Cobblestone Action

The first Spring Classic was run this weekend in Belgium. Paolini won the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.

Graham Watson has some excellent photos on his Web site. He tells the story of the race quite nicely. Sit back and watch the slideshow.

Registered!

Today I registered for the Big 12 5K in Kansas City, which is held in conjunction with the league basketball tournament.

It's hard to imagine right now with six inches of snow on the ground and another foot predicted tonight, but in less than three weeks I'll be doing my first 5K of the year. This is not the first 5K I've ever done. Last year I did two, but this is the first one I plan to mostly run. I say mostly, because while I plan to run the whole thing, I won't be hard on myself if I walk a bit.

It's significant, because I will be using this as my base time for the 5K distance. All of my training for the rest of the year will be centered on improving upon that time. Mind you, my goal is merely to finish.

I'd like to say I spent the whole summer training, but my running was erratic. I tried the Couch to 5K program and I just couldn't do it. I got bored. Finally, I went out and ran a mile. Then two. Now I'm concentrating on running two miles each time out and I feel pretty good. I still have gas in the tank when I'm done.

This training regimen is less than ideal, and I'd like to be at the point that a 5K is merely a training run, but I'm confident I can make a good attempt at this with my fitness level.

The race is March 16. I'll post my results.

E. coli and you

E. coli gets a bad rap. When E. coli from a cow gets into our meat it makes us sick. It can even kill us. You probably know that we have E. coli as part of our normal flora. That is, E. coli colonizes our digestive tract and causes us no harm. The bacteria is so endemic that newborns are colonized within hours of being born.

But did you know E. coli can be used to synthesize insulin? Elly Lilly's brand of Humulin is made with the help of E. coli.

A laboratory strain of E. coli is genetically altered with recombinant DNA to produce synthetic insulin. Because DNA is a universal code, scientists can grow E. coli coded for human insulin in a laboratory.

So next time you hear a news story about E. coli, don't paint all E. coli with the same brush. It can also be used to save lives.

Gary Hall Jr.

I read an article about Gary Hall Jr. in WebMD magazine and learned something new. Hall is a Type One diabetic and won his Olympic medals as a diabetic. At the time of his diagnosis his doctors told him he would never again swim competitively.

How far have we come in just the last decade? I cannot imagine a doctor today telling a diabetic they cannot accomplish their goals, whatever they are. That's not a knock on his doctors from back then. We know so much more about the disease now and have the tools to manage it better.

Just think what the pump has done for controlling blood sugars. Think about a diabetic in 1970 testing his blood sugar through his urine, not his blood. Using glass syringes that had to be boiled between each use. Having only one type of insulin to manage his disease.

Think what the next 40 years will bring.

They're Over 60 and They Can Kick Your Ass

From the Master's race at the World Cyclocross Championship in Louisville.

It's Been A While

I took the road bike out for a spin today. It's been quite a while. The little riding I have done this winter has been on my bike path bike.

Of course, it was a bit of an ordeal getting the bike on the road. I found the bike easy enough. The pump was a different story. My wife had hidden it in a closet off the family room. Fresh off that experience, I couldn't locate my road shoes. This led to an argument with my wife as to where she squirreled those away. They were located soon enough, near where I last left them. They had been knocked onto the floor by a child, a wife...or a husband.

After an apology I was on the road. Here are a few random thoughts.

