Go Wiggo!

A huge Congratulations to Bradley Wiggins (Wiggo) and Team Sky for what amounted to be a fantastic Tour de France for Great Britain and the world of cycling as he became the first Briton to win le Tour in the 99 years of its existance.

Wiggo showed poise in the face of assanine doping allegations from the media and dominated the 9th and 19th stages in the Indivdual Time Trial (ITT) sealing his spot as the winner of the 20 stage race that covered 3497 km or 2172.935 miles.

In addition to Wiggo winning the overall classification in le Tour, Team Sky also had a second rider on the final podium in Chris Froome who placed 2nd and Sprinter Mark Cavendish finished this years Tour de France with his 23rd Stage win in his 5 years of participating in the Tour de France.

Chapeau to all the competitors of this years' Tour de France! 

I look forward to seeing all the pros racing again in the Olympics (Road Race July 28/Time Trial August 1), the Tour of Utah (August 7-12) and the USA Pro Cycling Challenge in Colorado (August 20-26)!

The following photos are taken courtesy of TheAtlantic.com





Stage 19 ITT





Stage 19 ITT Finish



The following are links to video highlights of the 2012 Tour.  Peruse through and let me know what you think of this years Tour de France  If you had the chance to view any of it, what are your favorite moments?

Tour de France 2012: the best bits pt1-video

Tour de France 2012: the best bits pt2-video

Tour de France 2012: the best bits pt3-video

Until the next time,

Keep your mind sharp, body fit, and pedal hard

MB&B
@MindBodyBike

Tri-County Ride-know your limits and when to push them

Good Day my friends, I had the opportunity to meet up with John, a fella I met during the Magnolia Miles event some weeks ago and he brought another friend, Morné, to join us on a ride this past weekend.  Morné originates from South Africa, which I thought was pretty cool and we hit it off immediately.  Morné is what John called a skinny rider, which spells doom and suffering for us heavier set guys as he kept us pushing our limits just to keep in pace.  To be good at anything, you really need someone better than you to push beyond your comfort zone and give your muscles a quick (and sometimes severe) wake up call.

Half-way through the ride, John decided he was going to attack at every climb while calling us a bunch of pansies (or some other expletive that was a direct attack on our manliness).  John threw down the gauntlet and Morné happily accepted the challenge as he exploded off the line, tucked into John's slipstream for a few pedal stokes and powered ahead to win the sprint to the top. 

What is it about the male species that we constantly test each others machismo by calling each other a derogatory name?  It's all in fun, but it never fails to bring laughs and challenges as we attempt to keep our dignity and pride in what boils down to a name calling contest.  Alas, I too fell into the trap and attempted to battle it out after John took off at the bottom of a short steep climb followed by Morné.  I'm no climber, but I thought, "Let's see what I can do!", so I shifted gears and hammered on the pedals.  I remember looking at my bike computer and seeing 27.5 mph (HOLY SMOKES! THIS IS FAST & IT'S UPHILL!).  I was feeling strong, even as my legs were screaming at me to stop pedaling.  I looked up expecting to be close to the attack.  I was dead wrong.  I saw Morné passing John to the top of the climb about 20-30 yards ahead of me.  It was amazing to see them battle it out like that!  It went on like this for at least 5 or 6 climbs with me bringing up the rear.  I tried to match the attacks and speeds these guys were hammering out just to keep competitive (this came back to bite me in the arse).

Summer 2011 Wildfire

We were at the 45 mile mark when we headed back to with 22 miles to go.  I took my turn at the front and set the same pace as John and Morné had with the wind in our faces.  I made it 4-5 miles before I had to peel off and make an attempt to recover.  From mile 50 to the end of the ride I was bringing up the rear trying to keep my pedals turning.  I was cooked, suffering and trying to keep up.  It was then that I kept thinking about how I should have conserved my energy early on so I had enough in the tank for the end.  Thankfully, it was a no-drop ride and the guys were sticking with me and encouraging me to keep pedaling.  There were still the occasional attacks that I was unable to match, but they were kind enough to keep it short so I could catch up.

Summer 2011 Wildfire

These types of rides reinforce the need to know your limits and how to plan your workout.  It's not just about finishing, but finishing strong and having a great support group to keep you moving when your mind and body want to stop.  I'm thankful for the group I was with and the lessons learned.  After a few days of reflection, I've come to the conclusion that a S.W.O.T. Analysis would be a great tool by laying out a plan of action to sharpen your current skills and develop and identify areas for improvement.  For those not familiar with the strategic planning method, a S.W.O.T Analysis identifies your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats.  Think about where your fitness goals fit into these four areas and where/what are the areas that you need to work on.  S and W are simple enough, but the Opportunity could be something along the lines of making better use of your time in order to have a more effective workout and the Threat could be allowing your stomach to dictate your next meal by not making healthy food decisions, especially right after a workout. 

Post a comment or send an email and we can share our experiences and grow our support group as we fight on to be stronger, leaner athletes. 

Until the next time,
Keep your mind sharp, body fit, and pedal hard

MB&B

Gibbs' Exodus

Check out this blog of One Man at War with Responsibility!

Lake Travis, Texas

Provence Region, France

This awesome adventure began with one man striking off across America (driving to locales and cycling) from the East Coast to the West Coast and hopped the pond to Europe to continue his journey.

Living His Dream

Gibbs' Exodus

Until the next time

Keep your mind sharp, your body fit and pedal hard

MB&B

Stop and smell the roses

On the bike enjoying the morning and look what I saw! It's nice to stop and smell the roses...er Bluebonnets.