Bike Diva

Get Sponsored by Sport Beans

Sport Beans are made by the same company that creates Jelly Belly jelly beans. Sport Beans contain a blend of carbohydrates, electrolytes and vitamins and are used by endurance athletes during their intense training routines and races.

Sport Beans are available in the following flavors:

• Berry
• Fruit punch
• Lemon lime
• Orange
• Extreme cherry
• Extreme watermelon
• Assorted mix

The extreme cherry and watermelon flavors contain 50 mg of caffeine. Sport Beans come in 1 ounce resealable packages, which are small enough to fit in your bike bag or the back pocket of your cycling jersey. Sport Beans are available at local cycling, running and multi-sport stores.

Besides sponsoring a pro/elite triathlon team, the National Triathlon Training Camp, there is also a Club Team that amateur/age group athletes can apply to join.

Here's information on the Club Team from their website:If you’re an age-group competitor interested in maximizing your triathlon training and racing experience, you’ve come to the right place! Make your training and racing more fun and rewarding in 2009 by joining Team Sport Beans/NTTC, the hottest team on the circuit! The fee is only $48 for a whole year of great triathlon benefits!

Club Team Benefits Include:

• Official Team Sport Beans/NTTC T-shirt.
• An official Team Sport Beans/NTTC swim cap, water bottle, and cycling cap from Champion System.
• Twelve 1-ounce bags of Sport Beans® from the Jelly Belly Candy Company.
• A Jelly Belly® visor.
• A subscription to the Team Sport Beans/NTTC Newsletter.
• Your name and hometown listed on our Club Team Roster page of the team web site.
• Your race results and photos listed on our Club Team Results page.
• 15% OFF all purchases from our online NTTC Sportshop.
• Discounts on attending NTTC camps, clinics, and tours.
• Discounts on purchases of Rudy Project helmets and sunglasses, Blueseventy wetsuits and swimskins, and Flex-Power Performance Sports Cream.
• 20% off the purchase of Valdora bikes and components.

The club team benefits are worth a whole lot more than the $48 registration fee. I'd like to hear from anyone that is a member of the NTTC Club Team.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Bike Diva

Mack Cycle & Fitness

My husband and I got a chance to visit the Mack Cycle store in Miami a few weeks ago. We were picking up our race packets for the Key Biscayne Trilogy #1. Since that was my husband's first duathlon, we stayed for the triathlon/duathlon clinic presented by Body Zen.

Mack Cycle is quite a large store, which is crammed full of biking and triathlon gear. They have a great selection of road and triathlon bikes and clothing in stock. The day we were there, they were having a huge sidewalk sale. I got a Trek spaghetti strap cycling top and Trek cycling shorts for only $5 each - a whole new biking/duathlon outfit for only $10 - what a deal!

Store Details
Mack Cycle
5995 Sunset Drive
Miami, FL 33143
Phone: 305-661-8363
Website: www.mackcycleandfitness.com

Mack Cycle Triathlon Trilogy
Mack Cycle is the title sponsor of the Mack Cycle and Fitness Triathlon Trilogy. The trilogy can be done as either a sprint triathlon or a sprint duathlon. My husband and I are signed up for the duathlon series. The first race took place on June 21; my husband got 4th place Clydesdale men and I won 3rd place Female Masters - WOOT!

The triathlon/duathlon trilogy takes place at Crandon Park in Key Biscayne. That's about a 62 mile drive from our house, so we have to get up at around 4 AM in order to have enough time to drive down there, park, get our race packets, pick up our timing chips, get body marked and place our bike and gear in the transition area. That gives us just enough time to check out the course and do a quick warm up run before the race start.

Mack Cycle Trilogy Race Dates
June 21 - Trilogy #1
July 19 - Trilogy #2
August 16 - Trilogy #3
September 20 - Bonus Round

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Bike Diva

Fixed Gear Bike Improves Pedal Stroke

There is an interesting article, regarding fixed gear bicycles, on the USA Triathlon site. The article is written by USAT Certified Coaches Mickey Cassu and Jason Norman.

