Alameda Runners – Get After It!

The Belkin Pro Cycling Team certainly had internal goals for the 2013 Tour de France, but beyond being in breakaways to get TV time, we didn’t know what to expect from the rebranded team.

Bauke Mollema and Laurens Ten Dam are currently sitting in third and fourth on general classification – the fight for the yellow jersey. It’s safe to admit the top 10 will continue to change after the next time trial and a foray into the mountains – but seeing Mollema and Ten Dam in the top five is still something very special for Belkin.

Computer electronics company Belkin, which officially became team sponsor shortly before the Tour, has to be pleased with how the race is going. In addition to getting into breakaways, the team has two GC riders in the top five.

I expect to see Team Belkin continue to look for stage wins through the remaining two weeks of the Tour.

Tri-gear

I was getting my stuff ready for an International distance triathlon when I decided to take a picture and post my plan.  I am packing up to drive a few hours to the race location where I will spend the night in a hotel then ride my bike about 5 miles to the race start area.

It is always a good idea to create a list of triathlon gear you are going to use and how you are going to use the gear.  You can organize the list in any order that suits you.  For this event, I used a towel on the floor, the equipment and a picture as my list.  My list shown below is based on importance of the equipment.  Some things are just required for most triathlons.

Required:
Bike – Tuned and in good working order
Bike helmet – I am not a good one to ask about helmet requirements.  If it fits, I am happy.
Running shoes – I have the added optional upgrades from RoadID and SuperFeet inserts.
Bike shoes – Running shoes will work but your feet will hurt and you will lose power on the hills.
Shorts – I have some Snazzy TYR Tri shorts that work well for all 3 events.  Any shorts will work but I really like the tri shorts.  The pockets are in good places and they don’t chaffe.
Shirt – Required at most races and they protect your back from the sun.

Optional:
Bike pump – I like to pump up the tires right before I leave for the race.
Water bottles – I have 3 bottles
One to rinse my feet after the swim
One for the bike that is filled with an electrolyte mix
One bottle of water for the bike
This course is very hot for me.  I will drink half the electrolyte before I get on the bike and drink one bottle of water on the bike.  I will discard both bottles at the bike water stop for fresh ones, filled with cold water.
Two towels – one for the ground and one to use after the race.
Bike gloves – Just in case I feel like wearing them.
Body glide – Great for preventing chaffing from the wet suit.  It also protects your neck from the sun.
Food – I bring it but I probably won’t eat much.  I will probably eat a stinger waffle after the swim.
Spi Belt with bib hangars – A great place to put your bib and it only takes one clip to put it on.
Socks to help prevent blisters on your feet.
Super thin underwear – Some people like them, some don’t.  I like them.
Swim goggles – tested and adjusted to fit properly.
Multi-tool kit for bikes – In case something goes wrong while getting ready for the race.
Wet-suit –  fit tested with operational zipper.  I like to lubricate the zipper with body glide.
Bike pouch:
Spare tube
CO2 dispenser
CO2 cartridges (2)
Tire levers
Spare tube
Patch kit
First aid kit
Allen wrenches 3,4 & 5 mm
Bag to carry goods to and from the start line.
Sunglasses are in the car and I have not made up my mind on the bike jersey yet.

Prepare for your distance.  For my current level of fitness, an Olympic distance triathlon is a short event where I don’t need to worry about nutrition.  I do have to worry about the heat and water.  Practice with your equipment, including nutrition before the event.

The sprint battle for stage victories during the 2013 Tour de France should provide fireworks from a few select elite sprinters.

Most of the attention will be on Team Omega Pharma-QuickStep’s Mark Cavendish, as the multiple Tour stage winner will have the full dedication of his team.

I expect a fun battle between Cavendish and Peter Sagan (Cannondale), Andre Greipel (Lotto), Marcel Kittel (Argos-Shimano) and Matt Goss (Orica-GreenEDGE) during the eight sprint stages.

It’s hard to argue against Cavendish being the best pure sprinter in the pro peloton, but Sagan has found a way to win big races on varying types of terrain.  However, if both Cannondale and Omega Pharma-Quick Step watch one another and lose focus of the other teams, don’t be surprised to see Griepel or Kittel try to steal a few stage wins.

Cavendish secured the Giro points jersey and won five stages during the first grand tour of 2013 – and expect that momentum to carry into July.

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It’s fun to watch the sprints and battle over the general classification (GC) leader’s jersey, but a major benefit of watching the Tour of California is for the American-based continental teams.

