Monday, April 30, 2007

Coast to Coast wins: "Gould, Pic, Hekman, Ross"

Let's see! On the women's side, Tina Pic took the crit in her home state, Roswell, GA. Georgia Gould had at one time a 5 minute lead on Sunday at Firestone to take the win in mtb CA, after taking 2nd with two wrecks on Saturday. Shonny Vanlandingham is getting back on course and takes a 2nd behind Gould on Sunday and as well as taking a 3rd on Saturday. Rebecca Rush took 2nd at the 12-hr Dirt,Sweat,Gears in Tennessee.

Mark Hekman sprints to perhaps the biggest and well know race in the US, "The Athens Twilight", then takes a 7th at Roswell Crit on Sunday. Nat Ross had about a 10 minute lead on the field and took first in 12-hr Dirt,Gears, Sweat in Tennessee.

Its hard to keep up with it all!

These people care about fit and they use our Wobble-naught & Myo-facts sEMG/Dartfish. They know what is in their game and the results say it all!

We set bikes up for your best game! If you will take the time to learn how to pedal using our setup, you will obtain your "rainbow". You don't have to go faster!

See a dealer if you want to get faster!

What's in your game?

Sunday, April 29, 2007

Santa Ynez Short Track Luna 1,2,3

2007 Santa Ynez Classic NMBS
Short Track

Luna goes one, two, and three! Georgia gets 2nd, even after being in two wrecks!

When working with top pros, we listen to them about what they think and how they feel. Shonny really didn't want to go to a longer and lower stem, so we moved the saddle back to obtain her spine angles for bridging. So as soon as they got new saddles things change.

Even at Sea Otter, she has had a hard time with a newer saddle! This is a big deal, as fore/aft is where the legs can make or break power.

Just before this race, we both made the call to move the new saddle where the numbers said! Results!!!

There is a lesson here, don't second guess the numbers!

Women:
1. Katerina Nash (Cz), Luna
2. Georgia Gould, Luna Wobble-naught & Myo-facts sEMG/Dartfish
3. Shonny Vanlandingham, Luna Wobble-naught & Myo-facts sEMG/Dartfish

Domination in the South! Mark Hekman (A&F) wins Athens Twilight Crit & Nat Ross wins 12-hr mtb, Rebecca Rush 2nd 12h mtb in Tenn.

April 29 , 2007

Our racers dominated in the southeast with perhaps the largest crit in the US and a hard charging 12-hr mtb race at Dirt,Sweat,Gears! Think of racing from the gun for 12 hours, you better have it right! In the last hour, Nat Ross had over 10 min. lead.

As for Mark's win in ATHENS TWILIGHT, it's huge and I think the purse was somthing like $10,000 for first place! The best of the best go for that type of money! He even put a lap on the field!

Dolly Parton - "If you want to be a rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain".

In sporting competition you will always have those who contest the success of others! It's a high-profile position, and draws a lot of attention! Take NASCAR and Hendrick Motorsports, for example, who have been dominating with wins in many of the last races! Jeff Gordon #24 just won, and tying a legend, Dale Earnhardt #3 with his 76th career win. The results had debris tossed on Gordon's car on his victory lap!

Racing success triggers very strong reactions! There are those who say our fits are bad, that what we do doesn't make a difference. Why then, can an Elite team like A&F, using Wobble-naught & Myo-facts sEMG/Dartfish, mix it up with the pros who ride for a living everyday, at the biggest crit in perhaps the world?

In sports you had better get used to the rain, because people will attempt to rain on your efforts! We place our necks on the chopping blocks every week for the whole world to see what does and doesn't work! Don't let people rain on your dreams! Never stop exploring your game! One thing is for sure, we don't let a little rain stop us from helping people reach their rainbows, or in Mark's case, the podium!

Mark Hekman and his A&F USA Crit Series team (Jim Baldesare, Frankie Dierking,
Rich Harper, Neil Coleman, and Marco Aledia) show the pros who we really are.

Mark lapped the field for the second consecutive NRC race in a row, and
takes his lesson learned to the first step on the podium. "I am so excited,
this is so huge!" says Hekman to team boss, Chad Thompson, right after the
victory.

"This is the biggest, fastest and most publicized criterium in the US, if
not the world. With the highest spectator attendance and a huge field, this
marks the biggest victory ever for both Mark and our program!" states GM,
Thompson. "Mark deserves this more than anyone we know, and the team that
raced so hard for him deserves it too."


Solo results are like this for the men....
1. Nat Ross Wobble-naught & Myo-facts sEMG/Dartfish
2. Josh Tostado
3. Tinker
4. Rob Lichtenwalner (Ergon user)
5. Sloane Anderson (Ergon user)
6. Ernesto (Ergon user) Wobble-naught & Myo-facts sEMG/Dartfish

Solo results for the women...
1. Pua (Ergon user)
2. Rebecca Rusch Wobble-naught & Myo-facts sEMG/Dartfish
3. Carey Lowery (Ergon User)

What's in your game?

Friday, April 27, 2007

Competition can't keep up, so they bad-mouth!

There is an old saying "In business, if someone is bad mouthing something - they are looked at as bad business! Walk away, as that is all they have, their mouth".

Boise's racers just came back from a race in the eastern part of Washington . They took every spot at the top pro. Everyone of the racers has had a Wobble-naught fit.

Remi McManus who won the crit, called and said, "Dude! Look at www.wheelsinfocus.com, I am doing what the Myo-facts sEMG/Dartfish pointed out and you can see it! It got me the win!"

Why are so many of the professional cyclists, both men and women, in all events, using our systems for biomechanic feedback? Everywhere you look, there is a sizing system. Because it has changed their game, that is making a difference. Why are some of the top coaches asking their top guns to use our Wobble-naught CAD, then the Myo-facts sEMG/Dartfish telemetry biofeedback? Results!

Anyone can claim anything, then bad-mouth something. We take our game to the race track every weekend and we let the results show the trends. The race and the results are the "END ALL". Today you can't just go someones claims and experience, you need the facts on every part of the stroke and we can show you what you need to work on. Software is here to stay and that has hurt many who want to be specialists in bike fitting. Just the facts please! And no two people are the same.

We are partners with Noraxon, the world leader in EMG technology and Dartfish software. As Victor Bergonzoli, CEO of Dartfish, said:" I would hate to have to compete with what we are doing. Software is changing the way we teach people to move and the results show it." Victor also pointed out that we are only a few weeks away from the 4.5 that is needed for the Myo-facts sEMG/Dartfish. Sebastien Dubuis of Dartfish is headed to Europe to oversee the final touches for what will be the strongest myth-buster in sports!

Without this high technology, you are going to have to put your ear on the old iron horse rails to attempt to make sense of it. Things have! It is so funny that the biggest bad-mouthing comes from those who have approached us in the past, trying to become dealers. We will not place dealers on top of each other, so the only thing they can do is to rally the tribe.

Be careful of what you hear and do your homework. It has been pointed out from our dealers, they hear the bad-mouthing, but people just keep coming! As an MD of Sports Medicine once said, "If you have the software, providing the facts, you take away the need of human voices 'to tell you what they think'! Ha!"

Again, there is a lot of pushing and shoving going on in bike fitting! Anyone can proclaim they know what you need, working by eye, and based on their experience. We just let the results do the talking. If their ideas are what they say they are, why are are our guys and gals doing so well?

A few facts!

Navigators' Glen Chadwick won the overall most aggressive rider's jersey after he repeatedly attacked the field. His director, Ed Beamon, commented on the team's equal playing field. "I think there was a really strong showing amongst all of the teams here, not just the domestic teams," Beamon said.

Other notable results came from Health Net's Ryder Hesjedal who won the KOM competition.

What's in your game?

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

USA gets two in the Top Five in 10th Women's Flèche Wallonne, Belgium

Good results still coming from Belgium!

Olympic hopefuls are dying to represent the USA in the 2008 Beijing Games, which means UCI points. The racing is hard core!

Just about a month ago Kristin learned that she was to replace her TEAmmate, TEAm Lipton's Kori Seehaffer. Kori had earned a spot to race for the US, however she broke a collar bone just before the end of a race. At that time, Kristin was beating most of the Cat 1 men pro here in Boise, ID. She was working hard for the upcoming season. She had her knee cleaned up a bit!

It looks like TEAm Lipton's Kristin Armstrong is almost back, as she took a 5th place, just behind Amber Neben. A super showing for the USA to place two gals in the top five! She is not 100%, so this is a super result and shows how good she really is.

Kristin sent an email to us saying that she will be back May 7th, as we have a new pair of custom shoes waiting for her.

Results:

1. Marianne Vos (Ned) Team DSB Bank
2. Nicole Cooke (GBr) Raleigh Lifeforce Creation
3. Judith Arndt (Ger) T-Mobile
4. Amber Neben (USA) Team Flexpoint
5. Kristen Armstrong (USA)

Sunday, April 22, 2007

Tour de Georgia-Sergey Lagutin 3rd in final Stage!

Racing at the top is not a 'cake walk'. Every pedal stroke counts! The Navigators Insurance Team had a super week at the Tour de GA. These are some of the best teams in the world.

Congrats to the team for an outstanding week, and to Craig Upton who worked with them at their early season race camp in NM.


Results:

1. Juan José Haedo (Arg) Team CSC 2.25.30 (44.329 km/h)
2. Fred Rodriguez (USA) Predictor-Lotto
3. Sergey Lagutin (Uzb) Navigators Insurance (Wobble-naught by Craig Utpon)

MTB World Cup XC, Belgium-Georgia Gould 8th, Top US racer!

The racers from China are on trail, the real deal, and they are very focused! They took 1st, 5th, and 7th at the MTB World Cup XC in Belgium. I think they are out to make a name for their country. This is good for the racers, as all racers, from all countries are going to have to step up their game.

The world is a very big place and racing World Cup is not like racing in local events in the USA. There may be 20 people who can match your best! Blink your eyes and you will get passed! That is what makes this so fun, is that you must have everything perfect on the bike and also in the mind!

Then you have to start at the bottom, say like Georgia at 40th, and fight your way to the lead.

The important thing is that Georgia knows, firstly, that she can race the World Class racer's and secondly, what it took to put time (4 min.) into the field at Sea Otter in the US. The World Cup was good for her, she now has an idea of how much work is needed to place well in the upcoming games. Georgia was "top-gun" for the USA, but she still can't let her focus down. To be at the top, she is going to have to find even more speed in certain areas of a course.

She doesn't want to just represent her country, but she wants a real chance at a medal.

Georgia knows that she is going to have to find more than 4min in her game to be in the hunt, on trail, running with the pack! Nose down, tail high, just like a "Blue-Tick" hound dog! However, she has time to get it worked out, so she can be that lead dog!

Don't count Georgia's teammate, Shonny Vanlandingham, out of the hunt! She is wise and also on trail, after being sick at the start of the season she is fighting her was back. With all the travels, sitting on planes day after day, which can tax you! Shonny- "The legs are just not there." There is a lot of racing in a season, so keep an eye on her, as we know she can dig deep! The game is only getting faster!

If you can place in the top 20, you can be looked at as 'in the hunt'. Mary McConneloug (USA) Kenda/Seven, Willow Koerber (USA) Subaru-Gary Fisher are also in that hunt.

I just spoke to Willow Koerber at Sea Otter last weekend who is from Brevard, NC. I shared with Williow that Brevard is where I grew up as a kid. I know that play ground and I how wet and steep the trails are! We used to race our motorcross bikes in that day (no mtb bikes). My father, when he was a younger man, hunted the Blue Ridge mountains for bear and coon's using hound-dogs!

Houffalize, Belgium, April 22-, 2007

Race 1 - April 22: Elite Women's XC

Results:

1. Ren Chengyuan (Chn) China 2.00.23
2. Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjaa (Nor) Multivan Merida Biking Te 0.01
3. Margarita Fullana (Esp) Spiuk-Tau Ceramica 0.15
4. Sabine Spitz (Ger) Ghost International Racin 2.35
5. Jingjing Wang (Chn) China 3.07
6. Marie-Helene Premont (Can) Rocky Mountain Haywood 3.28
7. Ying Liu (Chn) Team Lapierre International 4.22
8. Georgia Gould (USA) Luna Womens Mtb Team 4.49 Wobble-naught CAD/Myo-facts sEMG/Dartfish
9. Katerina Nash (Cze) Luna Womens Mtb Team 6.11
10. Ivonne Kraft (Ger) La Carrera-BTS 6.25
11. Elsbeth Van Rooij-Vink (Ned) Beone Mountainbiketeam 6.35
12. Tereza Hurikova (Cze) Ceska Sporitelna Mtb 6.46
13. Maja Wloszczowska (Pol) Halls Professional Mtb Te 6.59
14. Elisabeth Osl (Aut) Tonis Pro Team Kirchberg 7.19
15. Rosara Joseph (NZl) 7.52
16. Mary McConneloug (USA) Kenda/Seven 7.53
17. Shonny Vanlandingham (USA) Luna Womens Mtb Team 7.58 Wobble-naught CAD/Myo-facts sEMG/Dartfish
18. Arielle Van Meurs (Ned) 8.39
19. Willow Koerber (USA) Subaru-Gary Fisher 9.23

Friday, April 20, 2007

Tour de Georgia "Results"

This is perhaps one of the hardest stage races in the USA. If you have not been to the top of Brasstown Bald, GA then you have no idea how steep it is! In spots it reaches over 22-23% grade incline. You then think about racing up it after 100 miles, mostly that being uphill.