Here is a excerpt from the article:
Using a fixed gear bike to improve smoothness in your pedal stroke.
"Use of a fixed gear bike will focus you on your pedaling technique as well as increasing leg speed and strength. The mechanics of a fixed-gear bike require you to pedal as long as the bike is moving forward. Inexperienced riders should consider using a fixed-gear bike on a stationary trainer for the first couple of rides."

To read the complete article, go to the USA Triathlon website: Achieve a Smooth Pedal Stroke.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Bike Diva

Bike Diva Wins 3rd Place Female Masters

ABOVE: Latest additions to Bike Diva's trophy case

On Sunday, March 22 I competed in my third duathlon of the 2009 race season. Duathlons are a new addition to my schedule for 2009, so this was also only the 3rd duathlon I've ever competed in. The race, which could be done as either a sprint triathlon or duathlon, took place at Tradition Town Center, in Port St. Lucie. That was a 140 mile round trip from my house. That's a lot of driving, I must be a total race addict.

Bike Diva Places in Female Masters Division
I placed in the Female Masters division of the race. I was the 3rd fastest of all women over 40 years old - SWEET! I was a bit worried when I was first checking the race results. I was looking at the Female 45-49 age group, and didn't see my name listed - WHAT!?!

My first thought was to check the penalty list, there are race officials placed throughout the course. They hand out 2 minute penalties to anyone violating the USAT racing rules. 3 strikes and you get DQ - disqualified - for the entire race.

Nope, I wasn't listed on the penalty list. So I went back to the duathlon results page, and just for shits and giggles, checked the Female Masters category. 1 - 2 - 3 = Lynn Smythe - AWESOME! After getting a 2nd and 1st place, in my age group at the first 2 duathlons I've done, a future goal was to start placing in Female Masters. Didn't think it would be at my 3rd race.

ABOVE: The Big Kahuna Award

Penalties and Race Officials
I got stuck in with a big clump of riders during the cycling portion of the race. Per USAT rules, you must ride on the right hand side unless you are passing somebody. You must maintain 3 bike lengths between you and the cyclist in front of you, unless you are attempting to pass. You have 15 seconds to pass another cyclist, on the left hand side. There is no passing of cyclists on the right hand side. If you get passed by another cyclist, you must drop back, to allow 3 bike lengths between you and the cyclist that just passed you. Blah-Blah-Blah - PHEW, that's a lot of stuff to pay attention to.

It can be a bit impossible to follow those rules to the letter, when the course is packed full of riders. After getting stuck in a clump of 8 other riders, for the second time, I decided to back off. I wasn't gaining anything by staying with the group and every time I would pass a few riders, they would pass me a couple of seconds later. Yo-Yo cycling. It wasn't worth a possible 2 minute penalty if we were caught drafting by race officials.

I wasn't trying to draft off the other cyclists, but I couldn't break through - if I only had a time trial bike, well I can dream can't I? Approximately 1 minute after I dropped off that group, I got passed by two officials on a motorcycle. They passed me, then slowed down and stayed behind that clump of cyclists I had been riding with. I saw the race official take out a mini notebook and start writing down race numbers.

When I was checking the final race results, I noticed a pink sheet listing all the penalties that were handed out. A total of 19 penalties were handed out to various triathletes and duathletes during the race, one person was even DQ - disqualified. Dang, now I need to do more riding, so I can get smoking fast, so I can blow everyone out of the water that is trying to draft off me. And what's up with the newbies riding on the left hand side the entire time - get the freak out my way beyatches! Where's the race officials when you need one?

ABOVE: Crossing the Finish Line

Details of My Race Results

• Total Time: 1:14:32.454
• Run Time: 9:58
• T1 Time: 0:54
• Bike Time: 31:43
• T2 Time: 0:50
• Run Time: 31:7
• Overall Place: 62 out of 86
• Overall Percentile: 28
• Gender Place: 15 out of 29
• Gender Percentile: 50
• Category Place: 3 out of 3
• Category Percentile: 0
• Series Points Earned: 95.06972

Bike Diva's Analysis

• My run 1 pace was 9.3 minutes per mile
• My bike pace was 18.92 MPH
• My run 2 pace was 10.22 minutes per mile

I'm pretty happy with those numbers. My running speed is getting much faster, and my bike wasn't quite as slow as it felt like. Dead legs getting off the bike, the just over 3 mile run killed me. Felt good on the just over 1 mile run on the first run leg. Also happy to see both transitions were under 1 minute. Still lots of room for improvement, but overall, very pleased with how I did.

