Happy Thanksgiving!

On this beautiful Thanksgiving Day up in the High Country, I thought I would share the things that I am thankful for...

First and foremost, my Family. To my parents for never letting me give up on my dreams, always supporting me in the decisions I make, and bringing me up to be the man, husband, and person I am today. Thank you for raising me with an open mind and the ability to love everyone for who they are. To my brother and sister, Kyle and Cierra, for your continued love and support even though I am not always there for you guys as you grow up. You both make me very proud in all your achievements. As my friend John Klish would say: "Live Life Large". Don't ever forget that.

Next, I'm thankful for my wife Danielle. You are always there by my side day in and day out and I cannot thank you enough. Very few people have the opportunity to share the common interests and passions that we have, and I couldn't ask for anyone better to share life with than you.

Health. Enough said. Everyone should be thankful for their health even if you think it may not be on your side right now. If anything, Diabetes has made my wife stronger, healthier, and more in tune to her life. It is a test given to her because the higher powers above know that she can succeed. She has taken what is commonly viewed as a dampener on life, and has used it to her advantage to become an amazing athlete fueled by the very disease that is meant to bring her down.

Ritz Carlton Hotel Company. You have been there since the beginning of our journey to Colorado. You provide for both myself and my wife, and give us the opportunity to take in this beautiful world in any way we see fit. Although we may not always see eye to eye, one thing is for sure; you are always there to support us financially, to challenge me, and to allow me to express my creative side in the workforce. Thank you.

I am thankful for our home in the small mountain town of Eagle, Colorado. Thank you for your personality and charm, your easy access to the great outdoors which has become such a large part of my life both professionally and personally. Thank you to this county and state that allows me to put aside the trials and tribulations in life and open my eyes to see all the beauty this world has to offer. As problems in this world are just opportunities to make dreams come true. Learn to find the positive, even in the worst of situations and everything will work out.

Cycling. Thank you for giving me the ability to pursue my goals, ride great trails, and most of all give me a sense of community and the greatest friends I could ask for. It is a great thing when you have friends that all feel the same passion you do for two wheels. You connect on a deeper level because you all have  the same drive to be great in your own right. Thank you to my team Bach Builders and all of our sponsors. You continue to give me the resources I need to make my dreams a reality. We may not all become pro riders and some may never even race competitively, but at the same time we all give it our best to further enjoy what we love to do. We are all there to support each other, push each other, and congratulate one another.

Finally, I am thankful for everything life has to offer. Thankful for all that I have done and what the future holds. Happy Thanksgiving!

TMP

Motorola Motoactv - Garmin/Apple eliminator?

While enjoying my morning coffee at Yeti's Grind I was filtering through emails and social networking sites in an attempt to find some sort of basis for a blog post that didn't pertain to sex scandals, doping scandals, or any negativity in general. Sadly, it's a tough find these days.

Anyways, while checking out REI's marketing email about some "new" 3-in-1 winter coats, I found an interesting device from Motorola at the bottom. Below is the new Motorola Motoactv, all in one GPS/fitness trainer/audio stimulator device. Check out the details here: https://motoactv.com/

At first sight I thought, wow this really looks like an iPod Nano knockoff. But after digging into their website further I found out that Motorola really put some work into creating this product. Just slightly larger than a Nano, it features a tough screen interface with a ton of features. To start, the GPS functionality. Similar to a Garmin Forerunner, this device tracks your runs, rides, etc. and easily uploads to review your data via Motorola's fitness software. (Compatible with Win/Mac OS's) Taking it a step further is a built in Accelerometer which allows the device to sense forward movement even on a stationary treadmill to count your steps and distance traveled.

Next is the audio interface. It grabs your local FM radio signal as well as allowing you to upload your favorite workout playlists from a variety of sources including, you guessed it: iTunes. Interesting... My initial thought was, how could Apple allow this? Not only the design of the Motoactv looks like a Nano, it even plays music like a Nano. Anyways, Motorola decided to integrate your music preferences with your fitness workout to push you to the next level. The device will take into account your performance throughout a variety of songs and determine a "power performance" playlist comprised of the songs that you perform best to. Also included is a fitness coach that can tell you when you need to pick up the pace. Two models are offered in 8GB and 16GB at $249 and $299 respectively.

For all you runners and cyclists who rely on ANT+ technology to pair all your accessories, this device has that too! Heart Rate, Speed and Cadence, to headphones, the Motoactv can easily connect to each of these. Better yet, ditch the heart rate strap and opt for the Motorola headphones that grab HR data from pulses in your ears to reduce the number of attachments on your body.

