New Half Ironman event in South Carolina

Finally, another half ironman distance triathlon in South Carolina. On October 10, 2009, for the First Annual Long Bay Triathlon will take place in Litchfield/Murrell’s Inlet at Huntington Beach State Park. This is a half ironman distance event – 1.2 mile ocean swim, 56 mile bike, and 13.1 mile run.

I’m happy to see another half iron race in South Carolina. Until now, we’ve had only Setup’s SC Half Ironman in Greenwood. That’s a great event, but it’s the only long distance triathlon in the state. Other half iron options, that don’t require too much travel, include the Rock n’ Roll Half Ironman in Macon, GA and the Whitelake Half in Whitelake, NC.

Race Info
Registration is now open. The cost is $165 for individual participants. They also just added a relay option for $250. This race is a USAT sanctioned event.

The swim is a 2-loop, out and back, wave start, ocean swim. Water temperature is expected to be in the low 70’s, so wetsuits will be allowed unless water temps go above 78 degrees. The swim cutoff time is 1hr 10 minutes.

The bike portion is a relatively flat 56 mile course with 3 aid stations. This course is not closed to traffic, and the cut off time is 5:30 from your race wave start time.

The run is also relatively flat, consisting of a 13.1 mile loop consisting of beach, trail, and road sections. There will be 5 aid stations on the run course. The run cut off time is 8:30 from your race wave start.

Concerns
Putting on a race this size requires a lot of work, volunteers, money, and attention to detail. Hopefully, this race will go off without a hitch. But I can’t really tell from the website if this outfit has experience producing races this size. The race director is listed on the website, but not the production company, so I assume it’s his show.

Personally, I like to know if the production company or individual has experience with large-scale events. I only mention this because a race this distance really needs all the controls in place – aid station supplies, medical staff, traffic control, volunteers, timing, etc. I wouldn’t be concerned if it were a road race or sprint triathlon, but a long distance event like this is a different beast. Just more time for things to go wrong. And first-time events, regardless of distance, always seem to have more hiccups along the way.

Initially, very little information was available on the website, but they continue updating and adding information, which leads me to believe this is a ‘work in progress.’ For example, it looks like they recently changed the race date from the 11th to the 10th. No big deal, but before I pay $165 for a race, I really want to know that all the bases are covered, that the event will be safe, and honestly, that it will be worth the money.

They are definitely working in the right direction. Hopefully, if they haven’t already, they will secure enough sponsors and volunteers to make this event something special because I really appreciate having another race option so close to home. Stay tuned.

Lance announces Team Radio Shack

RadioShack and Lance to Form New Cycling Team in 2010 -- powered by http://www.livestrong.com

A Ride with George Hincapie

A new documentary about George Hincapie is out and it’s called “A Ride With George Hincapie.” It’s a feature-length film that covers his early cycling years as a junior in NYC all the way up to the 2009 Roubaix. The DVD sells for $29 and you can order here.

Hincapie currently rides for Columbia, but he is best known as Lance’s #1 domestique – the only rider to have ridden on each of Lance’s Tour wins. He also rode for Alberto Contador during his 2007 Tour de France victory. That makes “big George” the only rider to have raced on eight Tour-winning teams. At the end of this year’s tour, he will have raced the Tour 14 times. That’s pretty amazing.

He’s been around cycling all his life and in addition to his Tour wins with Lance, he’s compiled a nice little resume himself:

• Winner Gent-Wevelgem
• Winner Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne
• Winner Dauphiné Libéré, and two stage wins
• 2nd place at Paris-Roubaix
• Stage win Tour de France
• Two stages at the Tour of California
• Stage win at the Tour of Missouri
• Two-time US Professional Road Race champion

The thing about George, besides being one of the great ‘all rounder’ cyclists of our time, is that he’s very quiet and unassuming. Well-respected in the peleton and loved by his teammates, how can you not be a fan of Hincapie?