We are very pleased to work with the top racers like Jeremiah Bishop, Georgia Gould, Shonny Vanlandingham, Nat Ross, Tina Pic, and Kristin Armstrong, to name a few. These pros race at the biggest races! We are also very pleased to see our dealers working with top guns across the country. We then watch their efforts, and the results roll in. Bike setup is huge!

From coast to coast, from "Sea Otter to Macon, GA" racers are getting the results both in mtb and road, from crits to stage races.

All this week, performance has been high and super results have come from many pros who use our systems! Your position (zone of movement) on a bike is huge. Today's race to Brasstown Bald, Ga requires optimal power output, perfect handling for sharp curves, stead fast lines for fast downhills, then to end it on a 22% grade, your best climbing options, all from the start of the race to the end.

Today was one of those events that throws everything the racer can handle, and over a course of 100 miles! A real test of what works best! You must have an aerodynamic package, that makes big power, plus be as efficient as possible, in order to get to the top of Brasstown Bald, Ga.

Results:
1. Levi Leipheimer (USA) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 4.33.33
2. Thomas Danielson (USA) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 0.38
3. Anthony Colby (USA) Colavita/Sutter Home presented by Cooking Light 1.00
4. Nathan O'neill (Aus) Health Net presented by Maxxis 1.06
5. Gilberto Simoni (Ita) Saunier Duval - Prodir 1.19
6. Alexandre Moos (Swi) BMC Racing Team 1.25
7. Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Health Net presented by Maxxis 1.29 Wobble-naught fitted
8. John Devine (USA) USA National Development Team 1.30
9. Christian Vandevelde (USA) Team CSC 1.38
10. Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team
11. Glen Alan Chadwick (NZl) Navigators Insurance Cycling Team Wobble-naught fitted


It works for both men and women, just like Georgia Gould, who did 38 miles solo at Sea Otter and put over 4 min on 2nd place!

We wanted to just sit back and watch the super efforts come forth this week at the "Tour de Georgia". If you have been watching the "Tour de Georgia" you might not have known that we had guys on the front of the races all week!

Today was the end of Brasstown Bald, GA. Below are just a few racers that held their own against the very best in the game. Thanks to our dealers, Todd Herriott of "Herriott Sports Performance", and Craig Upton of "Performance Labs", both using our CAD and our technical aspects to the game.


We can help you pedal. Despite the apparent simplicity of the movements involved, "pedaling must be learned".

Fit #3916
Fit Placed On 12/20/2006 2:10:41 PM
Fit Name: Ryder Hesjedal
Gender: M
Fit Type: road
Height: 6' 2"
Weight: 161 lbs.

Account: Herriott Sports Performance (Todd Herriott)

FIT VALUES:
trochtofloor = 1016mm
rtankle = 85mm
ankleknee = 425mm
baseknee = 82mm
kneetotroch = 520mm
neutral = 265mm

trochtowall = 125mm
crest = 250mm
acrelax = 734mm
acup = 794mm
acdown = 700mm
actoac = 410mm
actoelbow = 383mm
knuckle = 390mm
shoulder = 1012mm

top_tube = 560mm
seat_tube = 580mm
sangle = 75 degrees
crank = 175mm

ltsesamoid = 139mm
rtsesamoid = 132mm
ltcenter = 42mm
rtcenter = 41mm
ltheel = 190mm
rtheel = 189mm

FIT Computations:
Cleat Placement (A) Longitudinal
*** Right Foot: mm
*** Left Foot: mm

Cleat Placement (B) Lateral
*** Right Foot: mm
*** Left Foot: mm

Saddle Height: mm
Fore/Aft Saddle Position:Fast

Effective Body Extension: Fast




Fit Placed On 1/29/2007 4:44:21 PM
Fit Name: Phil Zajiack
Gender: M
Fit Type: road
Height: 5' 8"
Weight: 142 lbs.

Account: Performance Labs (Craig Upton)

FIT VALUES:
trochtofloor = 910mm
rtankle = 79mm
ankleknee = 400mm
baseknee = 80mm
kneetotroch = 455mm
neutral = 250mm

trochtowall = 85mm
crest = 210mm
acrelax = 700mm
acup = 760mm
acdown = 660mm
actoac = 360mm
actoelbow = 340mm
knuckle = 330mm
shoulder = 1100mm

top_tube = 520mm
seat_tube = 500mm
sangle = 73.5 degrees
crank = 172.5mm

ltsesamoid = 130mm
rtsesamoid = 130mm
ltcenter = 44mm
rtcenter = 44mm
ltheel = 167mm
rtheel = 167mm

FIT Computations:
Cleat Placement (A) Longitudinal
*** Right Foot: his
*** Left Foot: his

Cleat Placement (B) Lateral
*** Right Foot: his
*** Left Foot: his

Saddle Height: his
Fore/Aft Saddle Position: Fast

Effective Body Extension: Fast


Thank you for using the Wobble-naught® system for fitting your bike. Some of you will have made drastic adjustments to your bike. It may take you several months to fully adjust to the new fit. Give your body time to adjust to the fit before you try to get peak performance.


What's in your game?

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Riding With a Purpose!

Cycling topics are very controversial. How much can performance theoretically improve, even when you do improve one's performance (i.e. Georgia Gould and the many others we have worked with)?

Greg LeMond was first to note that he saw a jump in performance, leading to the use of drugs. I think we will all agree that there is only so much that one can do!
If you break the pedal stroke down to each stroke, to how each muscle fires, you can see someone ride better and stay injury-free. Knowledge is the key!

Today, there are many who just talk the talk on the Internet and attempt to sale the look in a magazine. There are a few, however, who are more about "action & results", even after racing at the top of the international game.

This man was a teammate with Lance Armstrong on the road, he was also one of the best mtb racers in the world and still holds a love for the sport. He doesn't buy into all the talk, but is a man of action and knows that our tools can show him how to refine his moves. We can all get better.

Chopper, (as LeMond was nicknamed because of the huge side-burns he had in his days as a pro), lives in Sun Valley, ID, and was a man who rode with purpose both then and now! He loves to fine-tune his bikes. Why would anyone do sport to do it poorly?

LeMond is not your 'Sunday Rider', but was a international cycling expert. Greg Randolph is much respected in the cycling game. He already rides faster than most, but is always riding with a purpose. Greg part of the head team of Smith Optics Marketing. After working with so many professional teams, like CSC, etc... he could get a fit from anyone, but he chose to use Wobble-naught and Myo-facts sEMG/Dartfish cutting-edge techniques.











As you ride, you must balance what you know, or think you know, against what you discover, in order to create a pedal stroke that is consistent, clear, and effective.
You need to strike the right balance between finding your purpose and then demonstrating that purpose. Without the correct tools, how can you do this?

You hear "xyz" fitting systems that claim this and that. However, the truth is, they are more about making you feel good than causing you to learn. You'll hear questions like: How does that feel? Does that feel good? Do you want to get better? After all who is the pro? A powermeter doesn't tell you which muscle is firing and when.

I guess it doesn't manner if you have to put forth effort to learn how to pedal! OK everyone, just start swinging your golf clubs and the ball will go straight and long! It's true that learning can be hard work, which means that you have to put in effort. You mean you have to learn this stuff? God forbid! That requires focus and effort!

Sport science in general has been developing in the last few years. Wobble-naught was the first on-line service and the first to use the laser. We have always had other's attempting to learn what we do. Why then do our racers win over their fitting ideas?

We'll tell you why. Our racers learn how to pedal on top of the fit! You can address a golf ball, but you still have to have a good swing if you want the ball to go!

Our focus is on the pedal stroke and the technical aspects of aerodynamics, and biomechanics. We can show you your insides and out. How can you see the tone of the muscles by the eye naked eye alone?

Just because you understand training, doesn't mean you understand the pedal stroke!

Monday, April 16, 2007

Georgia Gould puts a 4 minute lead on 2nd place!

You can't claim anything, that is racing, but Georgia is no question an Olympic hopeful. As it stands, she is on her way to Beijing. This is an Olympic season, and you must earn a spot to go.

For the 2008 selection, a premium is placed on the World Cup competitions. The Luna gals are headed to a World Cup today. Does Georgia have a realistic chance at the 2008 Games? We think so! Only your best performance for the season will get you on the team. Right now stellar performance's seem to be the name of her game. However, she can't let her guard down now. Anything can happen!

For sure, Georgia has put her time and effort on the table. She and her husband Dusty lived out of a van until she made the Luna team. Georgia stayed with the Wobble-naught CAD fit through the years until now and just last spring added the Myo-facts sEMG/Dartfish. Her efforts are apparent!


There will always be "nay-say-ers", who question what we do with racers like Georgia. They make their claims, that they are the only ones who can and will get the most out of your body, while minimize potential injuries. Since when did health care proffesionals tell Tiger Woods how to swing? We are not a sports medicine provider, so we can't advice you on injuries by law, but we can improve your game.

Georgia is making a name for herself, which has not been hurt! Just like Kristin Armstrong, she is making a name for herself.

Both Krisitn Armstrong and Georgia Gould are training hard for the chance at Olympic glory in Beijing. We have worked with both of them, providing all the support we can!

Here she is, just after setting the fastest mtb tt.










She was just behind Katie Compton until her wreck.












After a hard day at work in the rain, still smiling!




















Just before the XC on Sunday morning, I went by the Luna tent to check with Georgia and Shonny. I just watched and recorded their warm up. Very little words exchanged! I don't like to show up and remove their warm-up focus!



When I started taking pics for review, Georgia wanted to know if I had my level? She wanted me to recheck her saddle and make sure it was correct. I asked her what was going on, and she could not explain it. I told her that I would run to the car and grab the level if needed, but that I didn't really want to change something just before a race. She then said not to worry about it, that she would just race with it. What Nerves!

We have a saddle setup that Georgia can take with her from her training bikes all the way to her race bikes. We have her saddle height and saddle tilt the way she can make the most power from it.

The whole week has had winds of 30+ mph, steady! It was cold and very windy. The track was very large and much of the race was on the pavement. Only the best setup and the best pedal strokes will make the power here. So, being able to get aero is a big deal.

One week ago, I sent an email to Georgia about this. With so much wind, you can get the idea that everything is wrong. The saddle can play tricks on you when you are on the pavement. The wind will push you all over the place.

After Georgia's crash on Saturday's short track, placing 5th, she showed how she can make real power. In heavy wind, she rode away from the field.

She had over a four minute lead; that's time enough to tell her story before 2nd place rolled in.


Let's hope a couple of really good World Cup finishes come. Right now Georgia is in good form. The World Cup is not the same as our domestic races! At the World Cup you have to be ready for a fight, they are not just going to let your ride by and smile!

We feel that Georgia has a legitmate chance of earning a medal, not merel representing her country. We would love to see her do what TEAm Litpon's, Kristin Armstrong (Boise, ID ) has done.

Sunday, April 15, 2007

Sea Otter- From Dust to Mud, to wrecks!

Pan Am champion, Gould, commented that she was pleased with holding the fastest time on the brief duration of the event, then getting a tie with her teammate. "You warm up for an hour and then you're done so fast. The course was short and fast and even dusty. Too short to know what the legs are doing. But it wasn't as bad as I was expecting. I remembered it a lot worse."

Last year's short track and time trial courses were littered with hub-deep mud holes.
It seemed to be the norm after yet another wet, muddy, cold race.

Saturday was not dusty, but it rained so hard that some of the races came to a stop.
Many pre-rode routes to warm up and the storms caught them. They became so wet and cold that they didn't even attend the first short track races. After few hours of rain and mud delay, short tract saw racers racing in 1/4 deep mud.

The girls started the race in 10 inches of wet grass "slow". Georgia had the lead, then Compton came around. I heard them say of Compton as she shot by Georgia, "Who is that in the black?" When I was able to catch sight, Georgia was only a few yards back from Katie Compton. As I looked for a spot to watch, they came around again.

Compton is well know for her "all or nothing" and she goes all out from the gun. She has played this game on Georgia's mind in many events last fall. You know that Georgia had that on her mind. They both where pulling away from the field until Georgia took a inside line on the steep, slick, off-camber right hand downhill and then her front end went out. She then hit the center of a medal post holding up the inside course tape. Not good! The post won! Ouch!!!

As I watched her lay, she had her head downhill about two feet below below her feet. All this, while facing uphill, her face covered with mud, watching racers fight their bikes as they just missed her in the six inches of mud, watching 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, etc..., shoot by! She took quite a while to review her bike and gather herself. I'm so glad that she wasn't hurt! After the race she remarked that it took her a while to get back into her groove. That wreck hurt! You could see the inside of her upper leg was bleeding under the mud. We will see how this affects her on Sunday.

