these days. And I almost forgot: Green Bay went on to win 34-0. I taped the second-half and watched it when I got home. The nice thing about being a football fan at a Sunday bike race is there’s little risk of anybody spilling the beans. We’re 8 and 1: even though I’m from MN, the Pack is my team!”

It doesn’t get much better, or funnier, than that!

-JS

Posted in News, Athlete Accomplishments, Race Reports, Fun, Portland | No Comments »

Winter Bike League

Monday, December 10th, 2007

A True Cycling Phenomenon

Every once in a while I come across something truly novel that makes me stop and take pause. That’s a good thing, because I, like many of us these days, I don’t do that enough. It also takes something fairly special in the cycling and endurance training world to make me do that. The reason being, that there is a lot of “the same old thing” going around and it’s nice to see something that stands out, goes against the grain or innovates.

Well, the cycling phenomenon that I am speaking about called the WBL (Winter Bike League), located in Athens, GA does all of the above. The WBL is a group ride that happens every weekend between the first weekend in December through some time in February, depending on how the grandmaster and fictional character (aka Briggs Carney), decides to play it. But before you say “so what?” let me explain why I find this ride, and this conecpt in particular, to be so novel.

For one, it has always amazed me that the local group rides in most towns continue to be races all year round, regardless of what time of the year it is. I would think that people would get tired of the same old thing, weekend after weekend, or would get burned out by going hard all of the time, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. So, in most towns around the country, unless you want to hammer like you’re in a race, then group rides cease to be an option for those who follow some semblance of a periodized training plan or who just want a break from bleeding from the eye balls and competing for a little while.

However, that’s the beauty of the WBL. Not only does it provide all of the great things inherent with group rides such as getting practice riding in a group, spending time with friends, getting some race simulation training and good old fashioned fun, but it actually follows the progression of an off-season training program. It does this by starting the rides off in December slower and shorter and gradually increasing the intensity and the duration of the rides throughout the off-season. In the beginning, they are mostly leisurely paced, two-abreast, endurance pace lines that cruise for about 3 hours and gradually, the pace picks up along with the volume, ending at around 120+ miles and full on race intensity for a good portion of the last few rides.

Now here’s where it gets really interesting. The WBL is organized by a long time local cyclist and supporter of cycling, cyclists and the rights of both. (Their name will remain anonymous to keep the story that much more interesting and the mystic of the ride alive and well). In their seeming infinite wisdom, the organizer and his supporters has done the following which has made this ride so popular over the years.

  • The ride is a different route every week
  • Riders ride 2 abreast unless it’s unsafe to do so and some rides are even sagged
  • Route maps & details are constantly updated to the “zealots” who attend
  • There is a web site and a mailing list for the ride where stories are posted about each ride and where smack is talked in volumes before, during and after each ride
  • There are various “sprint zones” on each ride where riders battle it out for 1st, 2nd & 3rd in the various categories (you can’t attack outside of a sprint zone and the zones are usually anywhere from 3-10 miles)
  • Points are tracked on the site throughout the series and there are jerseys for the leaders in each category and prizes for each zone and the overall win each week
  • The ride is sponsored by local businesses who put up money and prizes for primes, winning rides and placing throughout the series which provides the support to make this event happen each week and provides a marketing vehicle for local businesses and sponsors

And this isn’t even the half of it. What once began as a way for friends to get together and get in a fun ride on Saturdays during the winter, has evolved into a major cycling phenomenon in the SE. Riders come from states and hours away just to attend this weekly happening and many treat it as one of their major goals for the year, especially once the pace starts picking up.

It’s not unusual to see over 120 riders on these rides which include local professional and amateur team members riding side by side with beginners to racing. And it’s become a favorite stop off for visiting top cyclists from around the country and the world. It’s very typical to see the jerseys of the Jittery Joe’s, Aaron’s Furnishings, Myogenesis, Health Net, Colavita Cooking Light, Nerac, US National Team and many more in the Peloton each weekend along with such big names as Tina Pic, Nathan O’ Neil, Trent Wilson and many more.

It’s funny that I am writing about it now that I live over 3,000 miles away in probably the most cycling friendly and prolific cycling scenes in the country in Portland, OR. And unfortunately, I didn’t take advantage of these rides the way I would have like to have during the year that I lived in Athens, GA. But I still get the e-mail updates from the fearless leader himself and keep tabs on what’s going on down there, because what they have put together is not only an incredibly fun, work of art in my opinion, but it is truly an example of what can be done with a little initiative, a sprinkling of creativity and a bit of hard work.

It’s certainly one of the best things I have seen done on the local and grass roots level for cycling and should ultimately become a model to be copied around the country to help bring fractioned team rides and individuals together to share the very sport they love in a way that is not only a lot of fun, but that is beneficial to their training in the winter as well.

Hmmmmmmmmmm? Maybe there’s an idea for the folks in Portland? Interested? Boy I hope so! Interested parties, check out what they’ve done at http://winterbikeleague.com/jml/. Find out what it’s all about. Read the zany ride reports. Join their mailing list. Then kick the idea around the list serves and send me any questions or inspiring words at info@endurofit.com. I think it would be a really good thing for our area and I couldn’t think of a more enthusiastic cycling crowd I the world more capable of making it happen.

