I am glad to read that there are some other sports getting cracked down on now about using drugs other than cycling.

The news comes close on the heels of a report that found widespread use of performance-enhancing drugs in interspecies competition. Officials describe the action against Hare as “the first step in a new get-tough policy to crack down on doping.”

Meanwhile, Hare denies any cheating and says he will challenge the decision.

You can read the rest of the story over at BrainSnap.

Reading this story makes me so pissed off at some of the efforts of some people.  Sure, it is a great concept, but seriously.  Why does he put so much effort into helping another country when children in our own country don’t have schools to attend??  I mean really.  Let’s be every one else’s savior while people in our own country suffer.  Who cares about the children of Pakistan??  What about the children of Philadelphia, or New York, or Chicago, or any other town in the US???  Why would we want to help them out?  It makes me sick to my stomach….

I think, for any of us cyclists, this is and should be our worst nightmare. Actually, this situation, except for the some of the goodies, would be anyones worst nightmare. I really feel for the guy:

Last Monday I stepped out of the house at 9:48am. I’m that sure about it because I was expecting my plumber to show soon after 10, but I needed to run to the hardware store for a floodlight bulb. No problem I said to myself.
Went to Stanly’s hardware, then stopped for a coffee to go at the Set Table. Back at 10:30.
My front door has two locks. I always bolt the top bolt-lock if I’m going anywhere, and the bottom knob-lock usually gets the key too. When I got back I noticed that only the handle was locked. That didn’t seem right, but I gave myself the benefit of the mistake and walked back to the kitchen to get some maple syrup for the coffee.
I noticed on the kitchen floor two or three pieces of mud and a leaf from the tread of a shoe. If you saw the house right now you might have wondered how I could distinguish one piece of dirt from another, but these seemed out of place. I looked at my soles, recognized I had been digging sewer pipe out in the basement and assumed it was from me.
Walking up to the cluttered kitchen counter I set my coffee down then looked right to see my kitchen window open.
Panic!
I knew that wasn’t right. It’s 30 degrees outside and I never open that window. First reaction was to run to the front room to see if my new mountain bike was there. I had brought it home from the shop the night before, freshly polished, tuned and ready to ride.
Gone!
A quick look around revealed blank holes where my compressor, nail gun and other power tools had been. I ran upstairs to my bed room to find a big hole in the plastic door, and inside was one less Laptop, camera and printer. Still left down stairs was my cross bike with the new PowerTap wheel in it. Unlocked.
Ran to the back yard, realized they took to much stuff to go out the back. Went to the front, asked the guys working on the street if they saw anything. “nope” with heads shaking. Called 911.
Talked to neighbor, Leon. He says he saw a white work truck pull up onto the curb 5 min after I left, but assumed them to be some of the people working on my house. His sone even said hi to one of the guys. Their descriptions didn’t match any of my workers. So I waited for the police.
tbc

Found over at Harlan’s Site..

Sure, there has been a lack of posting, but there has to be a good reason right?? Well, there isn’t. Nothing too exciting has been going on here recently. We got a bunch of snow, so I have been out skiing at Wildcat twice, and I have shoveled my driveway a whole bunch. It seems as if I might just have to put the bike away for a while until this mess melts.

To keep my mind, and body, off the trainer, I am working on getting myself some cross country skis to give a shot. From what it seems, I don’t know if I will be able to before the first of the year because of traveling and availability and such so it seems for the next couple of nights, I will just get out the trusty snowshoes and co climb something for a while. It should keep me off the trainer and give the legs a good workout. Plus I am planning on some longer hikes this winter, so getting in some quality time now will help out a bunch.

Other than that, nothing new and exciting.

It is getting a little warmer here in the North East (about 45 degrees) and I am stuck inside in my office just staring at the sun, unable to get out there and enjoy it.  Why did I have to graduate from college, join the “real world” and have some responsibilities??  If I were still in college, you can bet that I would have skipped my afternoon class and been out on the bike (sorry mom).   I am actually thinking to take a little longer lunch and try to get out for an hour on the single speed mtb.  Might be tricky with the 8 or so inches of snow we have…plus with the warm weather, might be making it a bit sloppier.

Lazy. That about sums up how I feel right now. Too lazy to ride, too lazy to hike, too lazy to even write a post on here. Hopefully this funk gets cleared out. I went on a 20(ish) mile ride on the fixed gear on Saturday, which felt good. Something nice about the fixed gear, I haven’t ridden it in a little over a year. I walked into my basement, aired up the tires, lubed it up, and put a wrench on a couple bolts to make sure things were tight and I was out the door. Nothing to fiddle with. Can’t beat how simple that is. If I think of it, I will post up some of the GPS data from the ride.

