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.

Back to the Library

I spent the day laying (lying?) about the house with little to do, girding myself for the return to work tomorrow and the spring semester, which starts next week.

As such days often go, I eventually became self-concious of my laziness and so I went down to the man cave to retrieve some fitness books from which I draw inspiration from time-to-time. The idea was to at least read about exercising, even though on this day I was too lazy to do it. Maybe something would stick.

I have several excellent books on cycling: The Complete Book of Road Cycling Skills by Ed Pavelka and the Editors of Bicycling Magazine; The Big Book of Bicycling by Emily Furia and the Editors of Bicycling Magazine, and; The Cyclist's Training Bible by Joe Friel, which he wrote all by himself without the help of the Editors of Bicycling Magazine. These are a small fraction of my cycling collection, both hard copy and digital, mind you, but they are the ones I tend to go back to on days like this.

Last year I took up swimming and I found an excellent book about the subject, which is no easy feat. Books about swimming are few and far between. If you are interested, Swimming for Total Fitness by Dr. Jane Katz with Nancy P. Bruning is just about the only book you need on the subject.

Swimming wasn't the only thing I took up last year. I started running. Three times in fact. I am at the point I enjoy it, but I seem to have trouble maintaining regular workouts over time. I go great guns for a few weeks, then don't run for a month. This has to change. I have to say, it is a great way to drop weight and feel great. I picked up Running for Mortals: A Commonsense Plan for Changing Your Life Through Running by John Bingham and Jenny Hadfield.

I also have an excellent book for anyone who works out with diabetes. The Diabetic Athlete's Handbook by Seri R. Colberg is indispensable.

When I have a question about a gym workout, I find the Men's Health Big Book of Exercises by Adam Campbell is a good resource.

I recently picked up a few cookbooks. I have made no secret of the fact that I pay little attention to nutrition beyond counting carbs. This strategy works okay. For a year I managed to essentially maintain the same weight, even coming in two pounds less at the end of 2012 than at the start. Having said that, for the amount of working out, riding, swimming and running that I do, I should have lost a ton of weight. And, I have made little improvement to my A1C.

In 2013 I want to change this. Earlier in the year when I was on Coach K's radio program, "Total Health" the host, Rob Kingsbury, said I would wake up one morning and realize I can't go on like that. Well, it happened right after Christmas. I picked up a stomach virus and it lingered for two weeks, largely because the crap I eat wouldn't allow my stomach to return to normal. Once I watched what I ate for a few days, I returned to normal. The fact that my pancreas only works at 20 percent or so and I have no gall bladder leaves me with little wiggle room. Let me tell you, when I hear Jamie Lee Curtis' voice in those Activia commercials, my ears perk up.

Anyway, two excellent cookbooks from that American Diabetes Association in my possession include Fast and Flavorful: Great Diabetes Meals from Market to Table by by Linda Gassenheimer and The Diabetes Comfort Food Cookbook: Foods to Fill You Up, Not Out! by Robyn Webb. They have some great recipes and I vow to try them this year.

Anyway, I've got a bit of studying to do, so that's all for now. Maybe I'll get motivated and walk the dog after the kids go to bed.

Track Racing

I wish track racing was more popular in the US. I find it fascinating. At one point it was huge, particularly in and around New York City. The 6-Day races at Madison Square Garden were legendary apparently.

OPQS Season Wrap-up Video

Back on the bike

I have been away for a while. And off the bike, mostly. This has been a busy time for me. I am working mornings, watching the kids in the afternoon or getting some sleep, then going to class at night. On nights I don't have class, I catch up on sleep or do homework. And that's my life.

Until today, I had only ridden once in the past two months. It's hard to believe. The good news is that in that time I have only gained two pounds.

I finally got a ride in today. I went eight miles and it felt like 18. My legs hurt, but I attribute part of that to the fact I got in a run yesterday. Running is the only thing I have time for now days. It's less involved  than riding. At least as far as gearing up.

Speaking of which, I got out the winter bib tights and as soon as I got on the bike I realized they don't have a chamois. My butt doesn't feel as bad as I thought it would after the ride, but it was more uncomfortable than it should have been.

By the end of the ride I was getting my legs back. I was one to two miles slower than I usually am, but I noticed at the end of the ride I was back up there where I should have been. It's like riding a bicycle. Sorry, I could not resist.

Anyway, I'm not going to let my schedule compromise my exercise in the future, so I hope to ride more and blog more going forward.

Buying a bicycle

I think a lot of people make a mistake when it comes to buying their first (or first in a while) bicycle. Instead of buying a bike that is good at one thing, many people opt for a bike that is a jack of all trades. The cycling manufacturers know this, and thus have spent a lot of time and money developing so-called hybrid bikes.

These bikes end up on Craigslist or eBay for good reason. People don't ride them because they while they excel at nothing.

Case in point, I opted for a road bike with drop handlebars as my first bike. I bought the cheapest version of the Specialized Allez and I've never regretted the decision

For a year I concentrated on my road skills. That's not to say I don't enjoy riding on the bike path. In fact, this is some of the most enjoyable riding that I do. My Allez does an okay job on the bike path, but it's not particularly suited to this type of riding. It does not turn or stop particularly well, because it's designed to that. It's designed to go fast, and it does this job every well.

So, for my second bike, I opted for a flat-bar road bike: A Specialized Sirrus. The riding position is a bit more relaxed, but it's not a hybrid with high handlebars that place the rider in (my opinion) an uncomfortable position. It has wider tires, a wider gear range, and turns and stops a heck of a lot better than the Allez. It's made for the bike path.

Look, you can spend $1,200 for a decent hybrid that does neither of these tasks well, or you can spend $700 for a decent road bike and $500 for a decent bike path bike. It's better to have two bikes that you will ride than one bike that will collect dust in the garage until you list it on Craigslist.