Friday, October 31, 2008

Happy Halloween! Pumpkin facts vs. Muscles!

A scary fact!

There is a difference in art and muscle!

The functional combination of nerve and muscle tissue is fundamental to all multcellular animals excepts sponges (pumpkins are not animals). These tissues give animals their characteristic ability to move rapidly in response to stimuli. In other words, muscle contraction and thus movement are initiated and controlled by nervous tissue.

No focus, No Stimuli, No Go!

Most skeletal muscle, as the name implies, is attached to the bones of the body, and its contraction is responsible for the movements of parts of the skeleton. Skeletal muscle contraction is also involved in other activities of the body, such as the voluntary release of urine and feces. Thus the movements produced by skeletal muscle are primarily involved with interactions between the body and the external enviroment.

The cells of muscle tissue have great capacity for contraction. Muscles are able to perform "work" by the summed contractions of their individual cells. The individual muscle cells are usually elongate, cylindrical or spindle-shaped cells that are bound together into sheets of bundles by connective tissue.

To some extent, all cells have the property of irritability, the ability to respond to stimuli.

Too bad all these pumpkins don't have a brain, they do have a great face!

Next time you see a pumpkin patch, from a distance, don't let your eye have you thinking they are all are the same! Not so!
They come in every shape and size and you never know how they are going to turn out!

Wow! There is almost as many pumpkins here as our successful track record!

To some extent, all pumpkins have the same property or cells.



Even so, with some focus, you can to put a face on one! This art work can take some time.
They can look great with their many faces, but the truth is they don't have a brain. Just because they look great, doesn't mean they can really move? And just because they have been worked over, doesn't mean they can perform work.

So if we all come from the same pumpkin patch, what is the best solution?
You don't know until you start digging, finding all the landmarks and joints of your skeletal system. You can't just look from a far like looking at a pumpkin patch, only looking at the outside.

It takes great focus to move and you have to learn from stimuli. Nervous tissue, is highly specialized not only for receiving and responding to such stimuli, but also for the transmission of stimuli. Some will say this is an art and that gives everyone a voice on which face they like best!

After looking closer, you will see they are not the same! It has taken much effort to get them where they are.

With a little work you can make a huge difference to the basic pumpkin.

But you have to get your hands on them or they remain like the ones in the fields!




Sure you can go to the mass market and buy your pumpkin.

And until you get inside, you never know what each one needs?

Even then, you don't know how they are going to turn out!



That's how our CAD views you and your bones! You have to go inside to do work. Just looking from the outside is not enough!

We all know pumpkins look the same in the field. You might even see a whole truck load of pumpkins headed to market and they also look the same. Mass market!

Its not until you work with a pumpkin that they become great.

Just because you come out of the same pumpkin patch doesn't mean you can't turn into something. Each pumpkin has the stuff to become a "Great Pumpkin".


For those of you who think we all live in the sage here is are a few shots of the North End of Boise, ID. These streets will be full of people tonight!

Morning traffic heading towards downtown!








This is also a bike route just before you head uphill for 18 miles to Bogus Basin Ski Area.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Shonny Vanlandingham is 08 XTERRA Champ!

Can you see that this person is happy! 2004,05,06 NORBA National Cross Country Champion is now the

2008 XTERRA Series Champion

Sorry, forgot the 2005 US Short Track Champion!

From Shonny:

The race I did last weekend was the World Championships on Maui. I was so happy to get third in my first year of focusing on XTERRA.
You forgot also that I was Marathon National Champion in '07. 5 National mountain bike titles and one National XTERRA title not so bad for an old lady. haha

"I have a a new love and I'm very happy" - Shonny


Look at this!

This could mess up a bike fit! Bending over to touch your toes is killed! No worries, we don't do that any way!

What is
the point if you have a little know how to rotate within the hip socket?

You need race fuel for racing motors!




Wow! At Shonny's house, they have to process the beans on the deck., from her own trees.

Boy, does this stuff kick!







The cool thing about our services is we can go anywhere to do it.

You do need Internet service!

Shonny has learned a few things about building structures!

Watch her go!



Shonny is on the left with her friend Mary.
She's thinking about something we taught her about building structures over water!

It must have stuck, 08 XTERRA Champ, as did the spikes from the sea urchin I put my big toe on while in the water with her!

I had 14 barbed black spikes in my toe and the last one only came out only after seven months!


They both offer to take care of the nasty barbs, and as they started to pull their shorts down? I guess there is a common practice to kill the bacteria. I refused their aid!

So I just used alcohol to pour on it!

These gals just go outside and pick what they want!



A view to the left from the house deck.











A view on the right side of the same deck!






To think that the natives lived on top of these rock platforms!

I wonder what they laid on to sleep?




In endurance sports training you cover a lot of ground and water and Shonny's case a lot of air with all her flights! Hey Shonny, you need a bridge from here to there! Ha!

We are proud to announce as a sponsored of the Luna Pro team member Shonny Vanlandingham that she just took the 2008 XTERRA Series. She just called us as she was boarding her plane back to the main land.


Just a correction before the sharks start circling:

Shonny Vanlandingham solidified her reputation as being the best women's biker this course has seen by turning in the fastest bike for the third time in four years. That bike pushed her to the front of the pack and even on a bad ankle that she sprained a week ago, she still held off all but Kabush on the run to finish in third place and top American.

Pl Name Age Hometown Final Time Purse


1 Julie Dibens 33 Bath, United Kingdom 3:03:57 $25,000
2 Danelle Kabush 33 Canmore, Alberta, Canada 3:04:56 $15,000
3 Shonny Vanlandingham 39 Durango, Colorado 3:10:49 $8,000
4 Renata Bucher 31 Lucerne, Switzerland 3:11:06 $5,000
5 Christine Jeffrey 35 Guelph, Ontario, Canada 3:11:50 $3,000
6 Jennifer Smith 35 Westport, New Zealand 3:15:59 $1,750
7 Jenny Tobin 39 Boise, Idaho 3:16:08 $1,200
8 Carina Wasle 22 Kundl, Austria 3:17:31 $1,000
9 Sara Tarkington 26 Boulder, Colorado 3:19:16 $800
10 Lesley Paterson 27 Sterling, Scotland 3:19:53 $700

She is going to join us when we head to to Hawaii to put on a bike fitting show Dec 7th till 14th!



Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Sue Butler leads Cross Standings!


Posted Oct. 28, 2008 on Velo News

Following last weekend's USGP races in Louisville, Kentucky, there are a few who seem to "not" wanting to be part of the herd.


Jeremy Powers (Cyclocrossworld.com - Cannondale) still leads the USA Cycling National Calendar rankings, while Sue Butler (Monavie - Cannondale moved past Amy Dombroski into the lead of the women's rankings).

How cool is that! Sue Butler, 37 years young is stamped US Prime! Goes to show you we all can improve our game if you know what to look at!

We feel sorry for those who are not open to learning, all they know is a lot of moo...ing. And for those stuck in a feed lot, who knows what they see? Perhaps some counterfeit tools and ideas.

Can you say John Wayne westerns.

In the old west people ran cattle and with that comes cattle rustlers, "Westerns", with good guys and bad guys. Even today, you might view the area of fitting as the wild west, as rustlers watch our herd, learn (come to camp) use our branding methods, get the same tools and take them to market. They even take our branding irons (lasers) and use them to do cleats. That might catch up with them. Give them enough rope to hang themselves!

Check our history and take note! We can show you their trail, when they started, where they came from and much more. Funny how they came to us to get facts and now using their eye are the professionals. What these rustlers don't understand is it took us 2.5 years of allpha testing and then beta testing just to do our software for mtb. Now they claim they have learned from many different sources. What kind of feed are they feeding you?

Every time we "mo...ved" one of our herd the top, rustlers paid close attention" icthing to deduce what we do. They jumped our trail and followed, no ethical principles here. They saw business was good! And they wanted to "get some". They hold the same attitude of those who make deals while racing or riding i.e. lets work together until they decide ride off. They reflect the person's innermost convictions about good or bad, right or wrong, desirable or undesirable.

We pioneered a number of innovated techniques and its been a long and dusty trail, but with super results. Its been like "How the west was won" a movie, with much drama. Some say we are just a "plug & play" that we are not.

Can you say "free ride", naught! Many of our innovations are now just coming into view. That's fine, just understand you might be getting the "feed lot" mass (large crowed pop.) marketing feed. Who cares if its better. Better doesn't always make you money!
Sue Butler is not new to cycling, and her ego ideal consciously and unconsciously of what she herd was used to measure herself and performance. The basic motive for all conscious behavior can be a very smelly thing if you can't get away from the norm (herd)! She needed to learn more pedaling truth! Status is both political and commercial and she doesn't live here in Boise, ID. But she was able to spend time with us a few months ago.

"Now she points out she is branded, and everyone is gunning for you"
That comes with success!

For Sue we have provided a positive identification with significant and influential figures for her to learn and that has made a difference. Her coach even knows this to be true and saw it essential for her to come to us for her cycling needs. "Kendra Wenzel" who wrote the book "Bike Racing 101" with her former husband Rene Wenzel of Wenzel Coaching.

"There is a difference in training and real time riding skills"
Go to your coach/trainer for that!

Sue's persistence and perseverance in the pursuit of her goals; openness, flexibility, and our creativity in teaching her on the trainer, outdoors, and phone has come true! She is into this this season, at the top with new vitality and power!


What kind cattle do you run. We run US Prime and we have many in our herd. 
Georgia Gould is also not the typical example of a population!

Her needs are not the same as Sue!
In both cases, they have gained knowledge, wisdom, and skills acquired through systematic study and instruction.


For all ya cattle rustlers out there!
Cowboy up and find out what is wrong with Sue's ride while on trail.

I know you have the video tools. But just because you can buy the video to "sizzle" the prime, doesn't mean you know what to look for on trail or in the real world.

She did not do these moves in the trainer!

Think about it! Why is Wobble-naught & Myo-facts sEMG/Dartfish running herds in partnership. Dartfish only has one pard in their camp and its us! That's because they know we know what we are doing. We can get our herd to market and it be the best US Prime!
They take pride in being running with the best.

Not until Sue and I went back inside to review for her to see, not told, was she able to fix something that was very wrong!

The rest is history! She is stamped US Prime! There are going to be many gunning for her!







Sunday, October 26, 2008

USGP - Louisville, KY "Georgia Gould"

She's is one of the leaders of the pack and she's back. She is an Alpha dog in her environment!

Halloween is upon us and this one brings scary thoughts if you mess with her on a mtb or her cross bike!

Think about having to deal with the attacks from the dominate Luna pack of Nash & Gould.
Doggedly having to chase them for contention.

Looks can be deceiving! She can catch her food!

Results:

1) Georgia Gould (Luna) Wobble-naught & Myo-facts sEMG/Dartfish
2) Katerina Nash (Luna)
3) Rachel Lloyd (Poman)
4) Sue Butler (Monavie - Cannondale)

It is well known that wolf's are very much like humans! Perhaps that is why they trouble and taunt so many people. Bear in mind we will try to explain the differences and the similarities.






The wolf is often used for metaphors to model pecking order. They do infer fright and can, with ease run their prey down in some of the toughest country you can find, and at great pace!

We have a number of wolf packs here in Idaho Ex. "The River of No Return" area.
I have watched them "live" and have noted they are rapacious as they snatch things i.e. (snatch a lead), ferocious as they run down elk (show great determination), and they don't mind taking control of the competitors.

Here is a wolf catching a salmon in Idaho, not far from where Georgia Gould starting to mtb racing in Ketchum, Idaho.

Did Georgia do a night mtb ride one full moon night and get attacked by a wolf and now holds super powers and is beyond human?

She does have a history for riding at night. One of those nights, was her first race where she did take 3rd solo at a 24 hour race in Moab, UT.


Is Georgia an alpha wolf in sheep's clothing? Do you have to watch your back? You do if you are in a race with her!

Off the bike she is very nice! She's just very good at making a living and pays attention to the nature of the sport! Her BA in Psychology has served her well with all her success.