Sunday, mark me down for nothing other than a dog walk. Monday, mark me down for nothing more than a dog walk. I am going to try and get out on the snowshoes tonight just to see how the snow is and how my hip works with them. In years past, I have always had a hip plexor issue when snowshoeing. I think it is because there is a lot more weight to “pull up”. With some of the trainer exercises and stretching I have been doing, I am hoping it doesn’t give me a problem this year. I have some big plans for snowshoeing. Before, anything past 8-10 miles and I couldn’t walk for the next week. I don’t want to be put through that again.

I really just don’t want to be on the trainer, so anything at this point is better than nothing. I have everything set up, but every time I look at it, I just want to cry. I don’t like trainer riding, not even one bit. Hopefully I can try my hand at XC skiing and that will be something else to keep the aerobic side up. I have friends in Maine, who don’t own trainers, that they only XC ski and every year, they come out of the gates whooping us who use trainers. There is something to be said about XC skiing..

You can go ahead and file this one under the “WAAAAHHHH!!! I didn’t get my way so I am taking my ball and going home..”

From Velonews:

“I am stopping competition … It’s a definitive decision,” he told a news conference. “I don’t want this sport anymore … I’m slamming the door and I’m leaving.”

“It’s sad that my career is ending like this but I want to restore my honor … I will prove that I’m not guilty and get the results of this test rescinded,” he said.

Feel free to read the entire Velonews article.

Here is a recent post from Fatcyclist that caught my eye and I figured I would share it. Elden has a nicely done site with a whole bunch of posts like this. I would add this to your daily reads, I have. Anyway, you can go ahead and file this one under sarcasm:

An Open Letter to Delta 7 Sports, Maker of the Arantix Mountain Bike

Dear Delta 7,

I am so excited about your incredible innovation: The Arantix Mountain Bike, featuring IsoTruss technology! I will post a picture below, so that everyone who reads this open letter can have their minds as thoroughly and completely blown as mine:

Yes, it’s true: your bike frame is teeny tiny threads of carbon fiber and kevlar, making tubes that are mostly air.

Awesome. Hey, let’s take a closer look at that frame, shall we?

I swear, all of us cyclists who really like our bike tubes to double as cheese graters are just going to flip over this thing, Delta 7. And it’s so elegant-looking, too! If I don’t miss my guess, that top-tube is no thicker than my thigh. And the downtube is quite possibly thinner than my waist!

Anyway, Delta 7, I just wanted to write you a letter describing all the ways I think your bike is really cool. You should feel free to use any of these ideas in your marketing material.

Reason 1: Price!
Delta 7, some people might find the $12,000 you’re asking for a complete bike somewhat exorbitant. Well, that’s just because they’re not used to the amount of money one must expect to spend on an extremely well-made bike. For example, one could expect to pay $3300 for a Gary Fisher SuperFly, another top-end carbon fiber bike.

Which means, I guess, for the cost of your bike I could buy three SuperFlys and still have enough money left over for a Rig or two. So I guess that didn’t make my point very well.

OK, then, how about we compare the Arantix to the Orbea Alma. Now there’s a high-end, custom-made, expensive carbon hardtail…which, now that I look at the specs on the website, tops out at around $4600. Which means I could buy one and still have enough money to buy an Orca. And an Opal, for days when the Orca’s in the shop.

But I’m sure, Delta 7, that most any cyclist, like me, would much rather have an Arantix than two or three top-of-the-line bikes from any other manufacturer.

Reason 2: Awesome Parts!
As you no doubt know, Delta 7, I could buy the Arantix frame all by its sad, lonely self for a paltry $7,000. But why would I do that when I could spend another $5000 on:

• Fox F100 RLC fork
• Shimano XTR drivetrain and wheels
• 2 Crank Brothers Ti Egg Beaters pedals
• RaceFace Next SL carbon fiber handlebar
• 2 LizardSkins Lock-On grips
• L.H. Thomson Masterpiece handlebar stem and seatpost
• Chris King NoThreadSet headset
• Selle Italiá Kit Carbonio saddle
• complete LizardSkins Arantix frame skinset

Now, some people might call that spec pedestrian, and some might call the price for that spec “price gouging” or “completely insane.” But those people clearly don’t have any idea of how much a “complete LizardSkins Arantix frame skinset” costs. I mean, think about it for a second. That frame — you know, the one I’m going to pay $7000 for — is full of holes, so I’d darn well better cover it up with a big ol’ condom, so nobody can see it. And making a frame condom can’t be cheap.

Either that, or you’re thinking I won’t mind paying a little bit more than full retail for each individual part in that build, in spite of the fact that I’m buying it as part of a complete bike.

And you know what, Delta 7? You’re absolutely right! I’m perfectly happy to pay as much for your parts kit as I would for a complete, handmade, Titanium mountain bike from Seven Cycles.

Reason 3: Weight!
With all those triangle-shaped holes in the Arantix’s tubing, I’d expect this to be one light frame. And I’d be right! That frame, in fact, ways just 2.75 pounds, which is really, really light.

And you know what? It doesn’t bother me a bit that pretty much every carbon fiber MTB frame ways that about that much, and quite a few weigh less.

