Bike Diva

Crossroads 2008 Cycling Classic

I just received a brochure in yesterdays mail on the 2008 Crossroads Cycling Classic which takes place in North Carolina on July 25th through August 3rd. 9 days of criterium road racing in 9 different North Carolina cities with over $55,000 in prizes. INFORMATION FROM THE BROCHURE "The 2008 Crossroads Classic is the only event in the Southeast that offers nine days of racng for amateurs and professionals. All nine days of racing are conveniently located within a short drive. We hope to see you at this exciting event!" CITY DETAILS 7/25 - Taylorsville 7/26 - Lenior 7/27 - Morganton 7/29 - Mocksville 7/30 - Concord 7/31 - Salisbury 8/01 - Statesville 8/02 - Harrisburg 8/03 - Winston-Salem For further information, visit the Crossroads Cycling Classic website. Take care, Lynn Smythe AKA the Bike Diva

Motor Tab Dealer

My friend, and certified USA cycling coach, Matt GoForth, is an official dealer of Motor Tabs. Matt's bike shop, On Your Mark Performance Center, is located in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Here's some information on Motor Tabs that Matt included in his latest e-mail: Beat the Heat with MotorTabs! MotorTabs are an effervescent tablet that provides more portability than its single-serving powdered drink counterparts (i.e. Heed, EmergenC). Not only are they portable, they are palatable with great flavors. MotorTabs are safe to use in hydration systems because there's no sediment or residue left behind. MotorTabs rely on an optimal ratio of sodium/potassium and a blend of three carb sources (dextrose, sucrose, maltodextrin), providing a well-balanced array of ingredients. Restoring your body's electrolyte balance and a solid energy profile is only the beginning, MotorTabs can be used to replenish yourself during or after the flu! Its a great product. Additional Information On Your Mark Performance Center 7100 Fairway Drive Suite 39 Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418 http://www.oymbike.com/ The Bike Diva is sponsored by Motor Tabs, so I can verify what a terrific product they make. I like to add 1 1/2 tablets to each 20 ounce water bottle. I love all the Motor Tabs flavors including the grape, orange and fruit punch. But I think the lemon/lime is my favorite. Take care, Lynn Smythe AKA the Bike Diva

Bike Node

WHAT IS BIKENODE? The idea is simple: "to help connect cyclists". The aim is to make Bike Node "the fastest growing cycling link directory on the planet". Of course, not everyone is willing to pay to be listed here, and most webmasters have an aversion to plastering reciprocal links and logos on their webpages (it looks understandably tacky). So I feel the best way to expand the list of cycling links is by offering them at no charge! That way, we'll grow naturally and cyclists will hopefully refer back to us voluntarily. If you have a cycling related website, check out Bike Node and add a link to your site.

Network of Strength Ride to Empower

I just received the following press release from the Network of Strength site:

The Ride to Empower is a destination bike ride, with fully-supported route lengths ranging from a 100-mile century to less than 32 miles. The Ride will take place during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in Solvang, Calif., October 23-26, 2008, with the 1-day ride on October 25. This area is a prominent training ground for professional cycling teams and serves as host for the Discovery Channel pro-cycling team’s first training camp of the year. All of this will make Breast Cancer Network of Strength's Ride to Empower an event you won’t want to miss. The Ride to Empower offers the challenge to complete a long-distance cycling event, the opportunity to pay tribute to friends and loved ones touched by breast cancer, and an empowering and memorable 3-night and 4-day experience. Once registered, riders receive access to an expert training program, provided by Dean Yobbi, to help guide both interested and avid cyclists to success.

Visit the Network of Strength website for further information.

Takkle Social Network

Takkle is a new social networking site for High School sports. Members can post photos, videos, share stats and schedules, and a whole lot more with others throughout the community. Takkle is a place where students, athletes, coaches, and fans can share their passion for sports. Takkle isn't just for athletes. Coaches, college recruiters and sports fans, will all find areas of interest on the Takkle network. Visit the Takkle website and join their social network or find out more information.