Finally, the options on where to mount this device are endless. The Motoactv offers multiple accessories from a watch style wrist band, arm mounted fitness band, and even a handlebar mount for cyclists.

Now I own an iPod as well as a Garmin Edge 500 and love both devices. They work and serve both of their intended purposes to absolute perfection. My Garmin is very cycling specific and provides me with a ton of data fields that I can use to monitor and improve my performance but what I find is that I never ride with music because I don't like having all these devices and wires attached to me. The Motoactv could be the answer to an all-in-one fitness/entertainment device. It debuted at the NYC Marathon but other than my REI email, I had not heard about it until today.

Now to be straight, I do not own this device nor do I have any affiliation with Motorola. Just happened to stumble upon this and thought it looked like a pretty sweet new piece of equipment to blow my money on. Like I said, I own a Garmin and it has yet to fail me and my iPod, well it obviously works with my heavily dominated AAC Protected iTunes music library. While this new device looks great on the web, I cannot attest to the actual offerings and compatibility with the advertised accessories. ANT+ capability yes, but will I be able to see Garmin speed and sensor data? CycleOps power data? Who knows.

At first glance, the device looks to be tailored to runners but the potential for use as a cycling tool hints at a bright future. Hopefully the future will allow for a real-world test of this device. Until then, I'll stick with my Garmin.

TMP

A Melting Pot of Cycling News

If you have not yet viewed any website remotely pertinent to cycling, you have not yet seen the release of the 2012 Amgen Tour of California route. Check out more here: Cycling News

The 13 Host Cities for the 2012 Amgen Tour of California include:

• Stage 1: Sunday, May 13 – Santa Rosa 
• Stage 2: Monday, May 14 – San Francisco to Santa Cruz County
• Stage 3: Tuesday, May 15 – San Jose to Livermore
• Stage 4: Wednesday, May 16 – Sonora (new for 2012) to Clovis
• Stage 5: Thursday, May 17 – Bakersfield (Individual Time Trial)
• Stage 6: Friday, May 18 – Palmdale to Big Bear Lake
• Stage 7: Saturday, May 19 – Ontario (new for 2012) to Mt. Baldy
• Stage 8: Sunday, May 20 – Los Angeles/L.A. LIVE

Tour of California route in short form above. Prologue in Santa Rosa (Levi Leiphiemer's hometown) to start the race off. Good choice considering the 2011 Stage 1 fallout in Lake Tahoe due to this:

The bigger question may be - Will we see Levi racing despite his new team (Omega Pharma-Lotto) not having a presence in the 2011 version? My guess is OP-L will be an automatic shoe-in for the 2012 race. Should be interesting though to see last years winner Chris Horner now battling it out against Levi since the two are now riding for different teams. Somehow, I don't think the Schleck's will be riding for Horner if they show for the race on the still yet to be determined "Leopard-Trek-Nissan-ShackStrong" team. Either way, in my opinion they will be ruining a very classy, simple kit design from the previous Leopard Trek team for something a little more BOLD, to fit all those sponsors:

But you have to be careful how those rainbow stripes are used so as to not upset the UCI officials, even in those CAT 4 races as this rider did sporting the TwinSix "Dopers Suck" kit. If there really is a CAT 4 World Champion of Cyclocross, sign me up. I probably still won't win it since I tend to lose 10-15 seconds after every run-up on course anyways.

It's been weeks now since the "Occupy Wall Street" movement began, with everything form of Occupy __insert adjective__ following close behind. Strangely enough, two weeks ago I had the brilliant idea of an "Occupy Bike Lanes" t-shirt design which no one has seemed to think of yet. At least one person though, has decided to take their protest to the street:

If someone wants to jump on this design (cough, cough... Handlebar Mustache) before I do, all I ask is you send me a t-shirt of appreciation. I'd ride that bike lane pictured above, as it's probably about as safe as the painted version in NYC.

In local news, District Attorney Mark Hurlbert's effort to amend an extension for a third term on Tuesday's ballot was foiled by the general public in an 11,554 to 6,101 vote. Seems to me, there were far less Mercedes drivers and Lakers fans dropping the ballot, than people fed up with his "quality experience" he has shown us in the past two years. Great job citizens of Eagle, Lake, Summit, and Clear Creek counties. "This was not just about me." said Hurlbert, regarding the extension being beneficial for DA's to come. With 6 of the 22 judicial districts in CO who have already voted to extend terms, I'd say this decision was exactly about you Mr. Hurlbert.