I’ve got a great marketing slogan for you, Delta 7:

Arantix: Pretty light is light enough

Feel free to put that in your brochures.

Reason 4: Hours and Hours and Hours of Fun!
As the owner of a $12,000 bike, I am not going to want to ever have it look anything but pristine. However, I must be honest with you, Delta 7: as the owner of a $12,000 bike, there is no way I am going to hide it with a LizardSkin condom. I want people to see how wealthy I am when I ride.

So you know what I’m looking forward to doing, Delta 7? Riding my Arantix in the mud, and then cleaning it. I figure that in order to keep it looking good, I will need approximately two soft-bristle toothbrushes and 497 Q-tips per cleaning session.

And a quart of Windex.

And about nine hours.

But you know what, Delta 7? It’s going to be totally worth it, because I’m sure that by putting that much work into it, the completely visible interior of my bike’s tubes will never get dusty or grody.

Reason 5. Hyper-Portable
Of course, I’ve been keeping my favorite thing about the Arantix for second-to-last. You see, when I first saw the Arantix and found out that the weave of the tubes doesn’t make it any lighter, I was confused. Sure, I saw your site copy talking about how strong it is, but the truth is, I only need it to be strong enough to hold me, not me plus a satchel full of anvils, or a human pyramid.

“Hmmm,” went my reasoning. “The bike’s not lighter, but it is bulkier-looking, incredibly expensive, and almost certainly an all-day job to clean. Where’s the benefit?”

And that’s when I realized: the IsoTruss strength argument is a red herring. The real reason the Arantix has that wild shape is because it must secretly work just like the Hoberman Sphere!

The resemblance is compelling, isn’t it?

Yes, I posit that just like the Hoberman Sphere, the triangles in Arantix are hinged, so the whole frame folds down to fit neatly in my pocket. I’m guessing the spokes on the wheels have a locking, telescoping mechanism, so they fold down to practically nothing. I’ll bet the whole bike fits in a briefcase by the time it finishes, right? Like in the Jetsons opening montage.

That is going to be so cool.

Delta 7, this is a major selling point. I know that so far you haven’t mentioned it in any of your marketing material and just want it to be one of those cool little surprises that will make the new purchaser extra-glad he bought the bike, but I think this is significant enough that you should hammer it as a big selling point.

Or, if it doesn’t do that Hoberman Sphere thing, maybe you could defray some of the outrageous sticker shock of this bike by doing a “buy one, get two free” promotion.

Reason 6: Rideability!
Um, actually, I haven’t been able to find any independent reports on how the Arantix rides. But at $12,000, it’s got to be good. Right? Just give me your assurance this $12,000 bike — your company’s first bike design ever — rides close to as well as a Specialized Rockhopper, and we’re all set.

Congratulations on a compelling innovation in cycling, Delta 7! I can hardly wait to meet someone actually riding one of your bikes.

Or at least see it mounted on the back of his H2.

Kind Regards,

The Fat Cyclist

PS: Thanks to the GeekCyclist, who yesterday emailed me and said, “Hey, you should write something about that new IsoTruss bike.” So I did. I didn’t realize I take requests, but evidently I’m happy to!

PPS: Delta 7 is a local company, so I expect to be beaten to death very soon. The police will, no doubt, be able to find my killers, due to the highly unique markings left all over my broken body by the club. “The weapon can be only one of two things,” Detective McNulty will say. “A cheesegrater, or an Arantix downtube!”

PPPS: If there’s someone out there who has plunked down their $1000 in order to get into the Arantix queue, I’d love you to send me an email explaining why you want this bike so badly that you’re happy to spend $1000 to get in a line to buy a $12,000 bike you’ve never test-ridden (unless you have test-ridden it, in which case your ride should be a huge part of your rebuttal). I will publish your response without revision. My only condition is, you must also reveal what kind of car you drive.

I didn’t do squat yesterday, or at least nothing worth while in terms of the training.  Got up, went to work, came home, walked the dog, blah, blah, blah.  It was almost a conscious effort to not ride on the trainer.  My feeling at this point is that it almost feels like I “have” to get on the trainer.  Sure, if I want to improve, I do have to, but it is WAY to early in the winter season to be thinking those kind of thoughts.  Let me wait until late February or early March to think that.   I really need to get some other form of workouts in and I need to do it soon or I will drive myself batty.

Just another day here in good old New Hampshire.  Today was a bit warmer than the past as it was actually above freezing for a little.  After talking to a few, it seems different parts of the valley were hit differently with snow.  I got about 7-8 inches of snow in the yard, while Attitash got more than a foot.  Other than the going to work, coming home, eating supper riding the trainer, today was the same as every other.  When I got home, I did the Spinervals #2-Time Trial Special workout.  I think tomorrow will be a good time to just relax a little and just spin the legs out on the rollers.  Good times.  Here are the stats from today: