After much chiding, I finally relented and signed up with Strava. ‘Another online social network…really? Really…?’ Yes. And if you’re like me, and a bit frayed around the edges with already trying to keep up with Facebook, Linked In, and Twitter (maybe others), then adding yet another place to log into and catch up on [...]

Motivation – in the off-season we’re all looking for it. Without it, we’d never get off the couch. If you’re talking about just ‘riding’, finding motivation can be pretty easy – riding is a blast, and all about fun! Personally, I’m up for going for a ride pretty much anytime. But, if we’re talking about [...]

Just like you, I’m busy. Sometimes I have to work late, sometimes I have to mow the lawn, sometimes I’ve got to look after the little lad… The list is seemingly endless. Oftentimes, this barrage of commitments limits my ability to plan and coordinate group rides – I’m not lamenting this fact, it’s just life. [...]

Ah, Las Vegas… The land where dreams come true. Admittedly when I think of Vegas my first thoughts are of slot machines, exotic clubs and empty bank accounts, cycling definitely wasn’t first on my mind. As Sheldon and I prepared for a mutual friend’s bachelor party however, it was something we thought we should look [...]

Well truthfully, I need $10,650, a month off work, a round trip ticket to France and somebody to convince my wife this is a good idea. The 14 affluent friends are optional. While I have been slowly reacclimatizing myself to life without the Tour, I wondered – What could be greater than soaking in all [...]

Ever since the New Year, I have embarked on a new type of training… A secret type of training… Untraining. The secret of untraining is not to simply stop training… That would be to easy. Rather, the secret lies in the delicate balance of attempting to valiantly uphold your training goals while admittedly allowing other [...]

We all know the deal. We all know what we should be carrying on the trail. But let’s be honest… Sometimes things just don’t go according to plan… Or for that matter, even according to the backup plan. Brought a spare tube? Good for you, but if you’ve flatted on the way up and torn [...]

This time the last two years, I felt very different. In the spring of 2009, I’d been on the indoor trainer and in the gym for months, working hard in prep for my bid for the full Transrockies. In 2010, coming off a solid race season, I enhanced my ‘off-season’ training with 2 outdoor rides [...]

Train Smarter. Sounds good. Marcel Laponder doesn’t have a degree of any kind, just a self-professed, ‘immense interest in Sport Science’. And, that’s what his blog ‘train-smarter.blogspot.com’ is about – challenging and questioning, not just the dominant pedagogical training paradigms we all know and love, but also the ever-immerging fringe theories. Personally, I am always [...]

Reaching new heights, is not always a good thing… Especially when you’re talking about body weight. Like last year, I find myself standing on the scale in January staring down at an all time high for me. Discouraging? Yes. Surprising? Not at all. I’ve been slackin’ for months and eating terribly. Well, actually, as a [...]