Considering the incredible forces and repetitive nature of riding, you would think most would place priority on their physiological capabilities to ensure an optimal performance in a very tough environment.

To be top dog, you don't need to get your foot caught in a "man made trap" and or have any injuries! It might cost you a living in such a wild place.

You have to be smart to obtain power and that is of prime importance to competitive cyclists.


Just In! Pua & Nat take the 2008 Ultra-Endurance Series!

Nat Ross just called me from NC 6am Sunday because he is so pleased with is success. While he was at a airport, hee wanted let me know that even with a very bad virus, (had to go to a doctor) he still was able to take the 2008 US Ultra Endurance Series.  

Nat has done this two years now, back to back!  Nat pointed out that he could not have done it without Wobble-naught & Myo-facts sEMG/Dartfish fitting and know how!

Nat also wanted to let us know that Pua  Sawicki also took the 2008 Ultra Endurance Series!
I understand she won the cross race this weekend.

Pua Sawicki found herself alone out front the entire race, only to do battle with the solo men and team racers. Despite falling, Pua was able to win by several laps and also take the fastest overall women's day and night laps along with the Queen of the Mountains hill climb contest.

Pua & Jeremiah both win the National MTB Oktoberfest.   Once again, we have the WN & Myo-facts sEMG/Dartfish users at at the top.  Jeremiah Bishop, Nat Ross, Tinker Juarez, Pua Sawicki, Rebecca Rusch, 

The results say it all

Men's Results

1) Jeremiah Bishop 

Men's Series Results

1) Nat Ross - 2 time Series winner.

Other top 5 standings include Jeremiah Bishop & Earnesto Marenchin.

Women's results

1) Pua Sawicki

Women's Series Results

1) Pua Sawicki - her 3rd National Series win!
2) Rebecca Rusch


Our racers took both men and women Oktoberfest races, and the 2008 US Ultra-Endurance Series in mtb.

Other success came from Georgia Gould and Sue Butler both in Ky. They both crashed hard, yet got back up and took 3rd & 4th.

Congrats to both Nat and Pua for their hard work and their Ultra-Endurance Series success and to Jeremiah Bishop, Tinker Juarez, Rebecca Rusch 




Thursday, October 23, 2008

Horsepower Paradox! Sue Butler (Monavie - Cannondale) ranked 9th in UCI

Its not a riddle or mystery what we do, but it is our CAD that invites speculations.  It's the relationships between the variables that allow the blue-print to route you best moves and boost your horse power.  

Rebbeca Rusch (left) - 2007, 2008 World Champion
Be sure to put the right "tools" in your bag-meaning good friends, good gear and good instruction.

Regarding the anonymous email on our success - Mr Anonymous said, real proof comes from the athletes! 

His question: Why don't they have our stickers and logos on their kits if they use us?

That's easy to answer!  They need to eat!


Simply said: MONEY for burgers & milk!

From what I see, and understand hamburgers and milk are the choice of nutrition of the pros in Boise, ID?

Here is one of the of the autographed photos.  The place we where at before did not have the room to hang 20 plus autographed photos.





Not a problem with the pros eating! We all need money to buy our nutrition and live!  In fact we don't give money to racers or race TEAm's, rather we will go to a race and throw it up for grabs! May the best person take the money and many times it's our race teams!











We have pics of everyone we have worked with through the years and we have provided thousands in money to men and to the gals in their support i.e. $500/lap,$200/lap, $100/lap when the local cycle business would not!  



More important than the attacks from the naysayer who spin things. Proof is our trend or our successful track record.  





The same attitude attacked our first 2001 National Champion USA Road Champ Remi McManus as he exceeded his own expectations.  He was on our fit and has been since. Naysayers will always protest what we do.  Mostly because they didn't take part in it or someone is not in their camp, club or buying from their business.

It was said that the Boise Stars, a elite cycling local team in Boise didn't have a chance of doing well? But they did.   Put fuel to the fire and watch it burn!

You are always going to have some attitude attempting to undermine what you set out to do!
Don't seek inspiration from these people, their statements and arguments are for the most part not effective!  

Stereotypes with negative statements are every where Ex. Being a women meant she was smaller than a man and not as strong!  Ex. Being a women meant she was more compassionate than a man.

Back to something has more to do with your success on the bike. You need a motor, skills and some luck to not crash.  Think about it you are going faster than others, pushing the limits!

When building a motor, i.e., Hot Rod, you best know what type of race you're in for if you want to separate yourself from the pack!

You better make some real horsepower or you will get dropped!  Such development just happened for currently top ranked-9th UCI- American Sue Butler a 37 year young racer who has to race a lot of newer younger motors in cyclocross!

Sue came to Boise, ID and had her motor "blue-printed" inside & out. Unlike apes, human beings walk upright! But on a bicycle man/women must learn a different posture and discover it's no longer the feet but the saddle and the handlebars that support them.

Education has always been an issue with human beings, some apes learn quicker.  And what can we say about the belief systems that underlies an argument? Ex. Female athletes should not race, nor should they get big prize money and they are not like men. True their sex parts are different! 

The same people say that adventure racing is not a sport? That these people are not professional athletes? Because it combines nonstop, action-packed challenges such as trail running, mountain biking, orienteering, rock climbing, trekking, whitewater swimming, and paddling in some of the most challenging places in the world. I guess tri is not a sport?

These people are real athletes and yes they go from beginner to expert as in any sport. They all have overcome enormous odds, physical limitations, raging storms, equipment failure, personal fears, and in one case, even the tragic death of a competitor that Rebecca Rusch now "2-time world 24 hour Champion".  


Fact is, the urban cyclist on their old-fashioned bicycle keeps their chest upright. This has many disadvantages that I am not going to go into. But, the industry wants to get you on a bike, get your $$$ and call it comfort, they don't care about teaching you!

We hear about and read some of the home pages of road bike shops and fitters across the land that say we can't do that? Yes muscles regulate tension according to changing situations. What you do while getting a fit or riding at slow speed is not what you do in a solo effort. That is why our CAD solution allows you to make more power and move in & out of balance for better control.  Sorry we succeed so often!  But let it be know, the faster you go, the harder the crash.
Yes, even the best crash and you only hope they don't get hurt.