Despite recent snowfall, Colorado CX races have been loving the mix of conditions true to the sport of Cyclocross. This past Sunday proved to be a fantastic day for a little 'cross racing in Boulder for the Boulder Cup's first race at the newly built Valmont Bike Park. I haven't had the opportunity to visit this place yet but I've heard nothing but rave reviews from all who have. Funded almost entirely from sponsors and public donations, it offers everything from pump tracks, skill building features, XC loops, to a full on CX course complete with a Belgian Run-up which to me looks more like the set of stairs to the Lincoln Memorial. With that being said, Belgian rider Ben Berden showed and proved his experience on those steps taking the top spot on the podium ousting Ryan Trebon and Tim Johnson. Katie Compton decimated the women's pro-field in typical fashion, shown here in Karen Jarchow's picture asking "Where's everyone else?" Some joked, "Europe, with the 'pro' field."

Details for the 2012 Bach Builders team will be coming out soon and I am stoked to be racing for such an awesome team of athletes again. We've already added a few new racers including a CU racer fresh off some good results from Collegiate Nationals down at Angel Fire, NM where the racers had to fight their way through less than ideal conditions after an uncharacteristic Fall snow storm covered the course the day before. Many of our sponsors are already returning for another year which we are very thankful for including Infinit Nutrition, Maxxis Tires, Rudy Project, and Swiftwick Socks.

That's it for today. Enjoy and happy riding. Still 30 degrees here in Eagle so I'll resort to the trainer or dusting off the skis. Keystone opens this weekend!

TMP

Bicycle DMV's and a fallen brother in NYC

I was reading an article on the Chicago Huffington Post website regarding a push to begin a city-wide bicycle registration and license process. While the initial argument suggests the legislation would improve erratic cyclists from breaking the law, I have to disagree.

History shows us that making "law" does not prevent those from breaking it. Take a look at state speed limits for instance. If I saw every car on I-70 driving in unison at the state mandated 75mph speed limit from Eagle to Avon, I would believe in the power of creating laws to counter reckless behavior on the road. Same goes for turn signals when changing lanes. On most mornings, I-70 looks more like a Sunday afternoon on a Nascar Speedway.

Cyclists, as vehicle defined users of the road, are already responsible for adhering to the rules of the road that cars must follow. Stop signs, red lights, speed limits, right of way and signaling to make a turn to name a few. Interestingly enough, when a driver sees a car blow through a red light, the common thought is: "Oh man, a cops going to get them..." End of instance. However, if a cyclist runs a red light, we become a demon on the road who doesn't deserve to grace our presence on the angelic mix of gravel and concrete.

Last week, Canadian artist Mathieu Lefevre was killed in NYC when a flat bed truck made a right hand turn into his path. Details of the incident are still under "investigation", mostly by the citizens of New York, as the NYPD jumped to the conclusion that Lefevre rolled through a red light illegally and in doing so, was the cause of his own death. The family of Lefevre planned on rallying at the NYPD precinct where they have been unable to obtain any cooperation in the "investigation".

Strangely enough, if Lefevre had in fact rolled a red light, the big question was raised of: "Wouldn't that have meant the driver of the truck also rolled that light fighting to make that right hand turn?" Ahh, the risks people take to avoid a "No Turn on Red" delay. Initial ruling of the accident by the NYPD showed that the driver, who didn't even stop, was not at fault of the accident as he claimed to not even be aware that he had hit someone. To add injury to insult, when pressed by the public over the incident, the NYPD setup shop at the same street corner, ticketing some dozen or so cyclists for traffic infractions over running through the intersection illegally. If two vehicles ran into each other, chances are one driver will be receiving a traffic infraction for the incident. Sadly, in this case, one user lost his life and the driver receives a "Get out of jail free" card? Expect to see this case evolve in the coming weeks.

Back to the main point of the story. Everyone breaks the law when it comes to using our public highway infrastructure. EVERYONE - drivers, cyclists, commercial drivers, buses, taxis, and yes even Hybrid owners. Prove me wrong otherwise... Creating a license and registration system for the pure intention of cracking down on rogue cyclists is a complete waste of money.

What it should be centered around is improving infrastructure, promoting bicycle use as a transportation method, and awareness. I would be more than willing to pay $10+ a year to directly fund a program creating more bike lanes, bike paths, and the investment into designing more programs like Denver, CO's ever expanding B-Cycle program. Think about it, your investment could save your life or the lives of others.

