Lupine Lights the Way
My racing partner and I, Mario Correa, placed second at the 24 Hours of Moab this year. It was a tough course--the first six miles served up some rocky terrain, so it was game on right away. Because we were going to do a lot of night laps, I went in search of one of the best lighting systems out there. The winner: Lupine. We ran the Betty lights on our bars and the Tesla and Wilma on our helmets. We specifically wanted the lights to avoid these common problems during a 24-hour race:
1. Support gets batteries confused: All batteries are interchangeable with Lupine lighting systems.
2. Batteries run out of charge: Lupine batteries can last quite sometime, depending on your power output. Plus, it has a reserve tank.
3. Mounting systems fail or slide around: Lupine lights have two sizes of rubber o-rings that curl around your bars.
4. Light output isn't strong enough: These puppies put a Hollywood movie set to shame.
Bottom line: Lupine is a quality system across the board.
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November 09, 2009
Cyclocross Superstar Katie Compton
Katie Compton, who currently rides for Planet Bike, crushed at the first round of the Cyclocross World Cup in Treviso, Italy, catapulting her to the commanding lead position in the latest UCI Cyclocross rankings, with 420 points, followed by Daphny van den Brand (280 points) and Chistel Ferrier-Bruneau (240 points). Compton padded her lead with six other wins this season for a perfect seven wins from seven starts. This number-one status is a first for any U.S. male or female cyclocross athlete. To top it off, Compton just won the Boulder Cup and Blue Sky Velo Cross. I caught up with her during her down time at home in Colorado Springs, before she heads off to Europe.
--Heidi Volpe
Photo courtesy of Mark Legg
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November 04, 2009
24 Hours of Moab Solo Champ: Josh Tostado
I caught up with Breckenridge native Josh ("Toast") Tostado after his 24 Hours of Moab National Championship Men's Solo title win. Racing is nothing new to this guy; whether in snow or dirt, Toast knows how to have a good time, even after visiting those dark places in the mind during the wee hours of the night in a race. Here's what he had to say about Moab, riding, living, and training.
--Heidi Volpe
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October 21, 2009
24 Hours of Moab Championship Race Report
My racing partner, Mario Correa, and I did the 24 Hours of Moab Championship Race. This venue is always full of surprises. Being so late in the year had its effects on me, no doubt, and I remembered the few times I did Moab previously: think beers and s'mores. This year, Mario and I took second place in Mixed Duo Championship, fifth place overall in Duo Pro, with 17 laps total. Read on about how it all went down, and see results here.
--Heidi Volpe
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September 25, 2009
Guys Getting Chicked
What does a girl have to do if she wants marriage proposals, arm-wrestling contests, shock-and-awe accolades, and (sadly) trail blocking and really strange behavior? Simple: Pass a guy on the trail or in a race. If you’re the dude being passed, you just got chicked. I chicked a few guys while racing on a co-ed duo team with my partner, Mario Correa, this summer at the inaugural Breck Epic. Mario got a premier seat at the funny things that happen when a girl passes a guy. Why? Because this time, he rode like a girl. ( I was in the front, for the most part.) I heard some pretty colorful comments and saw some good antics and figured there had to be something to this. So, I asked a few very fast women about what happens when they take the lead in a ride or race, and I asked some men what it's like when their partner passes a guy. Here’s what they had to say.
--Heidi Volpe
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September 16, 2009
Mountain Biker Ty Kady Still Rips It Up
Ty Kady, former Supercross pro/semi-pro mountain biker, is the marketing director for the U.S. Cup National Mountain Bike Series. He tells us of his life before the job and what it's like to be on the admin side.
--Heidi Volpe
You were a privateer Suzuki Pro Circuit rider and ripped it up right here in California back in the day. How did you get into mountain biking?
I got into mountain biking as a way to regain some fitness I had lost after retiring from racing. I was also looking for a healthy athletic outlet that wasn’t as high risk as Supercross and something I could enjoy without a lot of pressure.
You were a a pro-athlete at a very young age. What did you miss out on as you were growing up?
I guess I "missed" out on a lot of the normal teen social events--Friday night football, school dances, date night, spin the bottle, and all that stuff that goes along with being a teenager coming of age. But at the time, I was so dedicated and focused on being the best racer I could, I didn’t really feel like I was missing out. I was willing to sacrifice those experiences, because I believed so much in what I was trying to accomplish, I didn’t need to be like everyone else.
I was getting a completely different life experience that I’m grateful for today. In many ways, I think it was good for me because it kept me focused, taught me how to be regimented and goal-orientated, plus it kept me out of trouble, drugs, and all that other stuff teens get wrapped up in! Sure, I missed the Friday night keggers, drag racing down at Camelot, and some of the school dances, but I don’t think I would trade that in for the lessons and experience racing has given me. Now, as an adult, I’m already making up for lost party time and doing it responsibly.