The Sunday rider is much like a "Sunday Driver" and has a hard time learning this. They ride with their club and do as they see!  Just understand, at speed the upper body is put under tension so that the legs can work. The more the speed, the more your upper body needs to
be ergonomic and aerodynamic. If you have your chest upright into the wind i.e. mtb, you're not going to go faster for any length of time.

Contrary to common belief (hype) and despite the apparent simplicity of the movements involved, pedaling must be learned. To better understand this, go to a golf course or go skiing and take note of the poor skills. About 80% of the players don't perform well? Education cost money i.e. see a PGA teaching pro or take a ski lesson.

You should not force yourself into someone style. Trying to imitate some champion's technique is not real. Everyone has to express their moves physically in their own way! So going beyond the stage of instinct, by thinking about the movement itself and then doing specific work on that move will improve your efficiency.

Our national & world success has been with 20 different type of people (motors). Not just one or a mere handful, and they range in all ages and sex. They don't even have the same shapes and sizes! Check out our record and note the many different names and the events!  They are all listed for all to view.
You don't race to be last!

Racers watch the track for clues and trends that change the game. It's rare they read all the hype nor will any of them use something that doesn't make them faster. Perhaps that is why we have so many different racers (24 hour, tt, road, track, mtb, cross) do so well after we blue-print them and teach them. That's right, even with the optimal position "what ever that is" you still have to learn.

This is not about one motor winning a single race, its about showing the best trend through 10 years of success (1999 till 2009) not just at the local level, but at the national and international level!

Over 15,000 CAD blue-printed motors - now that provides a true trend!


Ladies and Gentlemen start your engines!

The Crank Brothers U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclocross celebrates its fifth anniversary this Saturday as the six-race series kicks off in Louisville, Kentucky. The October 24-25 Papa John’s Derby City Cup presented by Toyota will once again be held at Champions Park, a former private golf course just east of downtown Louisville.

Last year, the 2007 race saw big crowds, a challenging course and an all-star cast of the continent’s best cyclocross talent. We can't be more pleased with the results of Georgia Gould and now Sue Butler. We are very sure their motors are dialed and ready to mix it up!



This year, the pro cyclocross fields are strong, with defending USGP champ Georgia Gould and Katerina Nash of the Luna women's team.

Challengers include the newer force, Sue Butler (Cannondale-Monavie), ranked 9th in the UCI rankings! Sue has successfully transitioned from one of the country’s fastest mtb finishers into a major cross contender.

It is truly amazing in working with these racers how they take what they learn and mix it up with the best talent in the game. Many of the other riders don't like this and protest!

Bottom line is we can boost your knowledge (maybe), its hard to sort through all the hype and have you ride stronger and more comfortably than ever before! We have already widened the gap over the competition and wait until you see what's coming next!



Sunday, October 19, 2008

Kalmthout, Belgium, World Cup #1 - Sue Butler top USA racer!

Dutch champion Baphny van den Brand's takes her 3rd consecutive opener. Hot rod Canadian Wendy Simms finished 8th, while powerhouse Katie Compton of the USA pulled out during the 1st lap, due to a muscle pull that might be the same muscle she had issues with last season. Ouch!  Not good for the very powerful racer.

That left Sue Butler (Monavie / Cannondale) Wobble-naught & Myo-facts sEMG/Dartfish user as the top American.  The 37 year young Butler wants to rise in the ranks, but not a the cost of Katie Compton having to pull out of the race.  Sue came in at a very respectful 14th, only  1.54 back from the winner.  We know she can run in the top 10 as Wendy Simms placed 8th and Sue took a win over her in the Seattle, WA.




KENDA

KENDA
                                                                                  Pro Cycling



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Kenda Pro Cycling p/b Spinergy - Grows

Columbus, Ohio (October 16, 2008) - Following the recent announcement of Team Inferno developing into Kenda Pro Cycling presented by Spinergy for the 2009 season, two more exciting additions have also been added to the team:  U25 cycling sensation Jonathan Parrish, and sponsor Traveler's Insurance.

Graduating from his 2008 U23 program, Parrish has been to the professional roaster of the new.  This reunites him with Jacob Rytlewski, Jaime Gandara and Bennet van der Genugten, who raced along side Parrish in Belgium in 2004. 

Traveler's Insurance joins Kenda Pro Cycling's cast of sponsors (Wobble-naught & My-facts sEMG/Dartfish).  Traveler's Insurance specializes in property and casualty insurance and is on the Fortune 500 list of largest US companies as a writer of commercial, auto, and homeowner insurance.

Chad Thompson - "This is an exciting time for the team! With the added depth of Jonathan we now have more horse power, and Traveler's Insurance will provide the boost in support we need to attend our planned NRC and Pro Tour events even more comfortably."

Go read the team's updates at www.kendaprocycling.com

Wobble-naught & Myo-facts sEMG/Dartfish "We are very pleased to have been behind  Chad's dream to have a pro team.  Starting with A&F who shook up the race scene, then Inferno now (Knedra Pro Cycling p/b Spinergy).  We have been to each of their race camps and take great effort for each one of them, showing them more truth!"

Nothing make us more happy than to show the nay sayers and those who don't understand what we do with our software and the use of sEMG/Dartfish that dreams come true if you are willing to put forth effort and learn!  We have showed them the way and the results have come and now they are a pro team.  Now that is success!

We provided our services to them when they first started.  People would say why are you working with them?  They are pros!  I guess you jump on the bike and say your a pro? When you are the underdog (lack of money), you have to compete with your wits!  

Watching them take some of the biggest races in the US as a Elite team has been fun to say the least!  They can't hype their team with big money, so they have to get the results and that is not easy when you have other camps that have huge support.

There are not that many new pro teams in the country and we are extremely enthusiastic, gained loyalty with the talent they have had in the past and look forward to taking our high-tech to the races!

Good times!






Monday, October 13, 2008

WN / Myo-facts New Headquarters!

Boy how time moves on!  