JS

Posted in Travel Girl Race Reports, News, Training & Performance, Fun | No Comments »

Gita Ends Relationship with Ergomo

Friday, December 7th, 2007

Press Release Dec. 7, 2007

Charlotte, NC - Gita Sporting Goods, LTD announced today that it will officially end its distribution agreement with SG Sensortechnik GmbH & Co KG, parent company of Ergomo, effective January 8, 2008, due to product reliability issues. The ever increasing returns of the Ergomo computers and sensors, the two main components of the ergomo system, and the manufacture’s failure to provide adequate support drove the decision.

Speaking on behalf of Gita, Giorgio Andretta, President said, “This is a really unique situation and an extreme disappointment for us. In 35 years of servicing the US market we have never had a supplier fail to support their product in this manner. The defective return rate now exceeds 30%. We have been negotiating for months trying to get the parts necessary to provide service for the defective units we have on hand. We have prepaid for additional units to satisfy these issues. Ergomo has failed to deliver these units. We apologize to those dealers and consumers that have been affected by this and are truly sorry for the inconvenience they are experiencing. We are continuing to work on their behalf to rectify these issues. We simply can no longer subsidize the product without support from Ergomo.”

Without the necessary replacement parts from Ergomo, Gita does not have sufficient parts to provide the service and repairs for all of the returned units now on hand or for which return authorizations have already been issued. Gita will contact the customers whose units cannot currently be replaced and determine how to proceed. Gita will continue its efforts to obtain replacement parts from Ergomo; however, as of today all future warranty and service issues should be directed to Sensortechnik at the address below.

Posted in News | No Comments »

Jittery Joe’s Finalizes 2008 Pro Roster

Wednesday, December 5th, 2007

Athens, GA—The Jittery Joe’s Professional Cycling Team has finalized its roster for next season by keeping six riders from 2007 and adding five new riders.

Headlining the returning squad is Aussie captain Trent Wilson and American Neil Shirley.  Neil surprised the cycling world at the end of the 2007 season by out sprinting Freddy Rodriguez for the last podium spot at the USPRO Road Race Championships behind winner Levi Leipheimer and runner-up George Hincapie.  Also returning to the squad is Oregon’s powerhouse Evan Elken, Australian sprinter Cody Stevenson, Durango native Matt Shriver and Georgia’s young talent Tim Henry.

Returning to the team after spending a few years with TIAA-Cref and BMC is Chad Hartley from the Chicago area.  Chad raced for The Bean Team in the first Tour of Georgia in 2003 where he was second by only 5 seconds to Saul Raisin for the Best Young Rider’s jersey.   Jonathan Cantwell and Ryan Sullivan continue the Australian tradition on the Jittery Joe’s squad—Jonathan spent a bit of time racing for the LaGrange team in California this year and Ryan (brother of Toyota-United’s Sean) spent his time honing his racing skills in Europe.

Two American neo-pros round out the roster.  Jared Barrilleaux from San Luis Obispo, CA and Ben Kneller from Durango, CO will bring youth and strength to the team.

2008 Jittery Joe’s Cycling Team:

Jared Barrilleaux

Jonathan Cantwell

Evan Elken

Chad Hartley

Tim Henry

Ben Kneller

Neil Shirley

Matt Shriver

Cody Stevenson

Ryan Sullivan

Trent Wilson

Director—Jesse Lawler

Jittery Joe’s Coffee Roasting Company is based in Athens, Georgia and has been selling superior quality small batch roasted coffee for over twelve years.  Jittery Joe’s has a number of coffee franchises in the Southeastern United States.  Jittery Joe’s Morning Ride Cycling Coffee is sold in over 700 bike shops nationwide and is an organic, shade grown coffee with all proceeds go straight to the Jittery Joe’s Cycling Team.  For more information, please check out our website at www.thebeanteam.com.

Posted in News | No Comments »

Endurofit Friends Tear It Up Last Weeekend on the Cyclo-Cross Circuit

Monday, December 3rd, 2007

Carlisle Cross Classic - Dec. 2nd, Carlisle, PA

Endurofit affiliate, Head Coach of FSConcepts and master mind of theBikeGame.com, Jacob Fetti found himself in the top 10 last weekend at the 2007 Carlisle Cross Classic in Carlisle Pennsylvania.

He was joined by Endurofit athlete and US Armed Forces rider Michael Gallagher who finished a very respectable 7th.

Visit CyclingNews.com to read the story and view the result results.

*****************************************************

US Grand Prix of Cyclo-Cross - Dec. 1st and 2nd, Portland OR

Not to be outdone, Endurofit friend and Sorella Forte’s own Colleen McClennahan proceeded to win the women’s B race on Saturday at the US GP of Cyclo-Cross here in Portland. Colleen took off on the first lap and holding off the charging field for the win. She also finishe on the podium on Sunday with a third place finish.

View the results from both days of racing HERE. Nice job guys!

-JS

Posted in News, Athlete Accomplishments, Race Reports, Portland | No Comments »