1. I am out of bike shape. Particularly my backside. The first few miles - uphill in my defense - were torture. Which leads to my next observation...
2. Brooks makes great saddles. This is what I have on my Specialized Sirrus, my bike path bike. The perch on my Specialized Allez is decent, but it's the basic seat that comes with the bike. A Brooks racing bike saddle is a bit spendy, but a heck of a lot lighter. Toward that end...
3. Both of my bikes are excellent for their intended purpose, but the Sirrus weighs a ton. Especially with the rack and other equipment I have added. The Allez, in addition to having a light aluminum racing frame, has a fairly light Mavic wheel set. It is light as a feather and this makes riding this bike a completely different experience. It's more like the difference between a sports car and a pickup truck.
4. Carbon has its merits. It has its fans. For me, the expense can't be justified. I'd rather put money into quality components. Perhaps some day the racing but will strike me. I'd need to lose another 100 pounds before that happens. Until then, aluminum is just fine for me. Or steel, but that's another debate.
5. When in doubt, it's better to wear too much than too little. It was 65 by my thermometer as I left the house. However, it was windy, and thank God I wore the long sleeve jersey and jacket. I could have even gone with tights over the shorts. Or leg warmers. That wind was cold. Which reminds me...
6. Always head out into the wind. Most of my ride was into the wind before turning around for home. The last little bit was back into the wind. The best part of the ride: The middle part that was with the wind.
7. Sometimes it's okay not to go fast, even on a road bike. I detoured through park and had plenty of fun. It's just a great feeling being on the bike. Which leads me to my last point...
8. Just get on the bike. Yeah, I know. But, I've been away from the bike too long. The cold is no excuse. I really wanted to turn around that first mile, but on the long flat that made up the last couple of miles I sure felt like my old self. It felt great. And and that last light before the final push for home If found myself tapping my feet, drumming on the handlebars and looking at the motorists around me with pity. I felt like a cyclist for the first time in quite a while.

So okay, it wasn't an epic Century or even a regular 20 miler in middle of the summer. But sometimes those little rides can be epic. Even a nice short neighborhood ride in middle of the winter can be special.

Tour of California Route Announced

We are so lucky in the United States to have two outstanding cycling races. These races only lack the tradition of the European tours. In many cases, they are more challenging than the European races because the Sierras and Rockies offer more elevation.

While they lack the monthlong spectacle surrounding the Tour, the Giro and the Vuelta, they are nonetheless becoming legendary among professional cycling races.

The Tour of California just announced their 2013 route. Wish I could go. Someday...

Handy iOS tip

My background is in journalism and for me there is no greater motivation or tool to spark the imagination than settling down to a good magazine or book on a subject that I'm passionate about. At this point in my life, cycling and running have become an increasingly important pass time so I subscribe to several magazines on these topics.

I have graduated from listening intently for the letter carrier to arrive with my latest magazine to checking my Nook or Newsstand App for the that latest installment. In my world, this is one of the greatest innovations of our time: Fewer trees are killed and fewer boxes of back issues clutter my basement. My back issues are available digitally, at least in theory.

I say in theory, because I can never put my hands on those back issues. They are too often trapped behind stacks of old newspapers and other magazines or the Christmas decorations that can never quite find their way to where they should logically be stored the other 11 months of the year.

Not anymore. I discovered a handy iOS trick. When I come across an article I want to reference later, I take a screen shot of either my iPad or iPhone by pressing the on/off and Home buttons simultaneously. This puts an image of the page in my photo stream, which I then put into the appropriate notebook in Evernote.

And there you go, instantly accessed anywhere. No trees died. And I may never have to make another trip to Office Max to buy bankers boxes. And, no more disapproving looks from my wife when she sees those books come in the house.

Bike KC Facilities Map

I picked up a copy of the Bike KC Facilities Map for 2013. Awesome map of Kansas City bike lanes, signed roots, grails and planned facilities. Nice to see the future Katy Trail Connecter marked. Full color and everything.

Johnson County has a nice map of the county bike path system which you can find at Shawnee Mission Park and other places. It would be nice to see a full-color, metrowide map.

Maybe now the Kansas City and Johnson County Bike Clubs have merged somebody will do one.

Bad Day for Garmin

Garmin Sharp had to pull out of their first race of the season when their entire fleet of bikes was stolen out of their team truck in France.

VeloNews Story

Cavendish Looking Good

Omega Pharma Quckstep's Mark Cavendish is looking good for the Tour this year, I think. He had a great season last year. This year he won the Tour of Qatar.

Velo News Story about Cavendish

ESPN's Hidden Site

It's hard to find, but if you follow cycling, triathlon or running, ESPN has a decent endurance sport running site. It is tucked away under Other Sports.

ESPN Endurance Sports

Got to ride this weekend.

While the Northeast is dealing with "thunder snow" we here in Kansas City are going to be treated to a weekend with two days in the 50s. Not bad for February.

My biggest decision will be which bike to ride? Should I ride the Sirrus on the bike bath or the Allez on the roads? How about both. Why not!

Spring is right around the corner.