Since the idea, 1999, we have been very much on the move, growing and learning and changing the world of cycling.  Now, we have moved into our new headquarters on the North End of Boise, ID.  Very close to the best road work & mtb trails in the Boise area!  

So if you want a true visual dialogue, to view your capacity and affirm what is your best movement (indoors & out), come see it at our new headquarters.  After all, we know that people speak in different tongues and we bridge the language differences by simply showing you.

A picture is worth a thousand words - so with live video, you can get perhaps a million words and that is a lot to sort out!  We can help!

Even... in despair, man acts positively. To speak or write is not enough.  To produce an object that is intended to last implies you have to see it with your own eyes. This has been our challenge, a major undertaking, entwining oneself around something you don't know is hard, so to embrace it, most humans need to see it, for it to take hold!

Your game will never be the same!

Wobble-naught Headquarters
1303 W. Fort St.
Boise, Id 83702
Phone: 208 388-8489
wobble@wobblenaught.com





Sunday, October 12, 2008

Cyclo-cross Festival Ohio!

Middletown, Ohio just had Java Johnny's International race.  Hot weather and a fast and undulating course, along with many seasoned riders set the tone.

We have a number of our users there, Jeremiah Bishop (Trek), Georgia Gould (Luna), Sue Butler (Moniave / Cannondale) racing against the majority of the country's top crossers.

The men's race saw a flurry of attacks from the current US MTB Short Track Champion Jeremiah Bishop, showing his high skills with crowd-pleasing bunny hopping to separate him and his rival Jeremy Powers.  Bishop is going to make his mark in the cross this year!

Then the women's race saw Katie Compton use her sprinting skills, grab the drops, flex her muscles and drop the majority of the top crosser.  Her best rival Georgia Gould had a flat and was not able to come back even after a huge effort, ending 6th.  She even had the help of Katie Compton's husband help!

Sue Butler took yet another 3rd place!  No question she is learning, getting faster and this is her best year yet!  She is racing some of the fastest women in the world!

Why do we love this kind of racing?  Because it is the "Sportsmanship that reigns supreme" in cross.  You don't see racers sitting up, giving their rivals a "tough lashing" like we have seen.
Just calling an "Ace" and ace here folks!  They can even talk to each other and have a beer later! Wow!  

Results

Elite Men

1) Jeremy Powers  (Cyclocrossworld)
2) Jeremiah Bishop  (Trek)
3) Barry Wicks          (Kona)


Elite Women

1) Katie Compton  (Spike)
2) Rachel Lloyd     (CA. Giant Berry)
3) Sue Butler          (Monavie / Cannondale)  Wobble-naught & Myo-facts sEMG/Dartfish
6) Georgia Gould   (Luna)  Wobble-naught & Myo-facts sEMG/Dartfish


   

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Monavie / Cannondale 1st & 3rd at 24 hour Galactic of Moab, UT.

The Galactic Championship of 24 hour mtb racing, for Moab, Utah, USA, Earth is under way.  
Granny Gear Productions  sets the battle ground to settle the still-unanswered question in 24 hour racing, can the Eruos, or the Aussies or Kiwis, beat the Americans or put another way: who are the greatest 24-hour mtb racers in the world this year?

Laird Knight of Granny Gear says, "Call it what you like, it doesn't really matter what the race is called.  The fact is it will draw the top pros from all over to a legendary course.  Laird pointed out until they hear of a 24s on other planet this it is earth-bound mtb racers who get the credit.

Long time user Bart Gillespie set the fastest lap: 1:01: 36 in the Men's pro and then he put down another fast lap only one-second off at 1:01:37.  

Now that is what you call pacing it to the second.  Think about racing 29.82 miles in distance and only being one-second from one lap to the next.

Monavie / Cannondale Pro has the lead after 18 laps, a full laps over their rivals and this is not uncommon for Bart Gillespie to be on a leading team.  There is another Monavie /Cannondale team, called 2 and they sit in 3rd place.  What a power house this team is becoming and having Sue Butler do her thing in cross. We are very pleased with their success

They even have Tinker sitting in 2nd in solo.

So you can say that Monavie / Cannondale has 3 teams racing and doing very well.

Game over Monavie /Cannodale takes 1st. & 3rd.

Friday, October 10, 2008

Kinetic and kinematic chain theory at work!

The phenomena in exercise opens a large can of worms!  Concepts are discussed around every door, leading to a abundant controversies in the field.  Many things are unresolved as many have learned that you can make money fitting.  Many are just estimations!

The of goal of sport movement for sport sciences is achieving an optimal movement pattern (path, velocity, acceleration, angle, angular velocity, angular acceleration) for a relevant body segment. This movement structure has to be successful in connection with the anatomical, sport oriented movement.  The competitors have to move the relevant segments, and supplementary equipment on the best path.

I guess we have done our homework and so has Sue Butler who called us from back east, Sue pointed out that our teachings here in Boise, ID and over the phone allowed her to get the hole shot against some of the fastest gals in the cyclocross game.  One being last years cyclocross series winner and Wobble-naught & Myo-facts sEMG/Dartfish user Georgia Gould.  Talk about fast company! From the gun, Sue Butler (Monavie Cannondale), Gould, Compton set a blazing pace which put a big gap on the field. Sue then decided to set a pace while in third.

Back on the front, Gould and Compton traded leads, attacking each other, Georgia bobbled on a u-turn and Compton got away.  Both Georgia & Katie came up to Sue after the race to  point out how impressed they are with her new found performance.  

There are a lot of fittings systems out there today since we started the first online CAD fitting. Many have attempted to copy us, e.g.  our laser, our CAD, our Dartfish and many have fought the sEMG tooth & nail saying you can't do that.  Many don't care to use our software for one reason (Big brother putting a gun to their head) or another, mostly money, as they have to pay for our CAD and Dartfish!  And many sure don't get the results that we have! 

We don't pull the wool over your eyes with some sizing idea, rather we open them to more truths!

1. Katie Compton
2. Georgia Gould  (Luna) Wobble-naught & Myo-facts sEMG/Dartfish
3. Sue Butler         (Monavie Cannondale) Wobble-naught & Myo-facts sEMG/Dartfish

Even Jeremiah Bishiop (Trek Factory) took a 2nd in the mens race!  Way to go Jeremiah!!!

