Spotting Jordan Rapp in Las Vegas

Matt and I got to hang out with Jordan and his very cool girlfriend Jill Savege in Las Vegas. Jill is also fast; she has finished as high as 11th in the Hawaii Ironman Championships. An ITU Olympic representative for Canada at the Athens Olympic Games in 2004, Jill may become more active on the coaching end of things. Matt Baldwin, Jordan, Jill and I sat down for a lunch at the Wolfgang Puck restaurant in the Venetian Resort.

We discussed a wide array of topics, including nutrition during a race. I introduced Jordan to two items: First Endurance's Optygen and Vespa (wasp extract). Jordan talked about how he likes simple carbohydrate drinks (Gatorade) because it digests well. Jill mentioned how maltodextrin doesn't absorb quickly enough and causes her gastrointestinal distress.

We then switched over to equipment. Jordan, who writes for Slowtwitch, mentioned that he felt Cervelo continues to innovate ahead of the industry. He truly likes Felt, who we don't sell, but who does sponsor Jordan. We understand that Jim Felt has been a good friend to the bicycle industry; Tom Schuler always had wonderful things to say about Felt. Jordan also observed that the Cannondale Slice product is an excellent compliment to Cervelo's P2, P3, P4 because it fits athletes differently (which is very helpful since we try to fit the bike to the person, of course).

We discussed and debated the merits of various wheels, from Mavic to Zipp to Reynolds. Jordan loves Zipp, and while we like Zipp for triathlon, we favor Mavic and Reynolds for road racing/riding. Of course, Zipp has made the 404 and 808 even more aerodynamic this year. And Cervelo's TestTeam is going to race on Zipp wheels. Well, these are three excellent set of wheels -- not a lot goes wrong with Mavic Cosmic/Ultimates, the Reynolds Superlites and Attack wheels and Zipp's series of 4's, 8's and 10's.

And Jordan showed me how excited he was with Zipp's new 100 gram stem. We'll show some pictures another time, but it is a beauty. Can't wait to get one in March when they become available. It is all carbon with some titanium on the outside. Sweet.

Jordan is preparing for his second Ironman Arizona this year; he got 3rd the first time around. When Jordan and Jill come visit us next, we'll hold a special event. He was bummed he couldn't be at ITP to race with Dom, Eneas, Mitch, Yock, Greg and Dave this weekend, but there will be other opportunities. Jill promised she would help us organize a women's focused triathlon seminar/clinic. That should be pretty cool. Stay tuned for more.

"Keep Those Tires Rollin' " Bicycle maintenance tip of the week

Your bike tires are the main contact point between you and the road so keeping them ready to roll will make your cycling sessions safe and reliable. Here are some tips to keep those tires rolling smooth and fast:
- Keep your tires inflated according to manufacturer’s specifications. Making sure that your tires are properly inflated is the single most important thing that you can do to prevent flat tires and premature wear. All tires come with recommended tire pressure ratings so follow them closely. Low tire pressure can lead to pinch flats and dangerous cornering, while pressure readings that are too high for clinchers will lead to a rough and inefficient ride, and with some wheels will even lead to damaged rims and blow outs. Many people think that high tire pressures will decrease rolling resistance and improve performance. This is a misconception. For most clincher tires, a pressure reading of 100-115 will achieve optimum rolling resistance and provide better handling and a more comfortable ride. Rotating your tires is not just limited to your car. Switching your bike tires from front to back every 1,000 miles will maximize the life of a good quality set of tires.
- Keep those tires away from the sun and nature’s elements when not in use. Excessive light and outdoor conditions can damage and weaken the rubber in your tires leading to cracked and weakened sidewalls. Keeping your bike and wheels indoors when not cycling will help extend your tires’ life span.
- When installing new tires or tubes, use baby powder to keep the tire and tube from galvanizing together over time.
- Frequently inspect your tires for damage and stuck debris. You can often spot problems such as cut sidewalls or glass stuck in tires and easily repair or place the tire before your next ride. This simple preventative measure will save you flat tires and headaches on future road rides.