Tour de France Starts Tomorrow

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY EVERYONE!!!! VERSUS NETWORK Well, if it's July 4th, then that means the Tour de France starts tomorrow. We watch quite a bit of cycling in our house - just about every Sunday is Cyclism Sunday on the Versus Network. The Versus Network is the official broadcaster of the 95th annual Tour de France which takes place from July 5th through July 27th. This years Tour de France covers 3,500 kilometers in 21 stages, including 2 personal time trials and 2 rest days. I plan on watching more than my fair share of the tour. Versus shows live coverage of the tour every morning with recaps throughout the day. Check the Versus website for the complete TV schedule and to watch live streaming video directly on their website. OFFICIAL WEBSITE Visit the official Tour de France website to find out all the latest news about the tour and view videos, read articles and much more. RIDERS TO WATCH There are 199 riders, representing 20 teams, that will be starting in the Tour de France tomorrow. Here are the riders, and the teams they ride for, that I will be paying special attention to during the tour. Cadel Evans - Silence Lotto Robbie McEwen - Silence Lotto Fabian Cancellara - Team CSC Stuart O'Grady - Team CSC Christian Vandevelde - Garmin Chipolte David Millar - Garmin Chipolte Oscar Freire - Rabobank Thor Hushhovd - Credit Agricole Mark Cavendish - Team Columbia George Hincapie - Team Columbia Alejandro Valverde - Caisse D'Epargne I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE TOUR TO START!!!!

Wobble Naught Precision Laser Bike Fit

[caption id="attachment_133" align="aligncenter" width="327" caption="OYM Logo"][/caption] GET FIT You can spend all kinds of money upgrading components on your bike. But if your bike doesn’t fit you properly, adding the latest and greatest components is just like throwing gasoline on a fire. Sure, you’ll look flashy, but you’ll be uncomfortable as hell whenever you ride more than a couple of miles. The best money my husband and I ever spent on our road bikes was getting a professional bike fit. We made an appointment with our friend Matt GoForth, at his bike shop, On Your Mark Performance Center. Along with being a certified USA Cycling Coach, Matt is also a certified Wobble Naught Precision Laser Bike Fit dealer. SMOKE AND MIRRORS Initially, the thought of getting a professional fit, seemed more like a smoke and mirrors bullshit way to squeeze more money out of those of us with a biking obsession. But man, it was the best money I ever spent. Well, it was the best money my husband ever spent. I’m a freelance writer and don’t have a steady source of income, so we used part of his paycheck to pay for the fittings. We definitely have our priorities straight – BIKES BEFORE BILLS. I think I’ll have to trademark that – can we get that made into t-shirts? My last road bike, who’s brand name shall not be mentioned, was never properly fit for me. It really was the wrong size frame, so no amount of fine tuning will ever make it as comfortable as my 2008 Trek Madone 6.5 WSD road bike. Yes, that was a shameless plug for Trek. If the Trek GODS would like to gift me with a time trial bike, email me and I’ll get you my address. NOOB RACERS My husband and I, at 51 and 44 years YOUNG, decided to start racing this year. We have our USCF racing licenses and have done three time trials to date. We didn’t have the resources to go out and buy time trial bikes, so we were hoping Matt could get us set up for a more racier position on our road bikes – uh, is that good English, NO? And my husband, Rob, was never able to ride in his drop bars on his road bike. But now Rob is a SPEED machine. After getting his Wobble Naught bike fit he can now ride comfortably in his drop bars and no longer has to worry about my beating him at the time trials. If you haven’t already heard, I beat him by 26 seconds at the first time trial we did back in March. It was bad enough to lose to a girl, but getting beat by your WIFE – well, he got his MAN CARD taken away for that. FLY BIKE DIVA I was pretty comfortable riding on the drop bars once I got my new Trek road bike in February. But Matt was able to get me in a much racier position. Based on various measurements he took of me as part of the Wobble Naught bike fit, he ended up raising my seat, moving my seat back and lowering my handlebars. MONDO COOLNESS!!!! Now I fly all over south Florida on my road bike, and I don’t even have aerobars. COOL!!!! Go out and get a Wobble Naught bike fit – it will be the best money you’ve ever spent. [caption id="attachment_135" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Customer Rob Smythe with OYM Owner Matt GoForth"][/caption] ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Go to the On Your Mark website for additional information on the Wobble Naught bike fit. See my article, On Your Mark Racing Club, for information on the bike club that Matt has started. On Your Mark Performance Center 7100 Fairway Drive Suite 39 Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418 http://www.oymbike.com/ Take care, Lynn Smythe AKA the Bike Diva