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David Zabriskie is the Greatest American Cyclist Ever for one reason and one reason alone. 

You might think it is for his amazing ability to time trial.  You might also say it is for his continued hard work and consistent performance.  You could also say it is for his colorful and hilarious interviews. 

I would say you are all wrong.  The reason Dave Zabriskie is the greatest American cyclist is the mustache he was sporting at the Tour de Georgia.  That is second only to Brad Huff’s mullet. 

I wonder if they tested that thing in the wind tunnel.  I bet it added at least a few seconds to his time trial. 

I just hope this catches on.  How cool would it be to see the entire peloton sporting massive 70s mustaches

Sorry no picture on this post.  I didn’t get permission to post the picture so just follow the link above then come back here and tell everyone what you think about it.

On Saturday I was watching a show about the 2007 Ford Iron Man World Championships in Florida. The show highlighted the top contenders and defending champions of course but the part of the show that really drew me in was the stories of the category racers.

The stories that these people shared were really compelling. One lady had lost over 80 lbs. during her training for the event. Her goal was to simply finish. She barely made it. The really amazing thing about her was that she was smiling the entire time. Even though she was the last finisher, she did it. She reached her goal. She had accomplished her dream.

Its great to see top athletes compete in top form and see the record breaking attempts. But for me, it is far more exciting to watch everyday people reach their goals. It inspires me to reach my goals, to try harder, to never give up.

You can learn a lot from people that accomplish what they set out to do. Here is my little list of what I think everyone can take away from people and events like the Iron Man Triathlon:

1. Lots of people have done great things with far more adversity and bigger setbacks.
2. Never Ever Ever give up.
3. Choose your goals for YOU. Whether it is to win the Iron Man World Championship or to loose 30 lbs. it can be just as life changing and important to You.
4. Make a plan to reach your goal and execute the plan.
5. If you have a setback, don’t quite, adjust your plan and move forward.

If you have a story of setbacks and accomplishment please share it in the comments. I would love to hear it. It could inspire others to keep working to reach their goals too.

I’m sure some of you have noticed the new banner in the upper right sidebar for the races to be held August 23rd and 24th.  Pre-Registration is available and open right now.

Ebby Norman of ProVelo Cycle has been the primary race promoter in the years past but I am taking on that role this year.  Ebby is still helping me out as I transition into the lead for these races.

We have a lot of things planned and are still working out all of the logistics for the events but they will happen and they will be better than they have been in the past.

Some of the issues we are going to address are:

• more bathrooms
• more food (5th Street Brew Pub has ran out of food and some beer 3 years in a row)
• more spectator entertainment
• more sponsors

So if you are going to race in this years events go pre-register.  If you have participated in the past as a spectator or race rider, please give me your feed back in the comments.  I’d really like to know what everyone thinks of these events and how we can make them better for everyone.  (please do not give negative feedback if you haven’t been to the races in person)

Also please comment on what you have like about other races you have been to and maybe we’ll incorporate some of the ideas into our event.

See you at the races.

A common question that comes up every year that we do the Otterville Road Race and the Sedalia Historic District Criterium comes from the guys that are just getting into bicycle road racing and are a bit older.  They can race in the 40+ or 50+ race but according to their category they can also do the Cat 5 races.

This proves to be quite the dilemma for some.  Peter e-mailed me this week and asked this very same question.  He is just getting into bicycle road racing and he is 49 years old.  That puts him at the older end of the 40+ but he can also race in the Category 5 race as well.  Here is what I told him:

Peter,

That’s great that your getting into racing…there are a couple of things to consider when you can race in the 40+ or the Cat5. 

The 40+ guys are fast, smart, and experienced.  Some of these guys can also race in the Cat 1-2 or 3-4.  Most of these guys have been riding and racing for a long time.  With that said it is a far safer and less chaotic race than the Cat5.  You should be able to sit in longer and the riders are calmer and more predictable.

The Cat5 race will have a lot of younger guys that are really just starting.  The racing can be way too fast for the length of race at times but then everybody blows up and the pace slows.  The experience level of the riders also makes it a bit crazy at times as the riders sometimes make mistakes that you just wont see in the 40+. 

If you are putting in 200+ mile weeks (he said he was putting in 200 mile weeks, that is not a requirement), and you continue to do that until August … you should have no trouble competing in the Cat5.  You could even win it.  Just stay at the front but out of the wind as much as you can, maybe try and get a pace line going.  If you decide to do the 40+  some of the guys will probably be faster but if you don’t take long pulls on the front and work with the other guys you should be able stay with the group most of the time.  If you ride the 40+ you may be able to learn a thing or two and either way you’ll gain valuable experience.

I hope this is useful for anyone else struggling with this question.  Anytime is a good time to start bicycling whether you want to race or not.  40+, 50+, or 60+, just get out there and ride.

Happy Cycling