Just Get On The Road

Today I applied my Just Get On The Bike philosophy to running. It worked.

I was watching the kids today and by the time Amy got home I was in a food coma watching Wild, Wild West with a date to watch Emergency! at 4 p.m. Childhood favorites.

But I knew I needed to run. Especially because I am facing minor surgery in March. I want to be in the best shape possible, and because it is hernia surgery, it would help if I lost a few pounds. I won't be able to run or cycle for several weeks after that in any case.

I checked my blood sugar before heading out. I was at 146, which in my experience is too low to begin exercise without taking on any carbs.

At this point, let me say that early in my exercising career (still in its infancy) I would exercise to drop my blood sugar. I am trying to be more in control, so my goal now is to maintain while I exercise. My goal for this and every workout is to start in the high 100s and finish a few points lower. In the past, when I was newer to diabetes and flying high, I would start around 250 and aim to finish about 100 points lower.

I'm not sure what a doctor would tell you about this, but this is how I do it.

Anyway, I downed a G2 and headed out. Reluctant. I walked the first block to warm up, then set off on a two-mile course I mapped out in Map My Run. I ran most of it. I walked a few blocks in the middle, but I feel pretty good about what I did.

Not only did I go out when I didn't feel like it and, once again, proved that almost always you get into a groove and enjoy the activity once it begins, I did a full two miles.

Slow, but I did it. But that's not what it's about.

I have to say, I'm set up for a good rest of the day! My blood sugar at the end of the activity was 135. I should be in target when dinner rolls around in about an hour.

I can't wait until it gets warmer and I am able to run more comfortably and early in the morning. Right now, it's freezing first thing in the morning and I'm not heading out in that.

I'm not that into it. Yet.

Starting the Season off Right

Omega Pharma Quickstep is starting the 2013 season off right! Big ups to Mark Cavendish for winning the Tour of Qatar.

Click here to got OPQS Story

This is a post about running

I think I have officially caught the running bug. I have spent the last six months or so trying to do the Couch to 5K program. I started several times, making it through two to four weeks, but could never complete the program.

About a month ago, I accidentally fast forwarded to the last week and ended doing a 20-minute run with about a five minute walk in the middle. I obviously was aware very quickly that something was wrong when I missed the first couple of walking reps, but I went with it. While it nearly killed me, I could do it.

Faced with starting Couch to 5K yet another time and finding it hard to make time for exercise, the other day I threw on the work clothes, did some errands and stopped by the park on my way home to run a mile without stopping. I found I could do this pretty easily.

Yesterday, I decided to test myself. This time I ran two miles without stopping. It was difficult, but I did  it.

So, tomorrow, four miles. No, just kidding. I think I'll stop at two miles for a few weeks and reassess. What I won't be doing is Couch to 5K or Easy 5K or programs like that. Perhaps it was my fits and starts or all the cycling, but I found that starting from scratch doesn't work for me. Not enough running.

That's not to say these are not great programs. If you are indeed going from the couch to your first 5K, then I highly recommend Couch to 5K or Easy 5K, another app available from the Apple Store. Both use the same idea of alternating walks and runs.

In any case, I felt terrific after the two-mile run. I posted on Facebook, told my wife and even called my sister-in-law, an avid runner. "I thought you might find that pretty cool," I told her voicemail.

I do. And now I can add runner to cyclist after my name. And, at least mentally I'm not as afraid of taking on hills on my bike after the runs.

Well, back to class. I still want to tack on an RN or PhD after my name as well.

Nice Solution for Keeping Insulin Cool

I love the convenience of an insulin pen, but there are some issues in this part of the country keeping them at an optimal temperature. I found a cool solution, though. And it's a lot cheaper than some other products.

Frio Coolers

Nice Win for OPQS in Qatar.

Mark Cavendish of Omega Pharma Quickstep had a nice win today in the Tour of Qatar.

Katy Trail News

The dream of riding your bike from Kansas City to St. Louis entirely via rail trail is quickly becoming a reality.

BikeWalkKC has provided a nice update to plans along those lines.

BikeWalkKC Katy Trail Update

The link between Pleasant Hill and Windsor, which was made possible by a settlement with the operator of Taum Sauk Reservoir due to environmental damages caused by the reservoir's collapse and subsequent flooding of the valley bellow, is nearing completion.