2009 Tour de France Day Four

The 2009 Tour de France kicked off July 4 with a 9.6 mile individual time trial (TT) in Monaco. I’ve already watched each of the first four stages a couple times (Versus isn’t afraid to rebroadcast each stage several times a day). My wife doesn’t understand how I can watch the same stage when a.) I’ve already watched it live, and b.) I know who wins. I give her my standard response for when I don't have an answer, “It’s complicated.”

This year’s Tour features 21 stages – 8 mountain stages with three mountain-top finishes, two individual time trials, and one team time trial (a 24.2-mile flat stage around Montpellier). I love the mountain-top finishes, but I was most excited about the team time trial (today’s stage). They are exciting to watch and give the GC contenders on better teams another opportunity to open up some time gaps on the guys with weaker teams (sorry Cadel). I think the last team time trial was in 2006, so it’s good to see that Tour organizers brought it back.

But the big news at this year’s Tour, and in all of cycling, is obviously the return of 7-time champ Lance Armstrong. As soon as he announced his return to cycling, the questions started – Will his ride in the Tour? Can he win again at age 37? Who will be the team leader? Will teammate Alberto Contador (2007 Tour winner) ride in support of Lance, or will Lance support him? What about Levi, another top GC guy on team Astana?

We saw Lance ride in support of Levi at the Tour of California (Contador was not there), and although it was strange to see, it was clear that Lance’s focus was on the team and his cancer awareness mission. But that was California. France is a different beast.

After breaking his collarbone in the spring, it seemed likely that Lance would not be able to get in the required training for the Tour, but somehow, he managed to ride in May’s Giro (12th overall) and seems ready for the Tour. Well, as ready as a 37 year old can be.

So the questions remain, did Lance do enough in training camps to beat out Contador? Will close friend and team director Johan Bruyneel name Lance the leader regardless of who the stronger rider is? That answer seemed to come last week via Tweeter when Lance announced he would ride in support of Contador. I think we all saw it coming. Contador is at the top of his game, not to mention 10 years younger.

But check out this AP article posted just before the start of the Tour:

PARIS (AP)—Lance Armstrong says he’s capable of winning an eighth Tour de France but is ready, if necessary, to put his ambitions on hold for teammate and rival Alberto Contador.

Contador and Armstrong will ride for the Astana team at the three-week race that starts Saturday.

In an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday, Armstrong says he’s willing to work as a support rider for Contador if the Spaniard proves likelier to win.

Armstrong says he would do so out of respect for Contador, Astana and cycling tradition and that “I would do it with pleasure.”

In the telephone interview, Armstrong says he isn’t sure he can win the Tour again at age 37 but that people would be wrong to underestimate him.

Notice the “ifs” and “buts” in Lance’s quotes? It’s clear that Lance might make a move. If he loses time in first few mountain stages, I’m sure he will gladly play that support role, just like he promised. But he’s currently in 2nd place, and if he holds his ground in the Pyrenees, I suspect we will see some fireworks in the Alps. The team will have two riders fighting it out. And I’m sure Levi will be right in someone’s slip stream all along the way. And let’s not forget Kloden. All on the same team!
It’s happened before. Most famously in 1985 when team management ordered LeMond to ride in support of his team captain Bernard Hinault, instead of riding to win the race, which he could have done. Lemond, in the spirit of cycling tradition, supported Hinault and finished second, 1:42 behind Hinault, who was able to claim his fifth Tour victory. The following year, Hinault and LeMond were co-leaders of the La Vie Claire team, with Hinault publicly promising to ride in support of LeMond in gratitude for LeMond's sacrifice. But Hinault seemed to change his mind in the mountains and attacked Lemond, with the help of his Euro teammates. Lemond fought back and won that Tour, basically solo. Too bad he’s become such a jerk these days. He was the original American bad ass of cycling.

Anyway, I don’t think we’ll see that kind of drama, but it will be interesting. I’m just hoping nobody gets popped for doping. Thomas Dekker was busted last week. A blood sample from 2007 was re-tested and EPO was detected. He wasn’t a contender, but a strong rider who would have helped Cadel Evans’ chances on a very weak Silence-Lotto team.

