Just a quick update: it appears that SRAM's timeline of a late summer release for their hydraulic disc systems was a little…liberal. However, Tim Johnson has been putting them well and truly through their paces on his 'cross rig (see photo at right.)
Perhaps this will mean they're slated to hit the market soon?
If you're thinking about racing Tour of the Battenkill this coming season, you'll need to think about training soon (and registering soon: November 15th!) If you want to do more than just finish (or just suffer, as people overwhelmingly chose in a Facebook poll) then you'll need to train a few specific things.
It won't be enough to go out and do 65-mile rides, you'll need to focus on things like core stability, muscular endurance, cadence range, cadence control and VO2 max repeatability. In this podcast, I discuss why you need those facets of fitness in order to survive this monster.
As always, comments are welcome.
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Since a written post on the Lance Armstrong fallout would be far too long to actually read, I've pulled together a podcast to discuss some of my personal thoughts on the fallout from the USADA and UCI reports.
As always, comments and questions are welcome.
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Just a quick announcement that my 2013 Tour of the Battenkill training plan is now live and available. Head on over to my Training Plans page and check it out.
In short, you're getting 18 weeks of structured workouts. 6 weeks of base, 2 rest weeks, 8 build weeks and 2 peak weeks. Take it from someone who's raced there before, on nearly the same route: this race is HARD. You'll need to be in tip top shape very early in the season, and you'll need to be able to stay on your toes for 65 miles.
Go out, hit it hard, and I'll see you on the starting line.
As of 7:05 this morning, Lance Armstrong is officially done with cycling.
According to Pat McQuaid: “We will not appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and will recognise the sanction that USADA gave. The UCI will ban Lance Armstrong from cycling and strip him of his 7 Tour de France titles. Lance Armstrong has no place in cycling.”
[Updated 1t 7:05 a.m. ET] The International Cycling Union has stripped Lance Armstrong of his seven Tour de France titles. “This is not the first time cycling has reached a crossroads and has had to begin anew. … It will do so again with vigor,” International Cycling Union President Pat McQuaid says.
His reputation already in tatters after a lifetime ban by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, Lance Armstrong finds out Monday whether he will be scrubbed from the record books for the seven feats that made him a cycling legend.
So an era of cycling has been wiped clean from the stain that has persisted upon it for so long.
While I'd like to write a book on this today, I just can't. I need to digest everything and I'll return with my opinion on the whole charade in the coming week (since quite a few of you have been asking my opinion on the matter.)