The toughest part of implementing this type of legislation would be how to enforce it, who to include, etc. Some thoughts were a small license plate hanging from the bike. X that one off the list. Ask a rider with a $10,000 road bike if he/she wants to ride with a miniature aluminum plate jingling off the saddle. A simple numeric ID sticker on the back of the seat tube would suffice. Now do we charge at the initial purchase of a bicycle? Probably wouldn't be a bad idea. This way, registration information can include the purchaser and the product ID for future theft reduction as well as streamline warranty processes. Another tough decision would be to include a percentage of proceeds from "B-Cycle" type organizations to also contribute to the program.

Hopefully moving forward we can find some way to introduce plans improving the safety of drivers and cyclists alike. The key is not to jump into careless, emotion driven programs in an effort to "hold the other user accountable". I truly believe that we can make this work, and that as our population increases past the 7 billion mark, bicycles and other environmentally friendly forms of transportation will become increasing popular especially in crowded urban areas. More so, we need to prevent the further loss of life because enough if enough.

TMP

2012 Tour de France Route Unveiled

Yesterday, the 2012 Tour de France route was unveiled in Paris by race director Christian Prudhomme. Beginning on June 30th with a 6.1km prolouge, the course looks to be a game changer for podium riders on the past few Tours.

A handful of top riders were in attendance for the release including Alberto Contador, Cadel Evans, Andy Schleck, and Mark Cavendish to name a few. One of the most notable changes to the course includes the elimination of the Team Time Trial stage. However, they had added a second Individual Time Trial which will now increase the Tour's race against the clock importance, to right around 100km. For the Schleck brothers, this course will put on the pressure for them to close the gap on a category that has been their Achilles Heel in the past. 

The mountain stages were also reduced, although the four that remain are now steeper and more technical than in years past. Pure climbing may not be the only cards a rider must have in their hand, as technical descents could favor the more experienced, technical rider.

Given this route, I believe this will be the year the Schleck's do not hit the podium. Several riders are very solid time trialists including Levi Leipheimer, Alberto Contador, Christian VandeVelde, and of course the Tour's defending champion, Cadel Evans. With that being said, this is my prediction for next year's Tour:

1. Alberto Contador

2. Cadel Evans

3. Christian VandeVelde

4. Levi Leipheimer

5. Luis Leon Sanchez

Fresh of a World Championship win and a new contract with British based Team SKY, I think Mark Cavendish will find little trouble defending his Green Jersey from 2011 in the sprint points classification, further proving why he truly the "Fastest Man on Two Wheels".  The biggest question will probably be the design of Cav's World Championship kit for the Tour. As a strong opponent to white shorts, he tried to wear his traditional black shorts only to be advised that the rule book requires the matching white shorts with the rainbow jersey. My guess is that he'll improvise with a new approach to the rainbow look as shown here:

Either way, we'll be able to catch all the action again in "Stunning HD" as Paul Sherwen would put it on NBC Sports here in the U.S. starting June 30th - July 22nd!

TMP

A New Direction

I'm coming up on a year since I started this blog. A year to immerse myself into the cycling culture, progress as a racer, meet new friends, and above all - find out where this project is headed...

I've come to realize that very few people can truly become engaged in my personal attempts at becoming a pro racer. Friends will read, family will support, but there is a greater good that I can achieve through my thoughts on a web page. While racing will still be a focus on this page, I invite you to join me on promoting my new campaign: The Power of Two Wheels. Through this vision, I intend to promote the positive influence a set of bicycle wheels can have on our community, nation, and the world. Because unlike any other activity in the world, cycling affects our health, provides entertainment, becomes our transportation, and infects our lifestyle. The products we buy, the friends we make, and the directions our life may go all become directly influenced by the path we choose to ride.

I hope that this page will promote awareness that bicycles are here to stay, and will continue to become an ever increasing facet in our daily lives whether you are a cyclist or not. Despite the growing hatred and disrespect towards cyclists from other users of our Earth, to me this only shows that we are doing our job well in making our voices heard. As Frederick Douglass once said; "Without a struggle, there can be no progress".

So please, help me spread the word of our passion. If cycling is not your passion, try it. Get on a bike and enjoy the world. In the end, at minimum you did good for your body, mind, and the Earth.

TMP

The Power of Two Wheels and it's Followers

Over the past year or so, I have become more and more engaged within the cycling community. Not just at the local level here in Eagle, or even the county for that matter. The Cycling Movement, has become an instrumental part of my life as well as my wife's. It is more than just an activity in which I participate. Cycling has become a definition, a culture, and most importantly an escape from the trials and tribulations of the world in my life. For my wife, it has become just that... but even more importantly, cycling has become a tool for success in managing an all to common disease spreading rapidly throughout our world.

