Supplements

This a tricky topic for athletes. Unless you are an athlete sponsored by a supplement company, it can be difficult to stick with a specific product or find one that works best or even works at all. I often wonder if most of the products just help you with psychological warfare. I mean, does drink mix A help you on the bike more than drink mix B? Or does recovery drink X work better than recovery drink Y? I know that when I was a bodybuilder, I tried all kinds of supplements. Eventually I'd settle on a protein mix or fat burner and spend tons of money on them. After years of experimenting (with LEGAL products), I hit my stride and made some awesome gains although I was never sure which products did the trick. All I knew was which one mixed the easiest or tasted the best or cost the least. But now I am a lot wiser with my money and a lot more skeptical of supplement company's claims. When I started cycling, I used to buy the fancy-town drink mixes all of the time but eventually I questioned if it was worth it. I now mostly use Gatorade and eat protein bars for recovery or normal food. I still use HEED here and there, or Emergen-C and I also take Endurolytes when I think I may need them. But will I be that much better if I use Powerbar or Hammer mixes all the time? I know that I will always eat the assortment of Clif bars...I am an addict!

The reason I am thinking about this, or the reasons, is that I now have a hook-up on supplements through Smoothie King so I plan to get back to specific 'during' and 'after' mixes. Also, while Drew was staying with us this past week, I noticed that he was using Dedicated Athlete products, so we engaged in conversation over this topic. I am super curious about their EP-NO product as well as their energy and recovery drinks and their "athlete" multivitamin. Does the EP-NO truly boost red blood cell levels? Will I notice an improvement in performance? I think it is worth trying. The testimonials on the website are encouraging as are the scientific studies, which I have read in regards to what supplements have what effect on your body and when is the best time to take them and so on. This info is always all over the place in the fitness world. I also posted a thread on the mtbflorida forum asking about DA's products, like who uses them and do they work. I am curious to see the responses.

So if and when I start taking different products or find ones that work, I'll be sure to post something. Until then, I'll keep logging the miles...

Monday Morning Quarterback

So the Tour is over and Carlos Sastre held on in the TT for the win. Cadel got 2nd and Vandevelde got 5th. With the way Sastre and Evans finished, I won the little bet amongst the boys. Some brew should be headed my way...maybe...one day... Anyhow, I was totally impressed with Vandevelde and expect him to podium next year. Garmin-Chipotle needs to add another strong climber to help him in the mountains though. It always kinda sucks when things like March Madness, the NFL Playoffs and the Tour end....

Saturday I saddled up for another solo century on the road bike. I felt pretty good for the first 3-1/2 hours but started feeling kinda rough around hour 4 and then hit killer cramps as I got close to 5 hours. I'm pretty sure I went into this ride not fully hydrated and not fully recovered. Another lesson learned. I managed to ride through the cramps and finished a bit slower than last week, at 5 hours and 30 minutes. I'm still not sure why I enjoy these rides and why look forward to them when they come up...

Sunday was the First Coast XTERRA at Hanna Park. The race was a half mile swim in the ocean, a 13 mile mountain bike ride on the trails and then a 5K trail run. We had lots of friends doing the race this year so it was pretty exciting for me as a spectator. Char did very well, holding 2nd though the swim and bike but a wrong turn in the woods during the run lost her a spot, so she finished 3rd overall and first in age group. She busted her a$$ and made me very proud none the less. She also secured her spot in Nationals at Lake Tahoe so the worry over us booking the flight and hotel is now over. The guys race was super competitive for the top 3 overall. After chasing down the top swimmer on the bike in the woods, local XTERRA phenom sbc knocked out some ultra fast bike laps and held off pro mtber (my coach) Drew. Sean had a good lead over 2nd and 3rd going into the run but unfortunately the out-of-town-swim-stud ran like a gazelle, as did Drew. Drew took the overall win in his first XTERRA and sbc took 3rd. Damn awesome race fellas!

Next weekend I have the Trail 2 Trail race in Lakeland FL held by Red Trail Racing. This race is really cool because it is a hybrid mtn bike race/road race. The race starts in the trail on the mtn bike, transitions into a road race on the road bike and then goes back into the trails. I am super excited and super motivated to do this race and to do well. I did it a few years back as a sport rider with no road race experience and managed a top 10. I plan to top that this year....

Old Folks

Its funny how I tend to really get moving on the trainer when I'm watching the Tour and the final sprint comes...

So...who dis?

I was catching up on the sports news this morning and I saw that the Detroit Shock of the WNBA signed 50 year old hall of famer Nancy Lieberman to a short contract. And she even got some clock last night. Man, this lady played ball for the US Olympic team in '76 (I was 1) and was the youngest player to ever medal at age 18. Not only did she play in a women's pro league (WBL), she also played pro men's ball (USBL) and also played for the Washington Generals. You know the Generals, right? The team that always took a whoopin' from the Globetrotters back in the day. Anyhow, I seriously hope I'm still cool at 50...

Alps

The Tour hits the Alps again today for the 3rd and final day in the brutal mountains. The Alps are sure to shake up the field and bring the true contenders to the top of the standings. Team CSC has dominated these climbs by usually having 3 -4 riders in the yellow jersey peloton and has carried Frank Schleck to the overall lead. All of the favorites have pretty much been sticking together in the mountains but during yesterday's stage there were a few guys who fell back a little. Christian Vandevelde lost some time yesterday due to a minor crash and now sits in 6th place, 03' 15" back. Today's stage is brutal- there are 3 HC (uncategorized) climbs, with the finish at the top of the infamous L'Alpe-d'Huez. I can see the climbing studs from CSC (Sastre, the Schleck brothers, Voigt maybe...) shaking up the favorites with some attacks today. If Cadel Evans can minimize the damage today he will stay in good shape for the overall title because there is still a time trial in stage 20. Cadel can seriously get his TT on! Alejandro Valverde needs a 2006 Floyd Landis type breakaway today to get back into contention. The same can be said for Vendevelde and Russian Denis Menchov.

The scene from yesterday's stage 16. The stage began down in the valley...DAMN!


One exciting thing about yesterday's stage was the incredible ride by the youngest rider in the Tour, 21 year old South African John Lee Augustyn from defunct Team Barloworld, who was first to the highest point ever in the Tour (Col de la Bonnette-Restefond elev- 9192 ft) and then proceeded to ride off the side of the mountian on the descent and lost his bike. The dude could've won the stage!

The profile of today's stage 17...