Category — Bicycle/Accessory Reviews

The ladies at Nature Valley did a little thank you video for our awesome glasses sponsor Zeal Optics!  Check it out!  Thanks to Cara for the fine videography work.

I had a nice surprise when I came home from work last week: a big box full of new Honey Stinger goodies!

Wow! That’s a lot of Honey Stinger product.

I had finally run out of my supply of nutrition from that OTHER company and was looking forward to getting a resupply from my new sponsor. Plenty to keep me running for the upcoming slate of stage races. I ordered a little bit of this and a little bit of that so I could try out all the flavors and products and find my favorites. Let’s see what we had in the box: [Read more →]

I got my new Tarmac Comp SL2 a few weeks ago, thanks to Nicollete South Bike Shop in Nicollet, MN. I LOVE IT! It rides so smooth. After going from an aluminum framed bike to a Trek Madone 4.7, I thought things couldn’t get much smoother, but I was wrong. I hardly notice the horribly rough Tucson roads with my new Specialized. It’s black and red matte finish look great and the geometry fits me perfectly.

Thanks again Nicollet Bike Shop and Specialized Bikes.

Honey Stinger has a new product – the Organic Stinger Waffle.  I grabbed one the other day when I was out and about and needed a little somethin’ to keep me going.  It is melt in your mouth good!  You have to try it!!!!  Really, I don’t usually get so excited about food that I blog about it – it’s  THAT good!

I finally chose which bike I’m going to ride this year.  I ordered the Specialized Tarmac Comp Compact 105 from Nicollet South Bike Shop thanks to Jenna and her husband.  Can’t wait to get it next week.

I’m ordering a 2011 Specialized from Nicollete South Bike Shop and I am having trouble deciding between the Tarmac Comp or the Amira Comp.  I have come up with a list of pros and cons of each bike, and I would like some input.

Availability: Specialized makes a limited number of 49cm Tarmac frames, so I wouldn’t get my new bike until April.

Components:  The Tarmac comes with Rival, which I like slightly better than 105 because it seems to be narrower and easier to grip with small hands.  Unfortunately with the Amira, there is no option for Rival.

Gears: The Tarmac Comp Rival does not come with a compact gear ratio, but if I go with 105 I can get compact.  But do I really need to have compact?  I’m not a strong climber so I think I should.

Geometry: I have short legs and a long torso.  The Amira in a 51 cm has a seat tube length of 450 cm and a top tube length of 518 cm.  For a 49 cm Tarmac the seat tube length is 460 cm and the top tube is 518 cm.

Is there anything else that I should be thinking about?  Do you all have any advice for me?  It’s always so hard to make a decision on a long term commitment.

I have to admit that I am one who did not use performance product during a ride or recovery drinks after; just water. I really never gave recovery much thought…not smart!

After a long hard training and racing season, I found myself feeling more tired and run down than usual. I decided to try a couple of protein/recovery drinks. I didn’t like the way they made me feel; I felt bloated and full after drinking them – I didn’t feel much benefit from it so I went back to water.

Later, during our team training camp, a teammate convinced me that I should try Fluid. So, after a long ride I decided to make a recovery smoothly… I’m sure glad I did. I blended 2 scoops of the Chocolate Fluid Recovery, 8 oz. of vanilla yogurt and lots of ice. Yummy!!

The results—I had more energy, reduced aches, pains and muscle soreness following my workout and the next day. I didn’t experience any digestive problems! I now have a recovery drink following all my workouts and I feel great!

Fluid is ideal for athletes who are performance-conscious, want a product free of sugar-substitutes and artificial sweeteners, and who want a great tasting drink—this is the best blend of taste and performance.

I’m excited to be wrapping up my first training camp with my new team, Missing Link Coaching Systems/Specialized. It’s a remarkable group of dedicated racers, positive thinkers, and team players. Led by Maggie and Don Williams, we are chomping at the bit to rock the upcoming season!