But like any passion, also comes the opposition, criticism, and resistance. All too frequently in recent months we have seen an increasing number of public instances where cyclists have been scrutinized and beaten down in an attempt to reduce our influence on the world. For me, it started with the public address via Tony Kornheiser's radio show in which he asked drivers to give cyclists a little "bump" on the road. He attempted to joke with the world, that living some Grand Theft Auto fantasy would be appropriate to convey to the general public. Sadly, we all know the reality in this world and abstract way our minds comprehend ideas and thoughts. There were people who actually believed in what he said and supported his sermon to the fuel induced society.

A few months later I was made aware of a commercial created by a casino in the Town of Blackhawk. If you do not know already, the gambling driven town just off I-70 in the foothills had actually passed a law "banning" the use of bicycles in their town limits. Extreme, a little but we could get over it. Social media stormed the town bashing their ideals and governing body, in an attempt to get the communities that support the town to boycott their business. Soon after, it seemed as though the town reacted by crafting a television commercial to get back at the cycling community. Pointless and irrelevant to their product and cycling, it was clear they just wanted to prove that they too could play this game. See for yourself here:



During the Tour de France this year, Mr_MichaelSmith, a football show commentator publicly humiliated the events of a horrific crash during stage 9, when Johnny Hoogerland was sent flying viciously into a barb-wired fence at 30 miles and hour after being hit by a media vehicle that swerved to avoid a tree on the side of the road. In need of 33 stitches to repair the numerous lacerations to his body, Johnny showed the pure courage, determination, and spirit of cycling, finishing the stage on his own power. The finish became an iconic part of the Tour, as he finally broke down in tears on the podium during his acceptance of the "Most Aggressive Rider" jersey for the day.

Johnny Hoogerland overcome by emotion and pain while accepting the Most Aggressive Rider jersey for Stage 9 of the Tour de France

Just a few days ago, General Motors released the following ad, directed toward college students:

For a company with a dwindling marketing budget, dominated by low sales numbers that have been going to their competitors including Ford, Honda, and Toyota, I found it interesting that they would try to tap into another market. Cycling. The concept of "Stop Pedaling, Start Driving" clearly didn't make sense to the masses of cyclists and college students who ride a bike to commute purely out of the desire to live healthier lives and reduce our carbon footprint. Once again, cycling is a culture, a way of life. If a college kid wants a car, they will buy a piece of crap for $700 to get them through their education. This ad lasted all of about 8 hours on the market until GM removed it from their rotation.

Imagine the money spent producing this advertisement. A group of high-paid account executives sat around a round table, and through our government bailout funds, collectively decided that attacking a new market was the best direction for their business. It's like Apple creating an ad that asks people to "stop watching TV, listen to an iPod". Both similar in industry and markets, but two totally different means of entertainment. Only 24 hours later, the "smart executives" at Giant Bicycles were able to convert hundreds of thousands of failed advertising dollars from GM into an attractive, bold statement that cost them about 10 minutes of time and the Adobe Creative Suite software.

In all of these events this year, there is one common theme in the outcome. The Cycling Community is strong, resilient, and will not be pushed around without a fight. In each case, the cyclists came out in masses, fighting back through social media, blogs, and the support of celebrity leaders in the movement. Tony Kornheiser's remarks were retracted a day later with an instant interview with Lance Armstrong giving him a lesson in being a public entity. Soon after Mr Michael Smith's remarks regarding feelings that he found the crash of Johnny Hoogerland "hilarious", cyclists attacked in full force via Twitter putting a temporary stop to his account for 3 weeks. A big accomplishment considering he managed an account with just under 100,00 followers at the time. Finally, through social media outlets, GM was forced to withdraw their new advertising campaign with a public apology via Twitter with the following statement: 

"@lancearmstrong Wanted to let you know we have been listening to the community and decided to pull the ad from our rotation. Sorry 4 any offense. "

With an account of just 30,000 followers, GM was smart to reach out to Lance's some 3 million followers with their apology which he later retweeted to get the message out. 

The passion we have as cyclists is truly imbedded in our heart and is a force to be reckoned with. As drivers, we drive out of necessity and as sports fans, we cheer for entertainment value. But as cyclists, we come together from all different sides whether it be road, mountain, BMX, or transportation for a common goal: To make a difference in our world. And I am proud to be apart of the movement.

TMP