One such team is the Bontrager Cycling Team development squad, spearheaded by Axel Merckx, and they went on the offensive during the Tour of California.

It’s important for all of the continental teams to have a strong presence during major US races, as the TV and newspaper exposure is so important.  The best way to get a lot of attention is to break away from the peloton and spend time in a breakaway.

Adding onto the breakaway efforts, let’s not forget Bontrager won the best young rider’s classification with Lawson Craddock and two other Bontrager riders sweeping the top three positions.  Gavin Mannion and Tanner Putt joining Craddock on the best young rider’s podium is important for a team that needs to provide solid results every time out.

Here is what Craddock had to say (via CyclingNews):

“A year ago at this race no one knew who we were and people were doubting us.  So to come here and prove them all wrong, get to know some of the older guys and more experienced guys in the peloton, is a really cool experience.  And not only that, but you start to build relationships, too.  And so it’s cool that we are being treated with respect, and we’ve done a lot to deserve it.”

The type of experience the young guys get from riding alongside riders like Jens Voigt, Peter Sagan, Sylvain Chavanel, and other major European peloton riders, is something near invaluable.  Become familiar with their names, because you will see a couple of them in the Pro Tour.

As a cycling fan at a major race, it’s very difficult to get the opportunity to take a picture and chat with riders near the start or finish lines.  However, every Bontrager rider the Alameda Runners met after the stage six individual time trial, each rider was appreciative of the support.

(Images from the Alameda Runners Trip to Tour of California, visit Ted’s Picasa page).

Tejay van Garderen won the overall general classification of the 2013 Tour of California, and was seemingly in control from the start of the race in SoCal to the finish in Northern California.

The ToC GC win is van Garderen’s first major stage-race win of his young career, and shows his overall long-term potential.

van Garderen was able to capture the individual time trial (ITT) stage win at stage 6, solidifying his lead on the leader’s jersey.  During stage 7 from Livermore to Mt. Diablo, van Garderen was able to defend against all attacks and keep his lead.

Overall, van Garderen won by 1:47 over Saxo-Tinkoff’s Michael Rogers and 3:26 ahead of Jamis-Hagens Berman’s Javier Acevedo in third place.

Professional road cycling in the United States has gone through a recent rough patch, as Lance Armstrong and his former long-time teammates admitted to doping.

Despite the bump in the road for US cycling, it looks like BMC’s van Garderen is ready to become the next big thing in US cycling.  Van Garderen recently won the 2013 Tour of California GC in solid fashion, never truly out of sorts throughout the stage race.

Last year, van Garderen finished 5^th overall in the Tour de France and Paris-Nice, winning the white jersey of the young rider classification chase.

German veteran Jens Voigt is a cycling legend, attracting swarms of fans wherever he races in Europe or North America.

I’m glad to see Californians greet him so warmly, with spectators and media alike trying to get a few moments with him.

The 41-year-old won a stage of the 2013 Tour of California, and has been on the attack a few different times.

It’s funny to see his response about causing a split in the peloton during the stage he won:  “To cause chaos and mayhem isn’t that a good enough reason?”

I’ve been a fan of Voigt since his early days at Team CSC, and always appreciated his ability to suck it up, grind it out, and sacrifice everything for his team.

Voigt picked up his first win of the 2013 season during stage 5 of the Tour of California, where his RadioShack-Leopard Trek teammates helped destroy the peloton in the wind.  From there, Voigt attacked – which he has done throughout the Tour of California – and

I just posted an article about going from being a desk jockey to running a 5k the other day.  Today, I found a similar article from active.com in my inbox.  Their article is similar to mine.  We both encourage you to get out and do it.  Do not overdo things.  There is no shame in walking.  Slowly build up to the 5k distance.

I am a firm believer in getting multiple opinions and making your own decisions.  It is amazing how many things work well one day and not so well the next.  Read up on things and draw your own conclusions.  Do your best to not come up with excuses to rest.

Acitve.com is a great place for articles.  They are like the Microsoft of event management.  They reign supreme but they know there a lot of options available.  To stay relevant, they have an online magazine and wordpress style blog.  Their blog is excellent.  The articles are well written and pertain to most sports for all levels.  They are a “for profit site” but I have never noticed a bias in their writing.  I give them kudos for keeping the bias out.  I have people send me stuff to review and it is so hard to not cheer on the little guys who are just starting out or the people who contact me.