I saw two 8 year olds at the beginning of the duathlon, they were part of a relay team. At the Chilly Willy Duathlon, there was a 10 year old girl racing that was only 50 seconds slower than me. When I saw the 8 year olds, I'm like "dang, gonna get my ass beat by a couple of midgets - BAH!!!" Well, I smoked their ass, although I did get passed by a 62 year old dude during the 3 mile run at the end of the race. So I suck, alright, I'll admit it. Alert the press: BIKE DIVA BEATEN BY GRANDPA.

Come Join the Fun
So who wants to join me on these fun events? You can do them as either a triathlon or duathlon. They're a heck of a lot of fun, and it sure beats staying home with your butt on the couch eating donuts. Well, okay, I would probably pick cram my face with pastries over getting up at 4:15 AM, but what the heck. Pictures of the race should be up in a few days, I'll post a few up when they become available.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Bike Diva

World Masters Games: Sydney Australia

PRESS RELEASE

World's Largest Multi-Sporting Event Set for Sydney, Australia in October 2009 Competitors Encouraged to Join Ranks of More Than 25,000 Set to Participate in Seventh World Masters Games

SYDNEY, March 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Sydney will be the home of the seventh edition of the World Masters Games, an international sporting event boasting more competitors than the Summer Olympic Games. Held in an international city every four years and sanctioned by the International Masters Games Association (IMGA), the games are set to take place in Sydney from October 10 - 18, 2009.

Thousands of participants from more than 100 countries will travel to Sydney to compete in the most accessible and populous international sporting event. Medals will be awarded in age categories in 28 official sports ranging from archery, basketball and cycling to tennis, volleyball and weightlifting.

Following a motto of "fit, fun and forever young," the Games is actively searching for sport enthusiasts and competitors to make Sydney the most distinct and successful games yet. Unlike in the Olympic Games, competitors represent themselves or teams from a variety of countries.

"Sydney is thrilled to host the 2009 Sydney World Masters Games, a spectacular and inclusive event that has built a true world community over the years," said Margy Osmond, Chair of the Sydney 2009 World Masters Organising Committee (SWMGOC). "The Games participants' passion, unique backgrounds, ages and stories are what make this international event so special. Sydney is committed to increasing the diversity of the competitors attending in 2009."

The Games are open to "everyday athletes" and only requires registrants to meet a minimum age requirement for the particular sport (between 25 and 35 years of age, depending on the sport) and register online at 2009worldmasters.com for a $220 fee.

The 28 sports at the 2009 Sydney World Masters Games are archery, athletics, badminton, baseball, basketball, canoe/kayak, cycling, diving, football, golf, hockey, lawn bowls, netball, orienteering, rowing, rugby union, sailing, shooting, softball, squash, surf life saving, swimming, table tennis, tennis, touch football, volleyball, water polo and weightlifting.

In preparation for the Games - Sydney, no stranger to high-profile international sporting events, is set to showcase over 70 venues, including Sydney Olympic Park and well-known Olympic sites in Bankstown, Blacktown, Liverpool and Penrith. The Opening and Closing Ceremonies, as well as a multitude of festivities and social centres will welcome competitors and friends, families and spectators.

***U.S. and Canadian athletes and everyday sports enthusiasts are encouraged to register for the 2009 Sydney World Masters Games at www.2009worldmasters.com. Media inquiries and interview requests for competitors can be submitted to the contacts below.***

About the 2009 Sydney World Masters Games - nine days, 28 sports, 72 venues
Open to everyone rather than just elite athletes, the World Masters Games are the world's largest multi-sport event, attracting more than double the number of competitors of the Olympics. Sydney will host the seventh Games from 10-18 October 2009. To enter the Games people need only meet their sport's minimum age, which ranges between 25 and 35. Games competitor and volunteer registrations are open now at www.2009worldmasters.com. The motto of the Games is "fit, fun and forever young".

