PedalTrout

Everyone loves his or her hero.  The popularity of Superman is proof of that.  Though fictional, he has grossed millions of dollars in revenue, and amassed legions of loyal followers since his creation decades ago.

In real life our heros tend to be professional athletes.  We all want ”to be like Mike”, or have balls as big as Tiger Woods, and no, I am not making reference to his sex-capades but instead to a song by Dan Bern.  Though I imagine that Tiger’s personal life has gained him some new fans.

 

Scandal is not a taboo word when you are a sports superstar.  It seems that it follows them all.  The NFL suspended Michael Vick for betting on dog fighting, Pete Rose was banned from baseball for betting on games, Magic Johnson and Tommy Morrison both had to give up their respective professions after becoming infected with HIV-AIDS.  Let’s not forget the steroid scandal that Mark McGwire endured, as well as other major baseball has-beens.

 

In our world of Cycling we have heroes also.  In the past there was Eddie Merckx, Fausto Coppi, and Greg Lemond, to name just a few.  None of whom have ever failed a drug test that I know of.  Though it is no secret that there were dopers in the sport during their time, records show that even in the beginning of competitive cycling one can find evidence of drug use to remain competitive.

 

Today’s cycling world finds teams with multi-million dollar budgets and payrolls, as well as sponsor obligations to remain competitive and be the best.  It is now a sport where first to tenth place in a major tour can be split by mere seconds. The intense pressure to remain in this elite field has led many to take chances.  Today’s drugs are becoming increasingly invisible and undetectable.  I bet Alberto Contador never thought that his drug would be detected, if in fact he really did take it.

 

Now, I don’t want this to read like a bitch session on dopers.  From a scientific perspective I find it fascinating that we can create super-humans who can ride a bicycle at a sustained speed in excess of 50 kilometers an hour for an event that spans more than 2000 kilometers.  However, from a personal and moral view point I find it disturbing that there are so many cheaters out there who want to win at any cost.

 

That cost is the purpose of this article. 

 

My hero.  The man who brought me back to my bike with a renewed passion was once dead, or damn near close anyway.  Diagnosed with the worst case of testicular and brain cancer his doctors had ever seen, he was not supposed to survive. 

 

Instead he did what superheroes do.  He fought back against the evil that threatened to destroy him and beat the odds to become a cancer survivor and return to his sport of cycling to become a legend of his time.

 

In his incredible journey he gained a cult following.  Many people who would never give a rat’s ass about a bunch of Lycra-clad, leg-shaving stick-thin bicycle riders began tuning into the sport, riding bicycles and wearing yellow bracelets. Yellow bracelets. Remember them?  I still see them now and then.  It seems that now- a-days they are just on bike jersey sleeves and Twitter profile pictures.  But back in the day they were on everyone.  And everyone knew what they were for - cancer awareness!

 

Because of the fall, and heroic rise of one American cyclist the world learned a lot more about cancer, and the whole world began to fight cancer together. Since 1997 the Armstrong Foundation has raised over 14 million dollars for cancer research.

That is 14 million reasons to appreciate this man and all that he has accomplished and contributed to the people of this world.

 

 Recently allegations have been rampant that all of this time, during the miraculous comeback, the seven Tour de France titles, and the always negative drug tests, that Lance is a doper.

 

What if this turns out to be true?

 

He is being investigated by Jeff Novitzky, a USA Food and Drug special agent who has a notorious reputation of being bloodthirsty and never takes a case unless he knows that he can win.  It seems that if we were writing comic books he could be a great nemesis for our hero.  Sadly this is real life and there are no comics in this story.  This battle will be fought and only one man will be left standing proudly in the end. The other will fade into the history books, I am sure.

 

Lance Armstrong is probably the best thing that cancer patients have for inspiration today.  His book, “It’s Not About the Bike” is a motivational, epic story about his rise and fall and rise that can lift fallen spirits and give hope when all hope is lost.

His life is written like a fairy tale and gives us mortals a glimmering chance that great things in life can happen.

 

If he is found to be a doper will all his work for cancer become erased?  Will all who reach out to him for inspiration lose hope? Will his legacy and foundation become erased?

 

I want to believe that Lance accomplished all he did honestly. 

I want to live the rest of my life believing in a real hero.