If you are not a member of active.com, I encourage you to browse around their web site.  It is a good idea to sign up for their service and have your credit card on file.  Some of the events we do sell out quickly.  It is good to be on record when you sign up for these events.

Note: I have no affiliation with Active.com

Getting healthy is hard but it does not need to be painful.  When you lead a comfortable sedentary lifestyle, it can be really hard to get started.  If you make it painful, the chances of you repeating the effort decrease dramatically.  Getting started is the biggest hurdle.  Once you start, take it easy.  You will get stronger as time progresses.

• Do it – Get out the door and take that first step.  Decide when you are going to train and do it.  It is amazing how many excuses we can come up with to skip a workout.  I am currently training for a triathlon.  I am training for more than 15 hours per week and I still look for reasons to skip a workout.
• No pain – I know about the old saying “No pain, no gain”, but that is not always true.  If you get a pain in your side, do not suck it up and keep going.  Relax; there is nothing wrong with slowing down or walking.
• No huffing and puffing – If you are having a tough time breathing, slow down or walk.  There is nothing wrong with shuffling along and getting it done.  You are training to get stronger.  When you are starting out, moving is the primary goal.  Get out and do it.
• Start easy – When I started running the telephones were about 100 yards apart in my area of rural Pennsylvania.  Paradise, Pennsylvania to be exact.  I would run from one telephone pole to the next, and then walk to the next pole.  I would make it about 3 or 4 poles then I would start walking a little bit early then start running a little bit late.  After a couple of weeks of this, I would run for 2 poles then walk one.  Before the summer was over, I could run 3 miles without stopping.
• Distance before speed – Do not worry about your speed.  Work your way up to a distance of 2-5 miles then work on speed by using the same telephone poles.  The same thing happens when you are working on speed as distance.  Working on speed can bring tears to your eyes.  Know the difference between lung pain and body pain.  If you are not sure, assume it is body pain and slow down or walk.  Injuries mess things up.

I know these tips are general in nature.  The idea is for you to find tips from a lot of sources and do what works for you.  Take it easy, have fun and don’t get hurt.  I excel at the having fun part but I am not too good at taking it easy and staying healthy.

Thanks for all of the phone calls and e-mails voicing concerns for my safety.  I did not run the Boston Marathon this year.  As all of the readers who know me can attest, I love running and I love people.  I can’t comprehend why someone would want to harm anyone for any reason.  It makes me sad to see people getting injured.  A lot of my friends have been making comments and asking me questions about peoples reactions and how I would have reacted if that happened to me.

Here are my responses to some questions regarding the bomb blasts at the 2013 Boston Marathon.

Did you see what happened at the Boston Marathon?  First of all, I did not watch the coverage of the bomb blasts.  When I saw it on the news, I turned it off or turned to something else.  It breaks my heart to see senseless violence.

What about the guy who got knocked over by the blast then got up and kept going?  My response is, marathons are hard.  When you get to the finish line after 4+ hours of running, the only thing on your mind is that finish line.  The first two hours of a marathon are easy.  The third hour becomes more difficult because you worry about  your preparation.  The fourth hour is hard.  The excitement from the day before is starting to take its toll on you.  The lack of sleep from being in a hotel and getting up early are starting to wear on you.  The fourth hour, of a four hour marathon is pure hell.  When you are that close to the finish line (a couple hundred yards), the only thing in life is the finish line.

Would I have stopped to help people?  I am not a medic but I am trained in first aid.  I do not know if my training would help, but I would have stopped to make sure everyone was okay.  If I did stop, I would have done my best to help and stayed until released by the authorities.  After I was released, I would have finished the race even if I had to crawl to a finish line that was taken down.

Would I have been upset if I was told the race was cancelled when I was at mile 25?  I would have been devastated.  You have to qualify about a year in advance for Boston.  That means most people have to invest more than two years of training to run the Boston Marathon.

At mile 25, you have been through hell and are running on determination and the promise of almost finishing.  You immediately know you have to stop.  A bomb blast is entirely up to the imagination.  The implications don’t really sink in for a few hours because the body is so fatigued.  I don’t know how I would feel if that happened to me.  I imagine that every thing about it feels horrible for the poor people who were out on the course.

I will stop here because it hurts me to imagine how the people involved feel.  I hope something like this does not happen again.
Mike’s Thoughts:  Sorry to hijack Ted’s post, but I share a lot of the same thoughts … it’s such a tragedy that three people lost their lives, along with those injured in the bomb blasts.  They are all in my thoughts as they face a difficult and painful road to recovery.