Tour contenders:
Alberto Contador, Astana
Levi Leipheimer, Astana
Lance Armstrong, Astana
Dennis Menchov, Rabobank
Cadel Evans, Silence-Lotto
Carlos Sastre, Cervelo Test Team
Brothers Andy and Frank Schleck of Saxo Bank

I think we could see two Astana guys on the podium in Paris. I just hope Lance is one of them.

Ode to Doritos

My favorite snack/junk food is potato chips, specifically Doritos. Oh, there was a time in the late 80s when I went through a pretty serious Pizza Combos phase, and I can’t say I’ve ever had a problem with a bag of Ruffles along with some French Onion dip, but bottom line -- my true love has always been Doritos.

Looking back, I’ve really never had a bad experience with Doritos, unless you count the times I’ve cut and bruised the inside of my mouth eating them. Some of you don’t understand what I’m talking about, but some of you are nodding your head up and down, knowing exactly what I’m talking about. You really have to get after it to cut your mouth up, but it’s possible. Sometimes I catch myself shoveling them in by the handful. I don’t try to eat this way. I want to slowly enjoy the Doritos. I always start with one chip at a time, savoring each one, but within three minutes, I’m grabbing handfuls. It’s a slippery slope.

And I’m certainly glad we don’t have a ‘nanny cam’ at my house, because it would capture me laying on the couch and stuffing my face in a very unflattering manner. This is not footage I would want my wife to see, or worse yet, footage I would want my friends to get a hold of and post on YouTube.

Basically, Doritos are my kryptonite. I can wake up every day at 5:00 a.m. and run/bike/swim, but I can’t walk down the chip aisle at the grocery store without grabbing a bag. And if it’s two bags for the price of one, I immediately grab two. Damn you Doritos!

The whole bag
Amongst my group of friends, the question has come up a few times of “Can you eat an entire bag of chips?” Of course, these are the same friends who debate things like “Can you eat 12 taco bell tacos in 30 minutes?” and “Would you rather be attacked by a shark or alligator?” and “If you went back in time, would rather fight in a Braveheart-era battle or run the Apocalypto gauntlet?”

But I digress. The answer to the chip question is always yes. Who couldn’t eat a bag of Sour Cream and Onion Lays? But when asked specifically about Doritos, the debate starts. Your talking a net weight of 12.5 ounces. The Dorito is a heavy chip and quite filling. Eating a whole bag would take some skills, determination, and resilience.

I almost ate a whole bag once. Well, a few times actually. The only reason I stopped was because I didn’t want to be able to say “I’ve eaten a entire bag of Doritos in one sitting.” That’s not something I want to add to my power eating resume, which now consists mostly of eating contests in college, a handful of Thanksgiving meals, and of course, that time at Waffle House that I really can’t get into.

I feel confident I could eat an entire bag, without much problem. But, for my piece of mind, I typically eat a bag in two sittings.

What is the best Dorito flavor?
The age-old argument of Nacho Cheese vs. Cool Ranch will probably never be settled. Because really, it could go either way. Both sides respect the other. Let’s just call it a draw. It really depends on your mood, but all should agree that these are the two top flavors.

But you have to give it up for some of the other flavors as well -- Sweet and Spicy Chili, Fiery Habanero, Blazin' Buffalo and Ranch, Black Pepper Jack, and Salsa, to name a few. And how about the Dorito Collisions? Anybody got a problem with Blue Cheese and Wild Wing, or Zesty Taco and Chipotle Rance? I didn't think so. The Doritos marketing team really knows its demographic.

The only misfires in Doritos' quest for chip dominance are the Baked Doritos and the Dorito Puffers. I've never met anyone who liked them anywhere near as much as they liked regular Doritos. That’s like saying you like Luke Skywalker more than Han Solo. It’s just wrong, and really, we can’t be friends.

Magic moments
A few years ago my youngest son asked me what I was eating. It dawned on me that he had never eaten a Collision Dorito. I tilted him the bag and simply said, “Try one.” Upon taking a bite, he smiled and said, “Man, that’s goooood!” Right you are son. Right you are.

Keep up the good work Doritos. Your efforts are appreciated.