Joining a new team, I got the opportunity this week to try out some exciting products offered by our generous sponsors. Yesterday’s local circuit race at McDowell Mountain gave me a good opportunity to battle-test some of the new nutrition and gear!

XOOD’s natural energy drink gave me a good mix of carbs with just a touch of protein to help me get through not only warmups and my 40-minute race, but another 2 hours of spinning on the bike afterwards. The mangosteen flavor was light and didn’t give me that too-sweet, dry mouth feeling I get with other drink mixes. A few hours before the race I fueled up with a HoneyStinger Peanut Butter & Honey energy bar, and found it to be tasty and a good consistency for easy eating on the bike. At the start line I topped off my tank with a HoneyStinger Gold gel; the 120 calories were plenty to propel me through the coming laps and the slightly lower viscosity than some of those other brands made it super easy to eat quickly, with no mess. My nutritional explorations continued during my after-race spin with a HoneyStinger 10g Peanut Butta Protein bar to help my muscles recover, and the smaller size was appreciated–I don’t need the same amount of food as a 200lb male racer! I worked on rehydrating with a FLUID drink mix, which gave me 100% natural carbs, protein and also a touch of glutamine to reduce inflammation. I had the Tropical Escape flavor and it mixed up quickly without leaving a chalky residue behind in the bottle. [Read more →]

I have to admit, when I first learned that XOOD was our team drink sponsor, I was a bit skeptical; I mean, I’d never even heard of the product. However, after trying XOOD during my training, my skepticism quickly faded and I immediately felt confident using XOOD during racing. XOOD tastes great, is light in flavor, and provides my body with much needed nutrition when my heart rate is spiked. Best of all, it contains a bit of protein but does not turn ‘milky’ and gross-tasting when it gets warm.

XOOD is a natural, healthy energy drink with no added sweeteners and no artificial colors or flavoring. It is composed of a blend of maltodextrin, whey protein, fructose, electrolytes, and vitamins meant to go easy on your digestive system.

XOOD is a product of HeartWise Fitness & Nutrition and was developed by two cardiologists who sought to provide endurance athletes with a nutrition product composed of only high quality, natural, heart-friendly ingredients. One of the founding docs, Sal Tirrito, is an Ironman athlete and an occasional writer for our Doctor’s Corner section of Women’s Bike Talk. Lou Lancero, the other founding cardiologist of XOOD, is also an avid bike racer and triathlete.

XOOD is available in three varieties:

XOOD Green Tea Lemon, with a natural source of caffeine from green tea extract, designed to energize your workouts. Personally, this is my favorite flavor of XOOD.

XOOD Pomegranate, which contains polyphenols from natural pomegranate extract, designed to act as powerful antioxidants to cleanse the body of toxins built up during sustained exercise and reduce oxidative damage.

XOOD Mangosteen, which contains mangosteen, a unique tropical fruit with anti-inflammatory properties thought to revive tired muscles, as well as to decrease fatigue and gastro-intestinal issues.

Although XOOD is not as well known as, say, Gatorade, it’s definitely worth giving a shot. In my opinion, it does not disappoint.

A couple of months ago I made a visit to Don Williams (the husband of our team director – Maggie Williams) at Bicycle Haus in Scottsdale, AZ. Don runs Missing Link Coaching and Training Systems, which is one of the great sponsors of the Specialized Designs for Women presented by Bicycle Haus team. In addition to being a coach, Don is also a professional bike fitter, who has been trained by the famous Andy Pruitt himself!

As I have a tendency to fall off my bike on occasion, I have dealt with my fair share of injuries over the years as a cyclist. Various injuries, surgery, etc. tend to alter how you sit on the bike, and given the repetitive nature of cycling, it’s important to ensure that you are positioned correctly on the bike. At the beginning of this season, I was coming back from a long rest to try to recover from some crookedness in my hips. Naturally, I wanted Don to check out my bike fit to make sure I was in the correct position. Bike fitting can help prevent injury and also help you increase power on the bike, so I highly recommend it! [Read more →]