September -- what a month

There are so many great happenings in September it is incredible.
1. Green Mountain Stage Race. The TARGETRAINING Elite squad is racing in Vermont, as is Max Veiga. The race goes 4 days with four stages: a time trial, a circuit race, a long point to point road race and a criterium. Look for results here. And check the TARGETRAINING Blog for more on this.
2. September TT Saturday Centuries(100K). Every 7 AM from TARGETRAINING.
3. Westport Kiwanis Triathlon. Sunday September 7th at 7:30 AM. Sprint triathlon in our hometown. What fun! Please see here. Great for entire family.
4. Threads and Treads Tour de Greenwich. September 14th. This is a blast, but be careful out there. See here.
5. Charter Oak Charity Ride September 20-22 (Friday-Sunday). Great cause -- building and running a school for Bridgeport CT children who now due to the program make it to college. Founded by Andrew Boas who is a caring individual and is passionate about education and cycling. 80 miles each day. Great group of people. Great scenery. Great ride. Please see here.
6. ITP Triathlon September 27th in Darien CT. Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura ("ITP") is a very rare bleeding disorder. The ITP Foundation helps families with children and adolescents with ITP who need financial assistance to manage and treat the disorder, and raise funds to further ITP research. TARGETRAINING will be at this triathlon in force. More to follow. Mark your calendars for this great event. It is slightly longer than a sprint triathlon (1/2 mile swim, 15 mile ride, 5 mile run). Jordan Rap from TARGETRAINING won it two years in a row but this year you will see Dom Gillen and team there.

Come join TARGETRAINING professional endurance coaches for 100 kilometers (62.5 miles) each and every Saturday in September 2008.

Each ride will be 3 to 4 hours and will have ride leaders for beginners (15 mile per hour pace) to advanced cyclists (20 mile per hour pace) along with vehicle support.

Each week willbe a different course.

Call Eneas or Dom at 203 227 6177 extension 2 or extension 3 or write to Eneas@targetraining.com or Dom@targetraining.com or Info@targetraining.com to sign up.

We look forward to riding with you.

Timberman Tri

Well, 'ol G Stewart and I headed up to New Hampshire this past weekend for our second race of the season in the 70.3 series (1st was Rhode Island 70.3). We drove up together and were "roomies" for the weekend as both of our families opted to sit this trip out. It was there loss as the weather was beautiful and our room had a great view overlooking Lake Winnepausaukee (spelling?). Sunday morning was absolutely spectacular with no clouds in the sky and a pleasant 62 degrees to start the day. My wave was the 5th to go off while Greg had to wait until the 12th wave a full half-hour later. Swim conditions were pretty good with just a light chop. In retrospect, my sighting was probably pretty poor but otherwise I felt good during the swim. A good portion of it was done blind as we took a right hand turn into a gorgeous (but blinding) rising sun. My swim split was just under 30 minutes, which was a bit more than I had hoped for (especially after learning that Greg once again bested me on the swim with a 29:07 split).
The bike course is a challenging one with a decent amount of climbing for the first 10 miles before making it out onto some sustained flatter portions. The 56 mile loop then ends with some climbing at the end. Winds were not terrible but definitely present for most of the ride. I felt good for the entire ride and maintained my target HR zone pretty well. As the day wore on, the temp.s began to climb and I definitely made a point of getting plenty of liquids. I managed to chop roughly five minutes off of last year's bike split (2:30:30); in no small part due to the new P2C from TT!
Once out on the run, the temp.s really began to take a toll and I was taking as much water, gatorade, and sponges as I could in order to avoid over-heating. I got a real thrill only a 1/2 mile in as famed pro Michael Lovato came running by me and I managed to keep him within eyesight for the next few miles (yea, he was on his 2nd lap!). This is a really fun run double loop run course which manages to keep things interesting as runners run through bubbles, mardi gras, and one guy dressed as a she-devil (I hope that was a guy!). While my run was some 5 minutes slower than last year's time (gotta get back on the EPO), I was pleased with my effort and running a strong second half of the race (1:31:28). All told, I was 27 seconds slower than last year, but am happy as I knew my run would be nowhere near last years. The effort (4:35:04)ws good for 6th in the AG (wrong AG to be in) and 17th amateur overall.
My compadre Mr. Stewart can provide his race details, but he definitely through down a fine race of his own! Imagine what this guy would do if he ACTUALLY TRAINED!

Lots of rest for now before a final push for IRONMAN ARIZONA!