This cyclocross is sure a fun event to keep your eye on.  The racing shows what you have!
Not like the team road races, where you don't know who is sand bagging!  

In the case of power oriented movements (cycling) a body segment is accelerated as result of muscular work of the athlete and get a higher and higher movement energy and impulse.  The source of this modification in movement state of different body segments, muscles and joints connected to each other is working in synergy in a well-defined order between them.

A well-done training is effective only that case, when the kinematical and dynamical parameters of the segmental movements define optimal (sometimes special) movement pattern.  Under the movement the segments are working as an interconnected chain system. 

Understanding this, it is our opinion the high velocity changes between the types of these chain system elements are the basic causes of injuries.  

Biking fitting is a complex kinematical and dynamical system and it can not be achieved by a basic mass marketing system.  There are open and closed kinematic and kinetic chains. But in real life you can define other types of chains, based on the relationships of the movement possibilities (degree of freedom, kinematic chains), and the relationships between the external and internal forces (dynamic chains).  

On this basics, we can define a new kinetic chain description system, which contains kinematical and dynamical parameters and depict the interconnections between them.

In other words, we can make you ride faster with more comfort!
Our results show that!

Tuesday, October 07, 2008

Wall Street crisis have you in a tizzy? Ride your bike!

We have a way for you to deal with the economic meltdown.  In these tough economic times, integrity counts more then ever. But how do we find it?  What does it look like?  Can it be placed in a bottle?  Not easy!

Also pleased understand, you don't have to read this!  

In a time when financial uncertainty, trust is a big deal.  We have lost a lot of trust through the years in cycling also.  The cycling market has been holding uncertainty for years.  Mistrust within the industry from the top doctors cheating, working with the top racers providing an edge (EPO) over the others,  to the local club getting a better deal vs. another club or retail outlet!  It is going to continue, so how do we short through it all?

Don't we all want a deal?  If  you can get it for less or even free doesn't mean it is better and then the question is what is the MO?  Will you take a free beer is the offer? Sure you will, even at the cost of the bar owner.  After all, you are a good customer, right?  You might even give good tips!

  Our MO is providing you numbers that provide a true "blueprint" of what you need.  It is objective, not subjective and it cost money due to the high-tech.  A six pack of beer is not going to provide you with your real blueprint!

In all sports, people bring their toys to someone who works in the industry and is very good at what they do and are willing to worked for say a six-pack of beer.  That's how it works! How can you get a deal?  Will I get pro deals if I join x, y, z club this year?

In the end, it is the retail store who has to make sales, pays the taxes, pays the rent and is subject to the 30% increase on products that comes with a new year, sending the price of things higher for the customer who is not best connected.  Not good!

We know that about 1,000 bike retail stores close their doors every year and that number will go up.  We know people will always look for a way to get around paying for their toys and services.  We see it with the guy who comes in all the time after getting their fit a few years ago to check his fit over and over.  They change bikes and that changes the fit solution, but they want one for free.  A lot more of this occurs than you know.  At this point, we don't offer a "life time solution".  We have to pay the price to be in the game and the high-tech is not free.
It is just the nature of humans to find a way to get something for nothing, better or worst!

Look how people will jump from one team kit to another.  You see the kit and wonder what they get for free or pro deal?  They don't ride any better than they did on a different club/team, but they are perhaps getting better deals on something.

Can we say at this point, there is no "free ride"on the bike except perhaps the kit.  No matter the brand, 2007, 2008, 2009, its color, you will do well to learn the game if you want to improve.  More truth is this!  

Retail sales reflect that consumers are still struggling, while sales are likely to continue to dip! You can "trust" that last years bike will serve you well "just learn how to ride it".  It's really you , your pedal stroke and not the bike!  I know it doesn't look as cool as newer models that some club/team got a pro deal on (just the cost to get it shipped) to get their brand out there. Perhaps that is a way of cheating the paying customer to keep the doors open?  You join a club and you get a pro deal on some brand?  Many of these clubs get most of their services, among other things for free with x,y.z store or at a discount. So the next time you look at one of the kits, ask yourself what kind of deal, % they got over the customer who pays retail.  Are these good ethics?

Ethics - affirming a specified group!

It also seems that people of higher learning have also learned how to get around things.  The higher the degree, the better!  For sure when you deal with a person who knows how to use words, they can use those words in powerful ways!  I am sure they don't feel because they have the cash in hand to buy that $3,500 frame for $1,000 off  or more, that they are not hurting their fellow man. They simply got a better deal over the other guy and by all means they are worth it.  Bottom line is they had the cash and money talks.  The more money you have the better the deals! Business works the same way, the more money you (mass marketing) the more you can push your ideas on dealers, leading to the public.

A study shows 70 % of university students admit to cheating in one form or another. The same study shows the highest rates of cheating take place among business students.  Business students score lower on ethics tests than law, education, liberal arts, then medicine.  That same trust carries over to the workplace.   In other words, it is hard to get the bosses to give straight answers.   You have to be pretty smart, perhaps have a higher level of learning  or be part of the "good old boy" team or club.  No wonder Wall Street is in a crisis! Even in the white house, who do you trust?  Let's get back to something that will do you better.

When shopping and buying products and services, whom do you trust?  Despite the alarming declines in trust in so many areas, there are bright spots if you find them.  Amid the financial doom and gloom, there are pitfalls and opportunities to explore if you know where to look for them.  Look to those businesses doing the right thing - building trust and providing something that makes a difference for you.  We call it service! 

All of this can make you crazy!   So now is the time to jump on the bike you already have, get it fitted by one of our fitters and trust that it will open a whole new way of thinking. Even drop stress and perhaps save money in our troubled credit markets.  Buy that new bike if you have the cash and get a deal.   There is not much that you can do about the doom & gloom of the economy.  As in many things in life, the hardest part is taking that first step! And getting back on the bike is no different.  