Bike Diva's First Duathlon

ABOVE: Bike Diva at 2009 Duathlon Season Opener

Although I've been a long distance cyclist, for the past 5 years, I have only recently added running back into my workout routine. I've done a couple of half marathons, but in the past year, I've been curiously interested in duathlons. A duathlon is similar to a triathlon, but instead of swim-bike-run, duathletes run-bike-run.

There is a series of sprint duathlons that take place in the south Florida area, so for 2009, I thought I'd like to try a few. On February 8th, I competed in my very first sprint duathlon. It was the Duathlon Season Opener which took place at Tradewinds Park in Coconut Creek. The duathlon option, which could also be raced as a sprint triathlon, was a 1 mile run, followed by a 10 mile bike ride, followed by a 2.5 mile run.

It was pretty interesting. Transitioning from the running to biking was pretty easy, but starting the second run portion, after getting off the bike was a challenge. My legs felt like jello as soon as I got off the bike, so I had to do a combination of walking and running, to get through the first half mile. Guess you get used to it after awhile, but I'll have to start doing a few bike-run workouts, i.e. bricks, if I'm going to continue doing duathlons.

ABOVE: Bike Diva Running at 2009 Duathlon Season Opener

Bike Diva Wins 2nd Place
I did okay for my first time out. I managed to get 2nd place in my age group, 45-50, but there weren't that many girls competing in my age group. But I got a cool acrylic plaque at the awards ceremony, so that was pretty neat. I didn't do too great with the two running portions, but I kicked butt on the biking. I've only been running for about a year, and that's been long distance running, so I'm hoping once I start training for shorter distances, that my run time starts to improve.

Here are my stats for the Duathlon Season Opener:

• Total Time: 1:11:15.353
• Run Time: 9:39
• T1 Time: 1:21
• Bike Time: 32:36
• T2 Time: 1:8
• Run Time: 26:31
• Overall Place: 76 out of 92
• Overall Percentile: 17.58242
• Gender Place: 21 out of 26
• Gender Percentile: 20
• Category Place: 2 out of 2
• Category Percentile: 0
• Series Points Earned: 89.71955

T1 stands for the transition from the run to bike, while T2 stands for the transition from the bike to the second run portion. You'd be surprised how much time you can loose in the transitions, searching for your bike, changing from running to biking gear, then from biking gear back to running gear. I guess that's another area I could train for to decrease my time, because I thought I had the transition all planned out, but I felt like a chicken with no head, what the heck am I supposed to be doing!?!

ABOVE: Bike Diva on the Podium

Chilly Willy Duathlon
My next sprint duathlon takes place this Sunday, March 1st, at CB Smith Park in Pembroke Pines. CB Smith Park is about a 46 mile drive from my house. I'll be getting up at around 4:30 AM, to get ready, and drive down to the duathlon.

Once you get to the park, you have to find a place to park your vehicle, then walk from your car, with your bike and athletic bag to the transition area. At the transition area, you have to find the rack with your racing number, and place your bike on the rack, and setup all your gear, underneath your bike. Then you have to find the table with the timing chips and pick up your timing chip, which gets worn around your left ankle. Then you have to go to the area where they mark your body. A volunteer uses a sharpie marker, and writes your racing number on your right shoulder, left shoulder, left thigh and writes your racing age on your right calf.

I'll be picking up my race packet, the day before, at Downtown Bicycles, in Ft. Lauderdale. The race packet has your race t-shirt, racing bib, bike number, and helmet number. You can pickup your race packet the day of the race, but that's too much stuff to take care of the morning of the event. And it's still dark when you get there, so I like to have my race packet ahead of time, so I can attach my helmet #, bike # and racing bib to my gear, at my house. The Chilly Willy duathlon is a 1.65 mile run, 11 mile bike ride, 1.65 mile run. Should be interesting!

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Bike Diva

Bike Diva Duathlon Plans

Hey guys and girls, I know you all heard me talking last year about possibly doing a few duathlons in 2009. If you're not familiar with a duathlon, it's run-bike-run. Like a triathlon but running on the first leg instead of drowning, I mean swimming, that those crazy triathletes do.

