Category — Bicycle/Accessory Reviews

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 →]

As an endurance athlete, I’ve sampled a plethora of nutrition products over the years. Some are better than others in the taste department, but most seem work about the same in providing energy to the body. Additionally, all the products I’ve tried pretty much wreak havoc on my digestive system and tend to leave me feeling gassy and bloated by the end of a long ride or run.

However, Honey Stinger products are different. Check out www.honeystinger.com for the lowdown on all the different forms of Honey Stinger nutrition.   [Read more →]

Melanie and I went to Recovery Sock, an awesome sponsor of our team for 2010, and picked up some compression socks for the Specialized Women’s team.

Recovery Socks are made in Italy but it is great to have a division of the company here in Tucson. I have been wearing my pair of Recovery Socks and they are great! I have been fortunate enough to have three weeks in Tucson to train hard before heading back to the snow and ice currently inhabiting the East coast. While I’m enjoying some sun shine I have been putting in some serious miles and with only three weeks to train recovery is an important component when trying to get the most out of my time. Recovery socks are great because the end result of compression socks are the aided delivery of oxygen to working muscles which allowing for better training. After my rides I put on a pair of Recovery Socks, try my hand cooking, and enjoy the Arizona sun shine!

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On Tuesday, I went with Melanie and Beca to tour the Genuine Innovations facility. Marty gave us LOTS of really cool product, but I must confess, I do have a favorite. (My mom says it’s not nice to play favorites, but she’s not here…)

Anyway, I love tools. In fact, should I ever get married, the first thing I’ll register for is a cordless drill. (Great for taking things apart, which I’m really good at, and also perfect for putting things together, which may or may not be my strongest skill.) However, there is definitely not room in my jersey pocket for a cordless drill, and Cerulean tells me that the weight of the drill and its battery are counterproductive to the ever-illusive strength-to-weight ratio we’re striving for. Enter my new most favorite multi-purpose tool, posing on dear Cerulean’s saddle:

Here are some key things you should know about the Genuine Innovations FlatStack mini tool: [Read more →]

This week, Judy, Beca, and I headed down to Genuine Innovations right here in Tucson, AZ.  Genuine Innovations is one of our new sponsors for 2010, and they are sure to keep us on the road with their high pressure CO2 and valve inflation technology.

When we got to Genuine Innovations, we met up with Marty Mares who, in addition to helping run Genuine Innovations, is a great supporter of racing and super nice guy.  He gave us a tour of the Genuine Innovations Plant, and he also showed us how to use some of the product we will be getting.

Marty shows us all the product made by Genuine Innovations.

Genuine Innovations doesn’t just stick to cycling inflators, they make products with a variety of different applications from the medical industry all the way over the to tattoo industry.  They make keg chargers, motorcycle tire inflators, and so much more!

[Read more →]

XOOD – The natural healthy endurance drink.

One time, at a triathlon, I got so dehydrated I answered “Tucson” when the ambulance driver asked me what my name was. That was in 1999, and I wasn’t just dehydrated but hyponatremic. Which is a fancy word Don’t-drink-gallons-of-water-leading-up-to-your-race-or-you’ll-deplete-your-sodium-levels-so-bad-it-could-kill-you. Or, in my case, turn me into a moron for a couple days. To avoid both moronism and death, it is best for endurance athletes to mix water with electrolyte replenishment products. Ten years ago, there weren’t a lot of choices for electrolyte drinks. Gatorade, Powerade, and other-ades were common, but often full of high fructose corn syrup and food colorings seemingly leeched from lightbulbs along the Las Vegas strip. Many a tummy have been troubled by such ingredients, especially during the utmost level of physical effort, and many a tummy have silently cried out for change. Luckily, Dr. Sal Tirrito and Dr. Lou Lancero two cardiologist-athletes in Tucson, heard the cry and created the best tasting, most effective, stomach-friendly electrolyte sports drink (technically, mix) on the market: XOOD.

For the full article, please click on the XOOD below!

After completing the Whiskey 50 mountain bike race this past weekend I have a need to share my new love for my Women’s Specialized BG Radiator Gloves. You say how can one be in love with gloves? Let me share the top 10 reasons why I have found these to be by far the best gloves for both mountain biking and road biking:

10) Stylish looks with nice bright colors.

[Read more →]