Trust this!  No matter the correct fit, please understand too much, too soon can hurt you. If you have not been on the bike in a while, you can expect about two weeks to get use to the saddle alone. That is a given and then you need time for your muscles and tendons to get use to it!
Don't hit the hills too soon.

Has Wall Street had an impact on our dealers, yes! Marketing in an economic meltdown can really turn the screws tighter on all things and it has on our dealers who provide the Wobble-naught & Myo-facts sEMG/Dartfish.  However people are still coming, wanting to get their bike right.  A better investment in your body!  This is a very emotional time for many and riding a bike can be a rescue "a we can do it" attitude.  Good thinking time, as it builds your confidence.

People are looking for ways to drop the stress, get their mind off the crisis and there is no better way than jump on your bike, get focused and the world goes a way, even if for a short time.  Just riding to and from work can be the time to ride and can you vision if everyone rode a bike how much fuel we would save.  Perhaps those gas stations that ran out of gas in the south east would have had gas for the ones who really needed it.

Yes bank bailouts have us all in a tizzy.  We are a small company and we have not had the support of the banks these many years.  We have had to grow slowly on our service to make it! We didn't have the banks behind us!  They did not trust us to make it because we didn't have a portfolio.  We made it by long and hard work, just like you need to on your bike.  No 'free ride".
It takes time to get on the bike and below is a great story about cycling across the US.  

I just had a guy (Paul)  call us from San Fran, CA and explain to me that after he had a early stage of tendinitis and the inflammation he was in Boise, ID and needed help or  some type of management in hopes to finish his ride across the USA.

His ride was from Portland, OR across the USA to Maine.  
About 3,300 miles!

Paul was headed to a (chronic) tendon problem due to his bike fit and his pedal stroke! Degenerative changes had occurred within the tendon and begin to contribute more and more to his pain.  Many times we intend on doing something and the muscle strength develops more rapidly and a tendon has insufficient time to adapt to the increased loading.

Below is a list some common causes of overuse injuries:

Position on the bicycle [Perhaps knee pain is the most common problem in cycling; and most of this is due to a bad fit solution due to the saddle too high or too low, too far forward (plumb line) or backward, cranks too long, too close together or too far apart, type of pedal, pedal axle bent, cleat positing, or degree of cleat float (t00 much or not at all).

Then you have body type [ Leg-length discrepancy's of as little as 5 millimeters; having a wide pelvis placing the knees further apart and stressing the outside of the knee; excessive foot pronation (flat foot) associated with medial (inside) knee pain; an internal twist of the upper or lower leg twisting the foot with each stroke; and unbalanced muscles due to the wrong range of motion and their best line of pull leading to maltracking of the kneecap!

Perhaps the most common causes are too many miles too soon, excessive hill or speed work, and using too-big of gears.  He might have even caused his issue off the bike with his weight training activities for his big ride across the USA.

The point here is he was in trouble and needed a fix, some management that allowed him to ride the rest of 2,500 plus miles with his support group.

I first want to point out that we know there are optimum morphotype's that have anthropometric characteristics for events that suit them best e.g. flat-terrain, uphill, all-terrain, time-trial specialists.  Paul needed a all-terrain fix, with that he needed to learn what to do and when.

Our solution found a number of things wrong.  His bike fit was done by a plumb line, saddle too far forward and too low. He did not have a footbed, so his foot was not interfaced with the pedal as needed (not knowing where his foot was in space). From what he had learned, he had been informed that he should pedal heel down and that was perhaps his major issue. From our use of sEMG and understanding the the knee should not be flexed more than certain degrees and we find it funny how many people learn to pedal from their local hot shot.  The heel is not attached to the pedal so you can really change your angles from where it is in space even with the correct fit option.  "All I know is what I have heard".

I did go back to our data base and noted that he had a leg-discrepancy.  So a number of things had him just about ready to throw the towel in!  He could not reduce his mileage, so we had dial his bike in, teach him a new pedal stroke and wish him well.  We changed a number of things, and as we know it, it is never just one thing but many.

Our solution worked, he did his thing, and now contacting us, looking at becoming a dealer in the spring.  A great story and as he said, he wished the service was offered in more places. He now knows that bike stores are not really set up for service or teaching.  He also points out that he tells his story to all and that is the best marketing communication and public relation we can ask for.

  • Free PR is more important now than ever before.  We have always let our fit solutions do the talking. Our marketing communications and public relations come from the many happy folks that email us, call us, etc... that they feel so good on the bike after they got use to it.  Some have said, they had a few nasty words for us until their body got use to the fit.
  • You can take the crisis and turn it into gold.  There is no better time to ride you bike and get focused for the 2009.
  • Are you on a slim-to-none budget, if so, the fit is your best bet!  You don't have to have a new bike for 2009.  We can make you faster on the one you have.
  • When you present value on the many fit ideas, the stakes are high, make sure you are getting "Real Deal".  There are many copy cats out there, and they might not know what we know.  We have see a few dealers attempt to come up with their own methods after learning ours, even getting the Dartfish, only to not understand that the reason Dartfish hooked up with us is because of our software!
  • We all have had to cut the budget, gas is high, so why not get on the bike and save a few bucks every day.  You might even save $10 (~ 2 gals.) and that can add up to $50 per week, $210 per month, $2,520 per year and that is more than enough to keep you in repairs, tires, tubes, etc...
So if you are looking for a sound investment in yourself and want to upgrade your life, get on your bike, get it fitted and drop the stress!

Monday, October 06, 2008

Why Biofeedback (Physiological feedback or Clinical psychophysiology)?

No doubt you've noticed coaching, bike fitting, bike prices creep slowly, and steadily, upward for no apparent reason.  Most pros don't pay, so they shrug off the extra cost, only for the paying customer to see it as a annoyance; and don't question the services or finding an alternative over a few bucks.  But we all have a breaking point, and what does a price increase for your fit do to to many who want help.  For most, it will send you straight into the arms of a competitor or just a basic fit. 

A good question?   What do you get with a given fit?  An eye? A video? Or do you get something that really teaches you and makes a difference for you?  That $10,000 bike is not going to teach you how to ride better.  So why use biofeedback?