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September 01, 2009
Sweet Vegan Fuel
James Herrera is the founder and CEO of Performance Driven, an elite coaching program for athletes and executives based in Colorado Springs. He has served as the Director of Coaching/Premier Coach for Carmichael Training Systems and a coach/consultant with the U.S. BMX program and the Center for Creative Leadership. Herrera competes in road and mountain cycling and trail running, holds a black belt in several martial arts, and is an avid snowboarder.
I was lucky enough to get coached by Herrera and can say first-hand that he has a way of understanding his athletes; what will make them faster, and how to get them stronger. I spoke with him about being a vegan, and he offered up some recipes. He also talked about training and his own background.
Pssst he just rode the Leadville 100 and ran the Leadville Marathon...
--Heidi Volpe
You're a vegan,
right? How do you fuel
your training?
A good friend of mine
says “vegetarian” is an old Indian word that translates to “bad hunter.” I get
a lot of shit from my friends for my vegan diet. But what can I say? It just
works for me. Bottom line is, we could all do better to make a shift towards a
more plant-based eating strategy. All the peer-reviewed research out there says
it’s the best way to prevent all the major diseases, so why wouldn’t it be a
great way to fuel athletic performance? The bulk of my diet is built on
vegetables, fruit, legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. I can pretty much
eat as much as I want and still maintain a healthy weight. Since I started
eating this way, I’ve never felt better, stronger, or had more energy
throughout the day. Here are some of my recipes:
Samurai Cereal
1 cup steel cut oats
½ cup cracked wheat
¼ cup barley
¼ cup wheat berries
¼ cup ground (milled) flaxseed
4-4 ½ cup water
Combine all grains in a rice cooker or large pot and simmer until water is absorbed. When using a rice cooker, I’ve found that it’s best to stir the mix every 5 minutes or so. Optional ingredients may include dried fruit (raisins, dried cherries, cranberries, apricots, etc.), spices (cinnamon or nutmeg), or chopped nuts (walnuts, almonds, pecans). When done, top with fresh fruit, almond, rice, or soy milk, and agave nectar or honey.
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August 24, 2009
Manny Prado Takes 8th at Leadville
Manny signing a shirt
Manny Prado, who races for team Sho Air, stood on the podium one spot below Lance Armstrong at last year's Leadville. This year, the race dished up deeper fields and brutal weather conditions.
Manny races in both cross-country and endurance events, and he just returned from Quebec after participating in two of the UCI World Cup races. He's a regular at La Ruta, known as one of the toughest stage races, which takes place in his home country of Costa Rica.
Manny's roots are based in BMX riding. He has some X-Games medals under his belt, and he's a founder of Ticos Jam, an annual BMX event that is the biggest Flatland one in Latin America.
I caught up with Manny after this year's Leadville.
--Heidi Volpe
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August 14, 2009
Cycling Cinema
Billy Savage 'field-tests' a 1940s 'Klunker' up near the Oregon border (courtesy of The Morrow Dirt Club)
I went to the Topanga Film Festival last week in California, and it's clear we’ve come a long way from klunking--front and rear brains, carbon frames, disc breaks, protective gear, etc. If you want to get schooled on mountain-biking history, go see Klunkerz, featuring Gary Fisher, Thomas Richey, Joe Breeze, and some of the OG hippies
rippin’ it during their local time trial in Marin County
back in the '70s with hand-made bikes, jeans, and no helmets. Check out the trailer.
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August 07, 2009
Rebecca Rusch's Solo Three-peat Win
Rebecca Rusch is an accomplished adventure racer and pro mountain biker who rides for Specialized and can kick pretty much anyone's ass when it comes to endurance races. She just bagged a three-peat win at the 24 Hours of Adrenalin Solo World Championships. And eight days after Worlds, she decided to jump in on the Super D at Crankworx in Colorado for fun--and took first place. Check it out here.
--Heidi Volpe
What’s next for you?
Racing the Leadville 100 and then some international endurance MTB racing to some exotic places. Then shop appearances for Specialized and some media stuff. Twenty-four hour solo Worlds was the primary race, so the remaining half of the season is focused less on performance and more on spreading the gospel of riding dirt. Also hanging in Ketcham, Idaho doing long rides with friends and taking advantage of the riding that’s left this summer. Plus, getting back into the fire station here and putting some time in with that part of my life.
Are you going for four, or something else where you hope to get another three-peat?
I can’t say for sure, but the three-peat for Worlds was the main goal. Now that I’ve achieved that, I am brainstorming on another sort of record-breaking feat, or a Big Red Bull expedition that hasn’t been done before. What that is I don’t know, but I’ll keep you posted.
How much of your calendar gets determined by your sponsors?
Both Red Bull and Specialized are really flexible and allow me a lot of freedom. Of course I take exposure, titles, and media into consideration. I have never been forced into an event or in a direction that I wasn’t willing to go. They trust me and the freedom has allowed me to do some unique international events.
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