Katie Compton really knows how to stand up and sprint, getting back up to speed on the flats, something she learned from her track racing. Compton has the power standing, and until the other girls learn to stand and make a better sprint, she will always make distance on them.

Shonny Vanlandingham had a good race, but something happened at the start, and she had to pass something like 20 plus racers to get to 6th. She was happy to get those results.

Did I say rain? Stand in your shower with your kit on and turn it up to full blast!
Then stand there for an hour. That will give you an idea of how wet it was!

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Sea Otter looking good!

After staying in the San Fran area, dining out, and having the owner of Scott USA come in from the street to say hello, it is going to be a good week. Scott USA is based in Sun Valley, ID and many of the racers are riding them. A good bike.

I just interacted with a new star, UCI World #1, Georgia Gould, (the well know queen of NORBA) and Shonny Vanlandingham, as they had their breakfast with their Luna Team leader ,Alison Dunlap.

We performed the usual greetings, exchanged hugs, etc... A good way to start out the day.

After going to the track yesterday to get a few racers ready, I announced that I was pleased that the course was dry. I had to wade around in ankle high mud last year. Alison was very quick to point out not to even talk about rain. Ha!

Things are good at this time, but the winds are like "trade winds", never stopping. The jet stream is just south of us, so weather might be a factor. There are showers expected this weekend and the temps are only in the low 50's.

If things stay the way they are, the mtb races are going to be super fast.

There are something like 9,000 racers here.

Monday, April 09, 2007

PR 's do come if you are focused like Georgia Gould, Nat Ross or Karl Etzel, owner of Rider424!

If you want PR's, each stroke counts!

There is nothing like pushing yourself to your very best, in any sport. With the correct information, and a certain amount of determination and motivation, you can succeed in breaking your "Personal Records".

As in every sport, learning curves exists. One can pick up tips and advice from many people; as well as simultaneously picking up their numerous mistakes, especially if the tip is not what you need.

We can lower and shorten the learning curve. Regardless of your experience, we can guide you to your best strokes.

Even if you don't run your saddle height at the correct height, when you stand, your cleats need to be in the perfect spot.

Tina Pic just won the US Open this past weekend as she out-sprinted the field. Tina uses our cleat, footbeds, and handlebar measurements. She has had many years on a saddle which is lower and farther back, but that doesn't matter when your standing.

Everything counts!

We all need to focus on each and every stroke! To focus on the sum of something will not lower your strokes! Each year the game gets faster, and it's always hard. There are some great tools such as powermeters, which allow you to review, and which do a good job showing the ending score card. However they don't break down the much needed focus on each pedal stroke, or as in golfing, the swing! You need to know what each muscle is doing within the pedal stroke! This is where the score is lowered!

Karl is a very science based man, who holds a few masters degrees, is a Wenzel coach, and uses what he calls the latest "electronic doodads" in order to monitor his progress. Karl learned and now knows a better pedal stoke (golf swing), and will "chip-away" at his score as well as his clients. The end score will be simply the sum of each stroke.

Karl came over Idaho to become a Wobble-naught dealer this past winter. He took time off from work and family in order to come here and go through our dealer school. Karl learned some new facts, using the Wobble-naught CAD, and we really changed his setup in a way to best allow his tall frame to make its best stroke. We then used the Myo-facts sEMG/Dartish to show him the hard facts. As with so many people we fit, we just let time and the ending score be the "tell all".

With all the written ideas available on websites concerning what is the best bike setup and the best best pedal stroke, one has to pull up their "chest-waders" and get into the river to find out more. I always say that you can't catch fish, even with all the books, or know how, unless you get into the river! What if you don't have waders or a river and you just go with whatever? Today, there are are so many electronic 'doodads', as Karl points out, that you can lose focus!

Ever since the "The Masters", a golfing event that was held this past weekend, I stayed abreast to watch the drama! They are all pros, they all have the very best, custom-made clubs, and they each took much time to address the ball. The Masters course was winning with cold temps. (a loss of feeling), dry conditions, etc...

With all the high-tech, so much money on the line, and the honor, why were there so many different scores?

I loved the ad from IBM: "Bobby Jones - When playing the Masters, the course is only 5 inches wide, the distance between your ears". In other words, all you have to know is how to swing all the clubs to perfection. The Masters does not reward error any where on the course!

When climbing, you have to focus on each pedal stoke just like the PGA pros have to find their best of golf swings for the Masters. With each shot (pedal stoke), precise calculations are made on the club (gear), and tempo of swing (rpm), which affect the next shot (stroke), leading to your score! Poor strokes will cost you on the links or on the bike. Gravity will not reward anything except your very best stroke!

Our roots come from mtb and that is the climbing game! Mtb rewards the one who cares enough to focus on each stroke. We had the first CAD mtb solution on-line in the world. Look at our results and note the World Champions in mtb. Twenty-four hours champs over and over.

For the most part, most people can ride on roads, the flats, suck wheel and perhaps hang on till the end. But climbing and gravity will show you your true "pedal stroke score".

We understand, that there are many other spokes in the wheel (coaches, training, equipment, etc...), behind lowering the score, but fit is a big one.

Even with the best training, the best swing in the world, if you can't get the golf club on the ball, that best will not provide a good result!

This is true for the much over-looked pedal stroke. You can't miss one stroke or your score will suffer! Maybe we should start counting each stroke just like golf to drive this home! May the best stroker's have the best score!


Posted by Karl Etzel:

Nice surprise:

Well this ride was a pleasant surprise:

After missing an entire month of training in February, I went back for 3.5 weeks of base building. This past weekend was the first time I released the hounds, the motivation was good and my patience with base training was exhausted. The above shows the data for a new PR on my local hill climb test, Hwy 9.

The road climbs about 2K feet out of Saratoga and I lopped 13 seconds off my previous best. Not bad, considering I did not feel great and I know I have a lot of room left to improve my pedal stroke. I was pretty surprised to get to the top as fast as I did. I’d give credit for the improvement to 2 primary things - more specificity in training (aided by all these electronic doodads that monitor my training more closely) and my Wobble-naught bike fit with Myo-facts sEMG/Dartfish pedal stroke modifications. I have a number of other things up my sleeve to bring the time down even more but I’ll save that for another day. I will say this improved my confidence for a potential solo run at the Cool 24. My duo partner bailed so looks like it will be a solo, unsupported kinda weekend.

Next time up Hwy 9 I’ll use the Forerunner to give you a picture that includes altitude and more details on the route.

What' in your game?

