TransIowa Twitter Feed

Well, might as well, If you notice on the left side bar I've uploaded my twitter feed. This will post all of my updates from now until Sunday/Monday. I've gotten it set up so hopefully I'll be able to update on in transit as Bottke and I attempt to ride Trans Iowa.

Most of my posts up until then will simply consist of prep thoughts and pictures in these final days. I'm hitting the ultra freak out mode as much of my friends have seen so I probably won't be posting much here besides via Twitter just for the sake of attempting to keep my head on my shoulders.

T-bones

I posted a few days ago about the Saris T-bones rack. For some reason, I've still been extremely intrigued by this rack and googled it, wherein I found this video...



The dang thing sells itself. MUST HAVE! Just might have to get a hitch on the ol' X-box now, we'll see.

Hey Facebook Junkies!

Yeah, you! On the left and that guy to your right. I know you're addicted to Facebook and looking for the next great cause to have up on your profile. Especially you Iowans. The Iowa Bicycle Coalition started a Cause group called 'Expect Bike Traffic!' in response to recent crashes that have highlighted the need for increased motorist awareness. We need yard signs and billboards that tell motorist to Expect Bike Traffic! Your contribution can help those efforts.

The Iowa Bicycle Coalition has 3 main positions of advocacy:

1. Cyclists have legal rights and responsibilities.
2. Public roadways are transportation corrirdors and should include non motorized options.
3. Public Policy can and should support safe and enjoyable cycling

And if you want... tell em I sent ya!

On the note of bicycling safety. I am currently reading through a great book called Bicycling and the Law by Bob Mionske.

So far it's been a great read and I feel it would be a must for anyone spending time on the roads, riding in and out of traffic. I'm not going to link this because I'm only finding Amazon links in my quick search but any local bike shop can get this through their distributor or support a local, independent bookstore, such as this one. Here's the vital information for it:

Bicycling and the Law by Bob Mionske
ISBN-10: 1931382999
ISBN-13: 978-1931382991
MSRP: $18.95

The art of transportating loads.

If there is one thing I have gotten good at, it's carrying more than I probably should by attaching things to whatever pack I'm using that day.

From the great turtle shell day to yesterdays extra frame. Just to put you all at ease, this frame is not mine and not another project. The frame belongs to F2, she's comments from time to time and is one of the loyal Saturday Night riders. She's officially going to be a hypster once she finishes this fixie project. The frame just got a fresh powder coat job and she's going to be hooking it up with some sweet white Deep V's of course. Should be a pretty nice build to say the least.

On a side note, as the final week before Trans Iowa approaches I have officially hit freak out mode. Which was not helped by yesterdays flat tire, yes another flat! I went 500 some odd days without one and now two in less than a week! Not helping the nerves at all, that and topped with seeing that my chain is about 80% stretched... what to do, what to do. I'm not letting myself change anything on the bike after Saturday.

Respect

This type of riding really isn't my cup of tea, but you have to admire and respect the skill that this guy has. The setting is awesome and it has a fast paced BMX feel with some trials mixed in and a good soundtrack.

The master speaks...

Ever since BRAIN proclaimed affirmed my suspicion of being the Master of the Universe. It might not be that much of a surprise to but I am reading it much more in depth and actually reading through the ads. Yeah, crazy...

But needless to say in the latest issue I stumbled upon an ad for the Saris T Bones rack. Sure, it might seem a bit strange for a blog that's main purpose is promoting cycling over driving, the reality is that a vast majority still drive and who am I to deny this simple fact and not talk about a potentially stellar product.

The Saris site boasts this about the T-Bones:

Most racks are happy to just sit around when they're not attached to your car. But it's clear that T-Bones wants to be the hardest working rack in the world. When it isn't busy being a high-performance hitch rack, it's a convenient bike storage solution for your home.

It was this last part that really caught my attention. A hitch mounted rack that can also double as a storage unit in it's off time. They say it comes in at around 10lbs which is really nothing for racks and from the looks of all the information that it comes with the stand for in the house. Now this might seem like a no brainer for a rack to do but this is new ground and other brands have not ventured into such options. What appeals to me is the fact that this storage unit could also work as a potential work stand. Saris makes no mention of on their site but for someone looking for an rack that can do just about everything, this might just be it.

Now the magically question, how much? $380. Which does seem a bit steep but if you compare it to Thule's light weight designed rack the Helium it's a steal. The Thule is not nearly as versatile as what the T-bones claims to be able to handle. Or let's try a breakdown in Thule products to compete with it:

Thule 912 - 2 Bike Rack = $199.99
Thule 955 No Sway Cages = $29.99
Thule STL2 Snug Tight Lock = $49.99
Thule 538 Cable Lock = $34.99

Total: $314.96

Which then does not offer any storage or ability to use as a work stand, so adding a Park PCS-10 Home Repair Stand that goes for $136.99, which puts us at $451.95 and we can't even store another bike.

