Remember, technology never goes backwards so why not be open minded about trying something that,

1.  simple

2.  absolutely works, and

3.  SAVES you LOTS of money!!!

As a professional cycling coach, I have had clients and other cyclists ask me all the time about my recommendation about all kinds of cycling related items, etc.  If I can honestly give them an answer, I will; if I don’t have first hand knowledge then I tell them that.  When it came to energy drinks, that was probably the most asked about item.  Even before I launched MyCycleCoach.com, I really wanted to find an energy drink that I could wrap my arms around.  It had to natural, taste good, affordable…and actually work.

My previous roommate Ted pointed me in the right direction and my 3 year search ended.  That’s when he told me about INFINIT.  At first, and probably like you, when I found out that all I needed was in the bottle and that I didn’t have to buy bars/gels anymore, I was VERY skeptical.   But, he was quite convincing and kept going back to the fact that it worked.  My next step was calling the founder of INFINIT, Michael Folan.  For about 30 minutes, I picked his brain on every angle and he was rock solid.  Even though he has an online interview process that helps create your unique formula, I wanted to speak directly to the founder and see if what he came up with from our conversation was even remotely close to what his website would create.  To my amazement, his verbal formula was identical to the online formula.  Why was this important?  If I am going to recommend to my clients, I needed to be absolutely certain that the online interview was just as good as speaking with the man who created it.  I placed my order.

Here is what separates INFINIT from everyone one else in the energy drink/mix industry:

1.  it’s ALL natural (yes, Hammer has that, too)

2.  you can fully customize a formula specific to you (no competition)

3.  everything you need while riding is IN the bottle. (no more bars/gels)

4.  you can even adjust the amount of flavoring

I tried INFINIT for 3 months under conditions ranging from crit/circuit races to long endurance rides in excess of 4 hours, and also LOTS of GAPS rides mixed in.  Honestly (and if you know me you know I am), I was amazed at:  a. how much better I felt at the end of my rides/races, b. that I never felt hungry, even on 4+ hr rides, and c. how much better I felt while actually riding.  Let me tell you, feeling THAT good and not having a single bar/gel utterly amazed me.  This is when I started to recommend INFINIT without hesitation.  BTW, you feel better while riding because your body is not stealing precious energy from your cycling effort to digest/process the food that you just ate.

I have a formula for endurance rides and one for shorter, intense rides.  As a former neighbor use to say all the time, “This is THE BOMB”.  No gimmicks, no hype…just the real deal.  Now for full disclosure, so that you don’t think I am recommending INFINIT because they pay me: INFINIT has NO financial endorsements to anyone, including pro athletes (as I understand); they get product for free but are not paid.  As a coach and part of their coach program, I receive the equivalent of about $0.50 to $1.00 credit for every order placed using my PROMO CODE:  mycyclecoach.  BTW, use this code and you get 10% off your orders.  Anyway, I don’t do this for the huge credit of $0.50; that doesn’t get me excited or motivated; I tell everyone about INFINIT because it works and saves me money.

If you are a habitual bar/gel purchaser, then I challenge you to take the online interview, create your own formula and leave all that other stuff at home.

See ya on the road…

Please read the information from the League of American Bicyclists regarding a big vote in Washington next week that concerns, among others, those of us who ride two wheels.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————-

From: “League of American Bicyclists” <bikeleague@bikeleague.org>

Date: January 26, 2012 8:03:16 AM EST

To: “Joe Seconder” <jseconder@yahoo.com>

Subject: Transportation Bill Moving !

Reply-To: “League of American Bicyclists” <bikeleague@bikeleague.org>

Ask Your Representative to Preserve Biking and Walking

Take Action!

Transportation Committee votes on biking and walking funding next week

On Thursday, February 2, we expect the House Transportation Committee to vote on the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act, a bill that eliminates crucial funds for biking and walking.  As a Member of the Committee, your representative is in a key position to save dedicated funding for biking and walking.  Please contact them today and ask them to vote to preserve biking and walking.