What is Biofeedback.   Biofeedback actually refers to clinical applications where physiologica signals from the body are used for (VISUAL) or aduitory feedback during therapy or training session.  It has been subject of thorough scientific research ever since.  

Over 5,000 scientific publications can be found in library form on the Internet.

So if biofeedback works, why is it not used as it could be?  Its simple, its the cost e.g. our system runs about $40,000.  You bet very few bike fitter's are willing to vest into the game at that level, and you can bet that a bike store is not!  We feel it is worth it to show our dealers more truth when they are here to train in our school.

So why is this type of high-tech slow to be used? This type of high-tech can also remove the subjective ideas of a coach or say a trainer device on what you need to do!  We see people learn the wrong applications all the time.  That means it can reduce the sells of these devices, plus the jobs from those who have the many years in school in physiological and psychophysiology applications.  Most centers are not willing to pay the cost, as they will just hire someone who in most cases cost much less.  So they attempt something much different, save money, yet attempt to skin the cat.  

Biofeedback is very useful when applied to stress-related disorder or health problems related to your 'behavior' or you 'lifestyle'.  Our focus is your behavior on the bike and how we teach your brain!  No one can  get into your muscles and look at the motor firing and see what you need to do.  Power is just the sum of your effort.  How do you know the tone of a fast moving leg and how the muscles are working?  They are told you need to do this or that because someone else does it?  Not so!  

There are a number of people that suffer on the bike from  problems, in which were in the past described as having a significant 'psychosomatic' component.  Examples are chronic tension headache, hyperventilation, even migraines, burn-out, stress related symptoms and so on.  For the most, these problems often require a multidisciplinary approach. This is where biofeedback can usually be applied with good results, actually more so than neruofeedback.

Research has indicated that chronic stress often leads to overactivation of the sympathic nervous system.  The (autonomic nervous system) is responsible for functions such as; the acceleration of the heart rate, the constriction of blood vessels, the raising of the blodd pressure and more.  The stress also impacts the hormonal system.  Think how the above impact cycling.

Just as we need (homeostasis) in our life, we need that constantly balancing state to deal with the chronic stress that can interfere with the process of cycling.  Your immune system can even be stressed negatively, leading to long term chronic issues as well.

Biofeedback shows the physiological effects of stress and your 'behavior' as they occur.  In the hands of someone trained, a biofeedback system becomes a very powerful tool that (VISUALIZES) the effect of your stress or behavior and helps the client to go through a faster learning process. 
That's right, you have to lean!

In this process the client, while up on the bike, becomes aware of these effects to work out in their body and how they can make the required 'behavioral' or can we say 'cycling lifestyle' changes.  

We have many examples of clients who come to us and have developed a habit, as they have been told to do this or to do that. Most of this chronic tension is in the neck and shoulder muscles (uppper trapezius) and many have headaches as a consequence.   The resulting phenoena (pain) roots are the person lack of understanding where they carry their tension.
The cool thing, is the tension is visually displayed on a computer screen and through sEMG-biofeedback the client learns to become aware of this tension and release it before it leads to cramps, painful muscles, etc...  

The point is not to show you how much we know, rather allowing you a way by making these 'behavioral' changes and even make them disappear altogether.   Now think of the pedal stroke and how we can allow you to see the tension of your legs as they spin at 100 rpm!  

With biofeedback, you can actually help a person to become aware of the effects of chronic behavior that the the root of their performance. In the example of sEMG used about the neck and shoulder muscles that causes restricted bloodflow, fatigue, build-up waste products and finally pain, the user can observe their sEMG as they apply relaxation techniques and immediately see (feedback) the results.

We know that the strongest men don't always hit the ball farther and that holds true for the pedal stroke!

The main principles in cylcing are:

  • Through observation of the physiological processes in their own body, you become aware of the negative effects of the behavior.
  • Application of the better techniques, you see immediate physiological effects (feedback) can be seen and trained (operant conditioning).  This accelerates the learning process in making the required behavioral changes e.g. Georgia Gould, Reba Rusch, going to the top of the game!
  • The training results can be monitored over several sessions. Thus the improvements and the results of this method can be very objectified and measured over time e.g. better behavioral equals more watts over time!
There are disadvantages!  The main disadvantage is that it requires that the client is "actively participating".  In most cases behavioral changes can not be achieved by a "pill" or on command.  It involves a learning process and thus requires time and your motivation.

Four important factors are required in order for biofeedback to be effective:

  1. Rebiable equipment that can repeat the feedback each and every time.
  2. A trained experienced clinician who has used the equipment over the course of time.
  3. A motivated client who has a open mind to change their ways towards improvement!
  4. Enough time (sessions), too many don't find the time change.  Learning seems to be hard for most?, But if we can get them to learn they reach their goals very fast.
In most cases, the negative effects of biofeedback come from  the many people and their ideas on the subject of cycling that dis on the use of biofeedback and its applicaitons.  It seems that those same people don't have a $40,000 high-tech tool, so they have to push their ways, so they claim they can skin the cat another way.

Biofeedback is not a cure for everything and everyone on the bike, but it is very powerful and we have watched many go straight to the top, even taking many world championships.  When they do so, it is always the same story, where did they come from?

If you don't have 20 years to learn, biofeedback can allow you to "get it right" the first time! 
In todays world, there are many who want make a living from teaching you how to pedal and ride your bike.  Just look at the journal and note how many place ads e.g. We make you perform,  camps, etc... pushing the latest training techniques.  Its very hard to sort through and there are many mass market ways to get you on your bike.  Regardless, you have to still learn and do you have 20 years of preparation and focus to  or just a short time while you still have the motor.

One thing is true, it takes impeccable preparation and focus to reach your goals e.g. Kristin Armstrong from Boise, ID.   It took her about 8 years!  She even won a world championship while on Team Lipton, a team we provided support through Craig Upton.

We all need more morale and accomplishments from a win e.g. (USA vs. world) can do just that.  Let's hope other's have lifelong dreams of making history.  It can be done!

Biofeedback can just lower the time it takes to to get there!  Why would you want to subject your learning with poor skills?  Now it the time to learn, in the fall, so you can focus on the game in the spring.