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Robert Hoene gets Smarter, Faster, Stronger!

Robert Hoene has enough miles to go around the earth a few times. There is much more under the hood, as he is smarter than you might think! Robert has raced against Lance Armstrong as well as many others and he will be the first to teach you how to think about becoming faster and stronger! This guy has the "need for speed" and a role model.

This is not uncommon for people who really are into the sport, but what sets Robert Hoene apart is his open mind about new things. He is not a stick in the mud! He is not set in his ways! You hear, most of the top riders will make statements i.e. if it is not broken, why fix it?

I sat in on a Cervelo clinic this week and listened to what the rep had to say! The rep's push was that the software is behind the making of their bikes. Then they test, test, test. As he said, it takes years before a new product is released. They use CAD, and other sofware for making their bike stiff and very aero w/ the layers of carbon. Kowing what are the best angles of carbon to find the unseen needs. Things you can't see just by looking at the top-skin. Carbon is here to stay, as tubing can't be shaped to do what they can w/ carbon layers. The bike world has change! If the old school likes it or not.

We had a meeting w/ a local Sports Med MD and his partner does perhaps 16 total hips per week, many total knees in between and is on the borad of Ortho for the US. I quote the Sports Med MD "There are many who will fight the use of software, as their subjected ideas go away!" They are not needed!

We are not saying that we are replacing the professionals and they are in the system by the laws of a given state. We are not in the "ill care" business. Patho is not what we do. We don't fix broken cars. But we are in the front-end alignment business.
Insurance pays for your broken car and that is why a MD sends you to at PT or OT for TX. They have to to get the insurance people to pay the bill. But we are not fixing you, we are teaching you w/ our tools.

May I point out that we have been working on the new software of Myo-facts sEMG/Dartfish, to be used w/ SRM for over two years now. Noraxon sEMG is the world leader and Dartfish is the world leader of video for movement, and SRM is the leader of powermeters. We have spent 6 years before that point, using the best instruments of measuring forces under the foot, muscle contractions,countless to refine our fit down to the milimeter for the different kinds of riding (mtb, tt, road, tri, sd, etc...) Very soon, we will have the Myo-facts sEMG/Dartfish/SRM all on the same page!

Anyone who knows science, knows that you can't claim anything and you can debate any and eveything. The only thing you can do is to show a before and after, or a trend. Since we had so much success last year, we really are having the agressive cycling world saying you can't do that, you can't use software to determine what might make a difference. The funny thing here is how subjected their ideas of fitting are? Yes they are starting to use powermeter, but they also know that a powermeter doesn't show what muscle is doing what. Again, we can't claim anthing, but I guess our results mean nothing to them?

Yes Georgia Gould is #1 in the world by UCI. But there will be someone out there who will say, the fit has nothing to do with it. What they don't know, is how Georgia has used the Myo-facts sEMG/Dartfish to watch and learn a better pedal stroke.
They also don't know how many emails, phone calls and talks we have about it. That is great at the top level, but what about the local level. Their races mean just as much to them!!!

What about guys who race the very ones who say we can't do that, who question what we do? Robert just won yet another race and the person next to him can't see what they are thinking or feeling. And as he said, I guess they do see the stikcers on the bike!

Why is this guy neat? Well, for one reason, he is still winning the races! He rides w/ the fastest people in our area, including World tt Campion Kristin Armstrong. More than that, he still has the ablility to learn, to try new things, to become smarter, faster, and stronger. This doesn't make the guys he races happy and a few of them are the very ones who say "we can't".
What is so cool about this sport is it is a life-time-sport. YOU CAN ALWAYS IMPROVE!

Robert has used our fit for a while now and he will be the first to tell you that he has lowered his time, that he has become smatrer, faster, stronger. He brings his bikes in to use the Wobble-naught CAD and always wants the Myo-facts sEMG/Dartfish. Why? His need for speed! Below is his story!


"I'm a former Category 1 Road Racer, and have raced numerous nationals. I broke a frame on March 24th, 2007, and had to race March 25th. I set an very old frame up on March 24th with parts from the busted frame. I raced a critirium on March 25th with a badly mis-fit set up and my body was in some ' pain' from just 'throwing a bike together'. We have a great Bike Fit Guy in our town, Tom Coleman, from Wobble-naught. I called Tom to make an appoitment and got set back up properly. We adjusted the stem mostly, and moving the seat back adjusted the shift levers. I had a little to overcome, with sore muscles from jamming, hard racing a critiruim, and getting used to a different frame. All this with a race coming up on April 1st." To think that I was going to have to use an very old bike against all the super light new carbon bikes that most racers have did tax my mind.

"With help from a hard working team, and a long race distance, I was able to win the event on April 1st. I feel having a good fit is as important on a old bike or new , and how you feel the next day as well. I'm a firm believer that being comfortable means being fast. As I get older, I'm not as flexible as I used to be, so being positioned properly has become more of a necessity for my overall wellbeing. I've been licensed since 1982, and have gone trough a variety of setups concerning bike fit and adjustments. Having Wobble-Naught available has connected it all for me! I have used the sEMG, and Dartfsh from Wobble-Naught ; this gives a full spectrum approach to fit and muscle operation.

By the way, World TT Champion Kristin Armstrong was in that race. There are some of the fastest racers in the land/earth here in Boise, ID and each year things only get faster. For those guys who think women like Kristin Armstrong aren't fast should come here and race her! She is always is in the top 5, racing the Cat 1 men.

Someone will read this and say 'What-ever". Those people think they are so cool? We don't wish that!

We think it is because of the cutting-edge techniques, training, and racing information. A wealth of advice comes from guys like Robert. We back TEAm Lipton and know how much time Kristin as spent in the wind tunnels, using her SRM using science to step her game up. You have to boost your knowledge and ride better to keep up w/ the competition. Old school, blood & guts and sprit only go so far!

In Summary, the velocity of the cyclist depends on the amount of mechanical power produced by the energy systems and the amount of mechanical power lost to air and surface friction. Yes we know that the aerobic & anaerobic systems are working and that mechanical efficiency comes from that.

But the performance is affected by the pedal force, the direction of that force, the timing of muscle activation, gear selection, and saddle height. Remember that muscle power depends on muscle force and that depends on muscle length.
Even w/ a MRI, you are only view a static form.

Just the appropriate choice of saddle is much over looked. Allowing muscles to contract through a range of length that allows you to make the maximal force. There is a certain saddle height that allows for the best O2 uptake and to go higher or lower is not allowing you to make maximal force.

How do you get "Smarter, Faster, Stronger"?

Tuesday, April 03, 2007

Super D Race Results!.