The American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act, the long awaited multi year Transportation bill, eliminates the two largest programs that fund biking and walking infrastructure—Transportation Enhancements and Safe Routes to School.  Without these programs, communities all over the country will lose resources to build the sidewalks, crosswalks, and bikeways that make biking and walking safe and accessible in your community.

We can’t let that happen.

That’s why we’re working to introduce an amendment that will preserve funding for biking and walking. During Thursday’s vote, your representative could be the key to making sure that this amendment passes in the Transportation Committee. Will you contact them today to ask that they vote to preserve funding for biking and walking in the transportation bill?

Tell them:

Biking and walking make up 12 percent of all trips, but only 1.5 percent of federal funding.

Two out of three pedestrian deaths take place on roads built with federal funding.  Ensuring funds for sidewalks, crosswalks, and bikeways help end preventable deaths and make roads safer for everyone.

When town centers are biking and walking friendly, business and economic development improves.

Thank you for all that you do to keep bicycling and walking safe and accessible.

There has been lots of buzz around many trying to guess what is NEW for the 3rd annual Jackson County Brevet (JCB) charity ride.   Our Committee (aka Heads Of State) has been working for a few months to help get everything ready to unveil this Sunday.

NEW for 2012 will be blasted out via email, JCB’s Facebook page, Twitter/@jacksonbrevet.com, here and from bike shops across metro Atlanta.  Once you see what’s on tap, we hope you get excited as we have been creating, planning and implementing all the components necessary to bring to you.

The Jackson County Brevet exists to change a 26 year old treatment for Aplastic Anemia to give my wife Kelly, and all those who suffer from this rare, deadly disease.  With that said, Jana Wrenn is a 9 yr old who came with her family to volunteer in both of our annual events.  Jana is suffering from Severe Aplastic Anemia and a bone marrow transplant is her only hope.  As of this week, Jana started the process of this 140 day process.  I hope you will join me/Kelly by keeping Jana (and her family) in your prayers/thoughts.

Watch out for Sunday for all our NEW additions for 2012.

See ya on the road…

Robert

Like the Rav-X gloves I highlighted in my recent product review, I have spent $100′s over the years trying to find the most effective protection without feeling like I’m wearing a winter snow ski coat or one of those NFL coats.  I don’t like feeling bulky or wearing a bunch of layers.  In my many purchases and experiments, the Craft Windstopper baselayer is THE BEST.  Imagine riding in 30′s with the wind chill several degrees lower than that…and being toasty.  Yes, you feel the pressure of the wind hitting you….but NOT the cold that comes with it.  The very first time I wore this was 24 degrees with the wind chill at 18.  I did a 50 training ride with the team I use to race with and was blown away (no pun intended) that I felt the wind but not the cold; I was amazed.

Then, $90 each, I went the next day and bought 2 more, so that I would rotate them and last much longer over time.  Never regretted spending that amount and for winter riding, it was the best money I’d spent.  Like all my cycling apparel, I wash in cold water with non-frangrance, non-bleach, etc. soap and then I let them all air dry.  About every other month, I will throw those pieces that have elastic banding into the dryer to help bring back the stretch.  For the Windstopper, I never put in the dryer; I always let it air dry.

So, if you get cold REALLY quick or just can’t handle cold riding (until now), take my 14 years and 115,000+ miles of riding experience.  Literally, I’ve tried every brand over the years, just like the winter gloves I just wrote about.  In this case, the extra money does pay off.  Countless riders have taken my referral on this baselayer and have come back raving.  If they bought one themselves, that really tells you something.

Is there a cycling item/accessory that you are just not sure about?  Not that I know everything about everything (and I don’t), but if you have a question about something that I DO know, I will be happy to share my experiences to help you avoid the very bad mistakes I have made.

See ya on the road…(in the cold)

Robert

Over the last 14 years of cycling, I have ridden in very cold temps and my toes and fingers were always the coldest part…and the hardest part to stay warm.  I have literally tried over a dozen brands of winter gloves, ranging from $25 – $200+ a pair; split fingers, lobster fingers…you name it, I have tried it.  In this tireless quest for the best winter gloves, I finally found the BEST WINTER GLOVE.