Granted all of this sounds really good, and the T-bones isn't even available until late May and once I get to see the rack it will either confirm or deny if this rack is really all it's cracked up to be but until then, I'll give it the thumbs up.

Roadies.

Last night I stumbled onto this article on FoxSports.com on Tyler Hamilton. Most of you probably have already heard but I do say that this time around his response has seemed refreshing to me at least...

Cyclist Hamilton retires after another positive test

Hamilton admitted taking an herbal product for two days in February to combat depression, knowing it included a steroid.

"There's nothing to fight about," the 38-year-old Hamilton told The Associated Press. "I took a banned substance. I accept the consequences. You make mistakes in your life and I accept the penalty like a man." Hamilton will likely receive a ban from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency that may range from eight years to life, a sentence that would have ended his racing days anyway.

"He has had a cloud over his career for a while now and the sport is better off without him," said Pat McQuaid, president of the International Cycling Union.

Hamilton's win at the 2004 Athens Games was overshadowed by a blood doping scandal. He tested positive for doping a second time later that year, served a two-year suspension and returned to racing early in 2007 - never revealing that he was fighting depression, which he said runs in his family.

Going through a divorce and seeing his mother fight breast cancer made things worse in recent months, Hamilton said.

Seeking relief, he took something called Mitamins Advanced Formula, billed as a "natural depression treatment with vitamins, herbs and supplements."

"Obviously, that was a mistake," Hamilton said.

In a statement, USADA said it will continue going through the process of issuing a sanction.

"Although Mr. Hamilton has now retired from the sport of cycling and has publicly accepted responsibility, this is a pending matter and USADA will make an announcement of the final outcome and imposition of the exact sanction in accordance with the rules when the process is complete, which should be in the coming months," the statement said.

The Mitamins product contains common things such as vitamins D, B-6 and B-12, along with thiamin, riboflavin and calcium. Each serving also contains 20 milligrams of a steroid called Dehydroepiandrosterone - DHEA, as it's known.

"Clinical research has suggested that taking DHEA orally might improve the symptoms of depression," reads the company's Web site.

Hamilton said the amount of the steroid found in his system was "so, so low" and that subsequent tests, including ones later that same week before the Tour of California, all came back negative.

"I took it to help my mental state," Hamilton said. "I did not, 100 percent, take it for any performance enhancement."

Hamilton said he was taking a prescription antidepressant called Celexa, and was feeling so badly a few months ago that he decided to double up on the dosage. After seeing no significant change in his mental state, Hamilton stopped taking the drug entirely.

He tried the Mitamins product, he said, on Feb. 6 and 7. USADA testers knocked on his door the next day.

"I was thinking everything would be fine," Hamilton said. "It might sound a little crazy, but I wasn't really worried. I wasn't really stressing about it. Maybe it's because of everything else I was going through. I don't know why."

About five weeks later, he learned everything was not fine.

Citing bronchitis, Hamilton did not ride in the Vuelta of Castilla and Leon in Spain - the race where Armstrong fell and broke his collarbone. And he was expected to be the leader of Rock Racing's team for a race in Portugal earlier this month, but was replaced on the roster shortly before that event.

At the time, few knew why.

"This is, for me personally, a really tough day," said Rock Racing owner Michael Ball. "My personality is to always fight for what I feel is right."

Others around Hamilton also encouraged him to fight the latest positive test. Hamilton's attorney, Chris Manderson, said they were mapping "several different strategies" including one to file a federal suit against USADA over the testing.

"Tyler has decided he does not want to pursue that route," Manderson said. "He wants to focus on the reasons why he did what he did and he wants to focus on getting better and getting on with his life."

Hamilton won the road time trial at the Athens Olympics, capping one of the finest days USA Cycling had known.

Americans won three medals that day on a road along the Saronic Gulf, with Hamilton's gold and Bobby Julich taking the bronze in the time trial and Dede Barry winning silver in the women's time trial.

Soon after, Hamilton's first positive test for blood doping came back, but he was ultimately allowed to keep the gold medal because his 'B' sample collected in Athens could not be properly tested. A month later, he tested positive again.

Hamilton has long denied participating in blood doping, the transfusion of extra blood that can increase endurance because more red blood cells are available to deliver oxygen to muscles.

For this latest positive test, he denied nothing.

"I knew it was banned," Hamilton said.

Hamilton briefly considered himself retired last year, then returned to compete in several races, plus won USA Cycling's road race national championship by less than one one-hundreth of a second.

He doesn't know what he'll do next, other than focusing on his health and family.

"This isn't about a test. It's a bigger issue," Hamilton said. "It's a disease that I'm going through, that my family has gone through, that I need to take care of. Cycling is just a sport, racing your bike from Point A to Point B. What I'm going through is so much bigger."

Not to leave you on a downer...



Roadies...