Meanwhile, Jackson County leaders are putting together a plan for an extension that will take the trail from Pleasant Hill and the Truman Sports Complex.

BikeWalkKC has the wider goal of linking the trail to Kansas' Flint Hills Nature Trail, which will extend the  trail into the hinterlands of the Sunflower State.

I could not be more excited.

My Lance Armstrong Moment

I am a post Lance Armstrong cycling fan. I never watched a minute of the sport until after Lance Armstrong was retired and doing Ironman triathlons, mountain bike races and beer commercials.

So when Armstrong confessed on Oprah the other night, I could not have cared less. It was a non-event for me. I was not surprised, nor was his admission a confirmation of what I had suspected for years. I had essentially not formed an opinion about it. I was only mildly curious as what effect it might have on my ability to follow the sport. In other words, would American viewers turn away from the sport and cause the executives of NBC Sports to drop all their great cycling coverage? Would I have to rely upon my subscriptions to Velo and Road Bike Action and, I suppose, the Internets, to feed my thirst for knowledge?

The answer to that will be learned over the next few years, and I'm not going to make any predictions here. It's like trying to guess who is going to pan out in the NFL draft. You just can't tell, which is why the Chiefs drafted Todd Blackledge.

However, in what is hardly more than a footnote to the larger Lance Armstrong controversy, the whole thing hit me in a way I had not imagined.

I am a Levi Liepheimer fan. Liepheimer is a terrific racer with an impressive resume. He has won three editions of the Tour of California and one US Pro Cycling Challenge, which is essentially the Tour of Colorado. These are some serious races against many of the best from the European circuit and with elevation changes that rival the Alps. And unlike the Alps, I've driven over Independence Pass and the thought of climbing it on a bicycle and, perhaps more terrifyingly, descending the other side, is incomprehensible to me. And it's the second climb of the day during the Colorado race.

Liepheimer also cheated. He is currently serving a six month ban for doping while a member of Armstrong's U.S. Postal team.

In other words, my opinion of Liepheimer is, well, complicated. Just like so many are conflicted by their opinion of Armstrong. Sure, there are people who always view these things as black and white, but for most of us, it isn't that simple.

Armstrong has done a lot of good. He popularized the sport we love so well. Then there is Livestrong. He is not lying when he hides behind the fact that everyone was doping at the time he did so. That does not, however, make it right.

Liepheimer does a lot of good too. His annual charity ride, Levi's King Ridge Gran Fondo, sells out in advance and in addition to being a celebration of the sport and a financial boon to his adopted home in Northern California, it raises a lot of money for charity. It is also on my bucket list.

So, while I don't feel the same way about Armstrong, I know how his fans must feel. And, well, who hasn't heard of Lance Armstrong? He has a lot more fans than Levi.

A more immediate concern is that Liepheimer was fired from his Omega Pharma team. Also my favorite team, largely because Liepheimer, who more-or-less supports other riders on the European circuit, is a member.

The team has other great riders, who I suppose I will be following more closely this season. One is Tom Boonen, a multiple Paris-Roubaix winner and a master of the Spring Classics: One or two day races that are often a lot more fun to follow than the Tour de France.

Tom Boonen. Who also used to be a U.S. Postal teammate of Lance Armstrong.

The Winter of My Discontent

I have had one Hell of a time getting in exercise this winter. Very little riding. Very little running. The gym has been making money off of me this past few months.

Not exercising feeds on itself. It becomes easier each day to say to yourself, "it can wait until tomorrow." But tomorrow comes and goes. Then before you know it, you haven't been out there for a week. A month. A year. A decade. I'm not kidding. I don't think I ran a mile between high school and about a year ago. Decades.

Today I took the bull by the horns. I said, f#@! it, I'm going to run. Something. Anything. I threw on my workout clothes, ran a few errands and went to the little park by our house. I'll walk. Run a little anything.

I hopped out of the car, took off my sweats (Due to cycling, I've got great legs. I figure if I wear tights and people are admiring my legs they aren't looking at my gut). I started running. No warm up, nothing. Five laps. Hey, .2 miles times 5: I just ran a mile!

Again, something. Anything, to get started. I can't wait to run again.