And the winner is?  RavX WindX gloves.  No, RavX is probably not the brand that comes to your mind first, but they will be the last pair of winter gloves you will buy.  In addition, they are not the most expensive, either (avg $30), which proves that the most expensive does not always mean the best.  Certainly not in this case.

The WindX model works incredibly well, even in at freezing temps.  No need for glove liners, either.  Yep, I’ve tried so many combinations; all failed.  There are several bike shops in Atlanta that carry RavX so getting a pair shouldn’t be difficult.  I only wished they came in yellow as an accent color; oh well.

So, the next time you hear a cyclist complain about cold hands, now you can give them some great advice.  RavX WindX.

See ya on the road,

Robert

Chris Mottram, of Dunwoody Cycling, put a phenomenal video together of the ride.  Click on the picture below and enjoy the ride.  GREAT JOB on the video, Chris!!!!

See ya on the road…

Robert

Yeh, this is neat to watch on a computer, but I sure was nervous watching it.  One tiny mistake and it becomes a very bad day.  I cna assure you that this will not be something I add to my bucket list.  You???

See ya on the road…

Robert

Click on the picture above to watch…

Apparently, the recent articles indicating that cyclists may be banned from the Blue Ridge Parkway has been misinterpreted, according to its Superintendent.  Here is the latest information from an interview with their top guy.

ASHEVILLE, NC (BRAIN)—Blue Ridge Parkway superintendent Phil Francis told Bicycle Retailer on Tuesday that the Parkway’s managers have never considered banning bikes from the road. He said that a draft management plan, which the public can comment upon until this Friday, has been mischaracterized. But he also said that severe budget cuts at the National Park Service property mean it’s unlikely the Parkway will make the improvements or increase access that many cyclists would like to see.

On Monday BR&IN reported on the draft management plan, which has many cyclists and retailers along the 469-mile corridor concerned. However, BR&IN was not able to reach a park representative until Tuesday morning. What follows is a transcribed interview with Francis. The Q&A has been edited for length and clarity. To listen to the full 26-minute telephone interview (including awkward small talk), you can download the WMA file.

Q:

The big question is to what extent the Parkway will welcome and encourage cycling going forward?

A:

Well, it’s amazing to me that someone would read that document and come to some conclusion that is so wildly different from our intent. Our intent is to continue to welcome bicyclists as we always have. To make reference to the enabling legislation that created the park in the 1930s and to then conclude that the park is not welcoming bicycles anymore is quite amazing. Our plan is to continue to welcome bicyclists; we are not planning to change our policy at all.

Q:

The plan actually includes the creation of a multi-use path parallel to the Parkway?

A:

That parallel multi-use trail should have been deleted, that was a mistake. There should be an addendum that points that out. The parallel trails that we had hoped to consider just aren’t feasible financially. We have a $300 million (park maintenance) backlog currently. If you look at the level of funding we get each year, which is declining, there is no possible way financially for us to fund our backlog, much less add additional resources. The total value of the resources we have to manage is $5.2 billion. We get $16 million a year to manage 600 buildings, 100 waste water treatment plants, 469 miles of road, 77 cemeteries, 14 visitor centers, 16 million people, 3,300 law enforcement incidents. It is just not possible with this economic climate … to think about adding infrastructure. It isn’t going to happen.

Q:

Does your favored management option include any capital improvements?

A:

$73 million is the number and most of that is to do something that would actually be good for bicycle riders I think, which is to provide for grade-separated structures. That doesn’t come from our budget, it comes from the Federal Highway Administration budget.

(Editor’s note: “Grade-separated structures” replace four-way-stop intersections with on-ramps and off-ramps)

Q:

I noticed the preferred management option also calls for some increased mountain bike access.