It's official, I just got my USAT license so I can do a few duathlons in south Florida this year. These are sprint duathlons, each event is a bit different, but it's basically a 1 mile run - 10 mile bike - 3 mile run. A USAT (USA Triathlon) license is good for the following events:

1. Triathlon: swim-bike-run
2. Duathlon: run-bike-run
3. Aquathlon: run-swim-run
4. Off Road: like the Xterra series of off road triathlons which is swim-mountain bike-trail run
5. Winter Triathlon: run-mountain bike-cross country ski
6. Other Multi Sport Disciplines: for example Aqua Bike, which is swim-bike.

I'll probably be doing the SOUTH FLORIDA DUATHLON SERIES. I can't do the Singer Island one on June 7, my husband Rob and I will be out in Tahoe doing America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride with Team in Training.

There are 7 races in the South Florida Duathlon Series:
1. February 8, 2009 - Tradewinds Park, Coconut Creek
2. March 1, 2009 - CB Smith Park, Pembroke Pines
3. March 22, 2009 - Tradition Town Center, Port St. Lucie
4. June 7, 2009 - Singer Island, Riviera Beach
5. July 4, 2009 - Tradewinds Park, Coconut Creek
6. August 30, 2009 - Tradewinds Park, Coconut Creek
7. October 18, 2009 - Tradewinds Park, Coconut Creek

Anyone else out there into duathlons? Have you done any of these events, or the ones down in Key Biscayne at Crandon Park? Looks like there is only 1 duathlon scheduled for Singer Island this year, used to be a trilogy.

The Miami 1/2 Ironman duathlon takes place on November 8th - what the heck is the distance for that? I think it's a 1 mile or 6.2 mile run - 56 mile bike - 13.1 mile run? Cool - who wants to do it? So let me know what duathlons you've got scheduled for 2009, and I just might see you there.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Bike Diva

Biking and Diet Plans

Note: this is a copy of Bike Diva's article, Biking and Diet Plans, which first appeared on the Associated Content website on 12/20/07

World's First Spinning Bike?

The latest fad diets may be popular, because they offer a quick and easy way to loose weight. But in the long run dieters following these plans often gain back all the weight they lost, and sometimes even a few extra pounds, when they go back to their normal eating patterns.

Fad Diets Don't Work

One of my neighbors has been on just about every diet currently on the market. She has even lost a lot of weight following these various diet plans. Unfortunately, once she goes off these very restrictive diets, she ends up gaining back all the weight she originally lost. To loose weight and successfully keep it off you either have to radically change your eating habits or start to exercise on a routine basis. A combination of following a healthy diet and incorporating a moderate amount of exercise into your life is usually the best option.

Bike Riding and Weight Loss

Riding a bike, whether it be a mountain bike, road bike or beach cruiser, is a fantastic way to burn calories. Depending upon the intensity at which you ride, the average cyclist will burn between 400 and 600 calories per hour. I am a high intensity road biker and can burn between 800 and 1,000 calories per hour. On a recent century bike race that I participated in I burned over 5,600 calories during the 100 mile event. I treated myself to half of a 7-layer bar and peppermint mocha coffee later in the day and didn't even feel guilty about it.

Cold Weather Workouts

When the weather gets colder outside I have two options for keeping my cycling muscles in shape. One way is to participate in a weekly spinning class at my local gym. Spinning, is a high-intensity, group cycling class which lasts between 45 minutes to 1 hour. You can burn up to 500 calories in a single spinning class. We also have a bike trainer at our house. This allows my husband and I to put any of our bicycles onto the trainer turning them into a stationery bike. I like to ride the trainer in the fall and winter, especially after daylight savings time, when there are limited daylight hours for bike riding. I have the trainer setup near our TV/DVD combo so I can watch TV or a movie while riding the trainer to help prevent boredom.  

Additional Activities

In addition to riding my various bikes, I occasionally participate in other exercise programs. Activities such as lifting weights, to increase my upper body strength, and jogging, to increase my aerobic capacity, make me a stronger biker and help prevent boredom whenever I feel like I am spending too much time riding my bike.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Bike Diva