There are other sports in cycling. It's not just road, tri, tt, mtb and xc.

In this newer speed sport at the mtb games, bike and rider need to have the skills to carve downhill turns on a bike with speed. A well handled bike is key and these guys ran their WN setup XC bikes!

Eric Ransom - "Boy I'm glad that I grew up skiing! "

Chris Fox - Also has had time on the snow.

Nat Ross - was an XC National level skier and a coach.

We feel that eveyrone of these sports can provide information for other events. After all, mtb bikes changed the sport!

Eric and Nat were on the phone with us the day after and they both said it was super fun!

Put some fun back into your sport, try some of the other events!! You might learn a thing or two.

Eric learned a few things about racing the XC course that was super rocky, the temp was about 90F, and he lost his water. He ran with no water for one and a half hours. Ouch! He said he even had to stop in order to drink on one lap. He needed up 36th.

By the way, Nat Ross took 19th in XC, his best ever! He is well known as the king of the 24-hour races, but to place 19th is just super! Nat Ross said, "I must have had super strong legs, I just had the power when I needed it! " I informed Nat that after doing fits the past winter, he is learning how to pedal better. He just fitted Georgia Gould with the numbers we had for her.

How about that! You can take the numbers you get from one Wobble-naught dealer, get a new bike and go to another dealer in your area and go out and win races just like Georgia did!

Getting the sag is the key! Without our laser and the peson up on the bike you are only guessing. Georgia has won every race she has been in 2007! Wow!

Stage 2 - March 31: Super D Race

Results

Pro Men:

1. Carl Decker (USA) Giant 16.33.8
2. Travis Brown (USA) Trek/Frs 0.12.2
3. Aren Timmel (USA) 0.21.0
4. Bryan Fawley (USA) Kenda/X-Fu 0.25.7
5. Dana Weber (USA) Jax Bicycl 0.48.5
6. Chris Fox Canyon Bik 0.50.3 WN & Myo-facts sEMG/Dartfish
7. Nat Ross (USA) Subaru-Gar 0.51.5 WN & Myo-facts sEMG/Dartfish
8. Eric Ransom (USA) Team Tamar 0.53.4 WN & Myo-facts sEMG/Dartfish
9. Bruce Muhlfeld (USA) Trek-Vw 0.53.9
10. Brian Fuentes (USA) Waltworks/ 1.04.2
11. Rick Wetherald (USA) Tamarack R 1.04.7 WN & Myo-facts sEMG/Dartfish

Sunday, April 01, 2007

Georgia Gould takes #3 win, Shonny Vanlandingham 4th, Jeremiah Bishop 8th.

What an early season Georgia is having! She takes her 4th win of this 2007 season. Only 17 months ahead to the Beijing Olympics, so the racers are showing everything they have! What you see is what they have!

The immune system protects your body against potentially damaging microorganisms. Athletes engaged in heavy endurnce training programs often have depressed immune function just before an up coming race; they jump on a plane and catch a bug. The stress of travel can lead to increased incidences of infections. Insufficient recovery can be debilitating; their well-being can be affected for months. However, that does not stop the races, so they have to stay with the program.

Shonny Vanlandingham had the flu bug while down south, and we all know how the flu can hit you hard. Her immine system is still repairing the pathogen agent that is in her body, so she really had a super race. She spent two days on a plane and didn't even race, as she flew from her home in Kona, to Texas, and then south. She put up a good fight, but the heat made its mark.

Jeremiah Bishop told us that he has the same thing that Shonny reported, he was just getting over being sick, also a good run to place 8th. Jeremiah was in the running until he had a flat. The course was very rocky!

There are a lot of things that can go wrong with a racer. There are many external factors that can lead to fatigue and decreased performance.

After their great runs, I'm very sure they will be ready for Sea Otter. This is the season to watch all the teams, races, and racers! Everyone wants to go to Olympics!


National Mountain Bike Series #1 (NMBS) - 2

Fountain Hills, Arizona, USA, March 30-April 1, 2007

Stage 4 - April 1: Cross Country,

Results

Men:

1. Geoff Kabush (Can) Maxxis
2. Todd Wells (USA) GT-Hyundai
3. Ryan Trebon (USA) Kona
4. Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (USA) Subaru-Gary Fisher
5. Adam Craig (USA) Giant
6. Carl Decker USA) Giant
7. Michael Broderick USA) Kenda-Seven
8. Barry Wicks USA) Kona
9. Jeremiah Bishop (USA) Trek-VW, Wobble-naught & Myo-facts sEMG/Dartfish
10. Seamus McGrath (Can) Rocky Mountain-Haywood

Women:

1. Georgia Gould (USA) Luna Womens MTB, Wobble-naught & Myo-facts sEMG/Dartfish
2. Mary McConneloug (USA) Kenda-Seven
3. Susan Haywood (USA) Trek-VW
4 Shonny VanLandingham (USA) Luna, Wobble-naught & Myo-facts sEMG/Dartfish

Georgia Gould takes her 2nd Win in AZ. "Know Thyself"

There is a saying: "The only constant is change."

This is Georgia's 3rd win of 2007. Two wins this week... how cool is that!? Both of these wins were in very powerful events that required the very best; i.e. "knowing thyself" in body and mind! Georgia has the smarts, she holds a degree in psychology and she has stayed the course! It is paying off!

This has placed an unpleasant pressure at the top ranks of mtb racing! They all want to go to the 2008 games. That's racing! This also seems to annoy the other schools of thought about their coaching ideas, including bike fitting.

We follow the cognitive tradition of Socrates' to "know thyself" and Socrates' suggested method of looking inward (introspection) to find truth! We want our racers to know what their muscles are doing inside and out, more than the sum of a powermeter or just using video!

It's very hard to understand the many tones of the many muscles, to have them work in concert to make power. It can't be see with the eye or video. How do you see or know the tone of any stringed instrument, and its vibration, until it is strummed? It is best to look at the muscles while performing the given sport.

That is why we have our partners agree to work with Myo-facts, using Noraxon sEMG and Dartfish. You need to look inward to make better sense of what the muscles are doing. Know thyself!

Do the eyes have it? The visual perception of movement is based on change of position relative to other objects. To early scientists, whose only instrument for visual observation was the naked eye, it seemed logical that the sun circled the earth. But we all know from a theoretical point in outer space that you cannot observe it directly.

The principles of perceptual organization make it possible for our eyes to "play tricks on us". Visual illusions are very real, for example, if one attempts to view a pedal stroke alone, without a ruler or the use some measuring software!