A:

Yeah, we had talked about at one point considering mountain biking in one particular area along the Parkway and my concern is that once again, every activity we allow on the Parkway requires staff resources and we are getting smaller, not bigger or staying the same, and so the capacity to manage activities is certainly a concern of mine. We’ve got buildings that are falling down that we can’t take care of, so how could we manage a new activity?

There are some references to (mountain biking access in the draft). We are not opposed to it, not at all, we realize that it’s an activity a lot of people engage in, and it’s an activity that I don’t think would have the kind of resource impacts that we once thought. We did a lot of research and determined that mountain biking does not have an adverse impact to resources. The impact would come in other ways, in terms of managing the activity on the ground. Our rangers are spread so thin right now … whenever we decide to look at whatever the new activity might be, whether it’s mountain biking, or new areas for climbing, or new areas for horseback riding, we’ve got to consider our ability to manage it.

Q:

The Parkway is seeking to become a National Historic Landmark, what would that do for you? There is concern among bike advocates that it would make it difficult to add shoulders to the road or paths.

A:

It certainly adds an additional layer of protection. It doesn’t mean that there can’t be impacts; it means that we have to give them additional consideration before making decisions. That would be true if we were to add a new building or change the footprint of a picnic area. It doesn’t mean it can’t happen, it means we have to consider what the impacts are. It wouldn’t have any impact at all on the use of the Parkway as it is used today.

Q:

The Parkway is known for its narrow twisty roads and its stone walls; adding a shoulder or a bike lane might change that aesthetic in a way that historians would object to.

A:

I think it would be more difficult to find the funding to do that! I don’t know the cost, but it’s not cheap.

We have pretty good interactions right now between people who are in motorized vehicles and people who are not. It’s certainly not perfect, and like anyplace else we are continually trying to educate people on how to share the road.

Q:

In the draft plan, a summary of the management’s preferred option states that the park “would be actively managed as a traditional, self-contained, scenic recreational driving experience and designed landscape.” Other places in the draft plan mention conflicts between drivers and bikes and other challenges of having bikes on the Parkway. I think what concerns bike advocates is that, given the emphasis on driving, those conflicts would tend to be resolved in favor of driving, not biking.

A:

Maybe we should have been more clear about where those statements came from. Every planning document I’ve ever seen makes reference to the reason that the park was created. If you look at the legislation that created the park, that (driving) is what they had in mind … Those words came from that time in that context. In no way do those words mean we can’t have bicycles.

Q:

Have you been surprised by the reaction to the plan from the cycling community?

A:

I’ve been disappointed. Because a word went out before anyone contacted us. I wasn’t called to confirm … people oftentimes come to conclusions without looking at the facts. In this case we could have confirmed the facts and these stories wouldn’t have been created. The fact is we’ve never had a discussion about limiting bicycle use as part of the GMP process, not since I’ve been here.

Q:

How many comments have you received on the draft?

A:

Last I heard the number was around 500, but I suspect that number has increased considerably. Some came in today in my inbox. And all but one were bicycle (-related). A lot of people seem to think I intend to restrict or reduce or eliminate bicycles from the Parkway, and it’s just not true.

We’ll be considering (the comments) as part of our general comment analysis. That means our staff will go to a great deal of effort to evaluate all the comments. And I got a phone call from a guy who doesn’t like bicycles on the Parkway. He left a message yesterday that he wants me to ban them all. And the horseback riders came out pretty strongly against mountain biking because they don’t agree with this concept of mixed use.

Q:

What’s the next step in the process?

A:

The next step will be to go through an evaluation of the comments and provide consideration for all those comments. And we take that responsibility very seriously. While it’s not a vote, we look at the merits of each comment to see how we might adjust the plan, if we can. Then we will prepare the final document, it will be reviewed by our Washington office, and we will release a record of decision next year, late next year.

So I hope you will tell your readers that bicycling is welcome on the Parkway.

—Steve Frothingham
sfrothingham@bicycleretailer.com

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You gotta read this…and then respond.  If we don’t, then we may be banned.  That’s UNTHINKABLE!!!

Click HERE to read the full article.

See ya on the road…

Robert