3 Tips for Cycling

It was Fausto Coppi, il Campionissimo, who, when asked for three tips to ride faster, said "Ride the bike, Ride the bike, Ride the bike!" I'm a believer in every word of that. But to further enhance your cycling experience, here are my 3 additional tips.


First is the best Sunscreen. My personal favorite is this new Neutrogena Ultimate Sport. SPF 70+! Plus it blocks UVA and UVB. It goes on very well, not greasy, nor too pasty. I've worn it on all {several!} of my crazy long rides this summer with no burning nor peeling! I love putting it on because I know I'm about to go out for a sunny adventure on the bike or run!

Next is the best chamois creme. My choice is Assos of Switzerland. I have heard good things from DZ Nuts {yes, the real name of the product}, but have not yet tried it. Chafing and saddle sores are not your friends. Assos is your finest protection against those villains of fun.

Finally, no pre-ride routine is complete without at least one espresso. Usually two or three for me! No doubt that the absolute best espresso bean is by Illy {medium roast!}. I also enjoy Dazbog's White Nights espresso and Jittery Joe's espresso {of course!}. For those interior design stars out there, the espresso cup is by Koziol and the espresso spoon by Arne Jacobsen.

A little luxury before the ride allows one to maximize his or her enjoyment {suffering?} during the ride, no?

Rest and Fun

That is me relaxing with my feet up. By now, you've probably done a good bit of hard training and racing this season. Make sure you get plenty of rest between the mad sessions. Its good for the body. And good for the soul when you can reflect upon the work you've done or the challenges that lie ahead.

Before I became so engrossed with laziness, I did do a few challenging sessions. One of my favorites was that silly Phantom Canyon ride I've been talking about. Yes, that one. 120something miles blah blah with a 25mile dirt climb blah blah blah. Well, I finally did it with the Rapha Continental crew. It was hella fun! Very fun guys to hang out with. And very fun guys to ride with. The ride story is on the Rapha site here {make sure to check out the video!}. And there are more great photos from VeloDramatic.com here. I don't know about you, but quality photography from the road makes me want to get outside and get moving {riding, running, driving}. Man, I wish I could take pictures worth a sh!t!

A little more in the fun department... Zofingen is only a few weeks away. Just putting in the final tough sessions for that. Including running 60miles last week, which went pretty easily considering all the riding I've been doing lately. This week, some friends and myself have a little challenge to ride 500miles. It will be tough, but fun indeed.

Colorado Springs, CO from RAPHA on Vimeo.

Rollin on the flats

Did a fun ~188km ride today again with Collier & Aaron. This time on the flats. Down through Castle Rock, out Lake Gulch Rd to Hwy 83, down to Black Forest, up Roller Coaster Road to Palmer Lake, then Hwy 105 to Tomah Rd, to Castle Rock and home. Luckily we started early; right as I was getting home a big mean nasty thunderstorm was beginning to erupt. I didn't get wet, but saw lots of lightening in my neighborhood.

One of the funniest things I saw was this sign:
Apparently Rattlesnakes in Colorado don't attack. Anyone want to test that out? Yeah, right!

Snapped this from our store stop in Palmer Lake:
I call this "The Store Stop." Its part of my "Essence of Cycling" collection of photographs... coming to a trendy hipster gallery near you!

Summer is here!

Its been a while, eh? Just getting to enjoy some nice weather here. Finally some warm summer days, after a lot of rain this spring. Today was a fun 100mile ride in the hills with Collier & Aaron. Went up Golden Gate Canyon--my first time up that one--what a beautiful place! Here's a photo of use catching a break at the base of Lookout Mountain. That blue sky doesn't get much more perfect! Up next is a flatter but longer ride next Thursday.

On the racing front, I've had two of the Mile High Duathlons and also the State Time Trial Championship. The two du's were ok. Didn't run especially fast in either, but rode pretty well. Working on the run speed for sure. The State TT was a bit of a disappointment, as I was sick for two days prior. Almost skipped it, but feeling good enough the night before to give it a go. My time was a few seconds slower than 2 years ago (seemed like a more windy day)... good enough for 10th place. Not bad for a tri(du)athlete against the pure roadies, but I know I could have gone faster.

Up next I have a 5 miler on July 4th in Aspen. Then the Triple ByPass {~120miles with big climbs} for fun on July 11th. So far June training is preparing me well for the bigger miles to come in July... to set me up for success in the fall!