It's true that white sunlight is actually composed of all the colors of the rainbow. The powermeter is great for training, perhaps the "white sunlight". Using the sEMG, we can look at the colors of the rainbow, plus plot the best path in space using the Dartfish. Many will only use their eyes, and will go with what they read and hear, or hire someone who sees the light as white.

Georgia is a student, she has looked inward and knows what her colors are. She has seen the white light, and looked inwards to see her own colors. She also knows just how her feet are to orbit through space.

We feel that the human learns more from the visual perception, from seeing models of itself, rather than hearing, or just reading emails. The eye: The better to see you with! There are rules of sensory stimulation into meaningful wholes referred to as the laws of perceptual organization. You learn to "know thyself" much faster.

In this sport, perceptions tend to be unstable, to shift back and forth. There are various ways to pedal, which becomes the problem! The pedal stroke is like experiencing a figure-ground reversal. In other words, a shift is occurring in your perception of what is figure and what is backdrop. The human eye has a tendency to try to isolate geometric patterns or figures from a background. Therefore, our perceptions shift back and forth. That is why "NO ONE" can see what the muscles are doing!

Your interpretations of the pedal stroke along with your perception shift might have you focusing on the wrong thing! We have the tools to challenge the human eye, regarding pedal stroke. To just have your bike fitted by eye is not enough! Again, knowing thyself is the key.

Bike fitting is a demanding task, which calls for special efforts and dedication! This is exactly what we do! We are professional, and the results, time and time again, proclaim that what we do works. There are going to be many that contest, name call, and perhaps more because they perform fits using their eyes.

This game is more like fighting than cycling. This is a very aggressive sport! Understand that it is not really a team sport, nor is skiing. Do anything in this sport and expect to get into a "gun-fight".

In cycling, the sport crosses many lands and many cultures. Manners, customs, and tastes do conflict! It is better to view these people as modern gladiators! In ancient Rome, Italy, men fought other men with a sword or weapon. We all know that culture loves a fight, they started it. Today the fight is very real and the weapon is the bike. The bike racer is to provide entertainment for spectators on the course and on the Internet. It is not far off from NASCAR and there are many likes and dislikes throughout the entire industry. It seems there is a lack of sportsmanship, but we are seeing that it is every man or women for themself.

I think it was Lance Armstrong who said to his kid, I get paid to hurt people!

This is not golf; bikers don't take losses and defeats without complaining, or their victories without gloating; they don't treat their opponents with fairness, generosity, or courtesy.
Almost anything goes! Look how many have used EPO or some drug to get an edge!

It is the wild, wild west, and there are many "gun-fighter's" that will attempt to gun you down, on and off the track. They come out of the wood work at places you didn't even know had wood?

Everyone wants to be "top gun" and they come loaded for bear, ready to hit the street to show they are the fastest gun in town! A real showdown! You yellow belly, %$*?#!G, low down, such and such! Who do you think you are? I'll show you!

As Craig Upton, our master fitter/coach said, "Coaches want to have 100% control of their clients." They tend to "rubbish" outside input and are quick to make statements that something is worthless! They are very quick on the draw to announce publicly, formally, and to go to great efforts to perform political endorsements for and not for!

There is very little endorsement or loyalty in this game, which is the same case as ski racing. Racers are not faithful to persons, ideals, teams, or obligations from one year to the next. That was not really a team sport, i.e. Bodie Miller! Bodie does his own thing.

Cycling is no different! There are those who just take the ideas of others and match what they are are doing! Or someone brings something different to the game.

Sad is the day when someone (gun-fighter) states to you that you can't change what has been going on for the last 100-years. In that case that gun-fighter might not even see or hear the plane that dropped the bomb! Can you say, stuck in the mud, "Old School". Poor soul! They either can't come up with someone better, or they are the very best of students, perhaps too good, and only use what the others are doing! That way they don't get "egg on their face". If it didn't make a difference and its very safe within the pack. That is not cutting-edge!

We have worked in other sports with experts from many cultures, and this at the highest level, so we know this "gun fighting" thing well. Gun-fighter's come from all levels and many hold high degrees, perhaps like Doc Holiday i.e. Masters, Phd's , MD's, etc... They are fast and have the ability to debate something, and they they will be your "Huckle-Berry". Did Doc Holiday change the gun of the day? Not really. Most used what the other person had in hand. They were quick, but that did not stop the changes! What is the best way to get faster?

New high-tech wind tunnels? We had people in the wind tunnels 30 years ago and found that you can be too aero, and if the legs can't work on course at 60 to 90mph, then you're in big trouble. How about the new custom shoes? Custom foot gear for skiers have been around for years.

How many people knew that aero bars came from a skiing coach named "Boone Lennon" from Sun Valley, ID. When you spend most of your life going 45mph+ on your feet, learning how to get aero is key. You don't maintain your speed chest up, and training at an altitude is the norm. The cycling sport is changing fast!

Here is my point! I just spent a good hour fitting the boy-friend of World Champ Kristin Armstrong this past Saturday using the new custom fitting shoes. We all agreed that cutting-edge is just now coming to the game. We are hoping to get Kristin a pair, size 38.5, here on Monday, and fitted before she heads to Europe, on Tuesday morning.

So here it is, a Sunday morning in Boise, ID, and I'm sitting, talking to my 25+ year friend Ron Sargent, a formal head US Ski Coach during the 1972 -1978. He took the gals to two Olympics. We're talking about how the cycling game is changing, just like skiing. Ron was also the head coach of the New Zealand National Team, so he knows how different cultures have conflicts. Ron was a top VP for Bank of America as well, and his dealings were in USSR; talk about conflict!

We have both been around sports for the majority of our lives and we know what happens the year before the games. This is the year when cutting-edge techniques, training, and racing information raise their heads! The new replaces the old!

Both Ron and I have worked with the best of ski racers with the understanding of high altitude training. Ski areas are not in low altitudes anyway! Places like: Ketchum, Durango, Aspen, Vail, Jackson Hole, Park City, Bend, etc...

In the world of ski racing, not just Sunday skiing, I always said, "To do what the others are doing is to only match them". To separate yourself from the pack, you need cutting-edge techniques, training, and racing information. An example would be like cross-country skiing; there was a day when things changed, and more powerful techniques took over!

In sports that change quickly, you need to learn the new equipment and techniques, or else you might just GO AWAY!

Georgia is a "young gun"; she has new tools and new ways; can she make it a sweep?

Women:

1. Georgia Gould (USA) Luna
2. Alison Sydor (Can) Rocky Mountain-Haywood
3. Katerina Nash (USA) Luna
4. Kathy Sherwin (USA)
5. Heather Irmiger (USA) Subaru-Gary Fishe