 

 

 

I ride my bike because it is fun, keeps me young and in shape... and mostly sane.  It also keeps me in touch with so many cool, interesting and awesome people.
Through pedal power I have met many fantastic folks, I even found a wife on two wheels!
I have a theory that when the cranks are turned, the brain begins to pump out chemicals that make the rider even more awesome.  The more they pedal the better person they become.
Recently this was proven at Gore when a fellow rider was injured and about two dozen racers stopped mid race to call 911, perform first aid, make a new trail to get him to the ambulance faster, and carry him through the woods.  I'd like to see tennis players or golfers do that. 
Another prime example is a stolen bicycle that was lost five years ago and recently recovered through the comraderie of cycling, and social media.
It never ceases to amaze me at how quickly you can show up to a group ride,  not know a soul, and within minutes you feel like you have been friends for many years. 
I have never met a person on a bicyle that I didn't like instantly.  I may not always remember your name, (only because I suck at names) but I will always remember the ride and the great times we had.
Cyclists are all beautiul people.
Pedal, pedal, pedal!!!

What happens when you ride your bike for hours at a time?  You turn into Ryan MacDonald, of course.

Actually no, that’s not true, but if you do, good things may come your way.

Ryan has been pedaling hard for a few years now.  Because of his hard work, natural ability, and some great coaching he has been steadily transforming into an elite level cyclist.

Ryan’s talent has not gone unnoticed.  The Canadian National Cycling Team has invited him to travel to Europe in May to spend a month training with them. 

Ryan will head to Belgium from May 10th to 25th to stay and train at the new National Team house. From there he will chart a course to Switzerland to race in a UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) 2.1, called Tour de Pays de Vaud, and then he’s off to Germany where he will compete in the UCI Nations Cup, Trofeo Karlsberg.  This is the spring program to prepare the National Cycling Team for the upcoming race season.

By partaking in this training program Ryan will build on the foundation to complete his goal of competing at the world level. Participating in this National Team project will not affect the Worlds selection, the Worlds selection is based on his performance at the National Championships, which is Ryan’s main goal for the season. But according to him,  “Being with the National coaches and other athletes for a full month will definitely help me later on in the season, mostly because it will get my name out there.”

With all the time away at only seventeen years old, Ryan’s education is also a concern. He will have work packages to do for the month away so he can keep up with his peers. The same will be done when he travels Quebec for the month of June to begin training with his new team from Quebec, Atrium-CC2R. Ryan admits that the time and distance away from family and friends can be tough, but by the same token he really loves the traveling. His first training camp will be in Cuba at the end of March, and not surprisingly,  he is really excited for it. “My teammates are really great!!”, offers Ryan, “I really can’t wait for the upcoming season and hope that it is injury free so I can do my best and try and win some races, or even help my team out for some wins!!”

 

 

I’m sure everyone knows someone who has left his or her faith, only to become “born again” after some life altering experience.

What about Mountain bikers?  Is it possible that we become born again?  The religion I follow is Mother Nature and when I go for a Sunday ride it is spiritual to me… actually every time I am on my bike the moments are enlightening. 

When I was a kid I dreaded Sunday mornings and was dragged to church kicking and screaming every week.  When I was old enough to make up my mind about religion I stopped.  Then I found the Mountain bike Gods and I was up at the crack of dawn every Sunday ready to go listen to the choir singing though the trees.  To see nature’s beauty in all of her glory, sharing her warmth with me and who ever else was there to share in its awe.

The rides I have spent with my friends on the trail have left lasting lessons and truths in who I am and who I aspire to be.  The Trail Gods have helped me find inner peace and guide me on my journey through life. 

The Gods ensure that Nature creates a path that is sometimes soft and flowy, where you can go wide open and enjoy the ride with little effort. Other times the trail becomes technical and rough, every moment on the path requires constant scrutiny and questioning of your decisions to prevent a dab, or worse, an endo.

I recently received an email from a good friend who used to preach to me on the trail.  His epic sermons included phrases like “Awesome man, totally friggin awesome”, and “Ahhhh  Canadahhh!!”  Sadly this preacher eventually hung up the mountain bike and lost his faith in the Mountain Bike Gods. The day I learned this I think I lost a little faith also. Mother Nature even noticed, I think it rained for two weeks straight after that day and the trails were closed to all.  It was like she was mourning the death of one of her favourite children.

In the message, my friend informed me that he needed a spiritual cleansing and he was making a return to mountain biking with a stoked index of an 8 out of 10.

Even though I am a devoted mountain biker, sometimes I do have doubts.   But this email brought a clear message that there are mysterious powers that sometimes work in strange ways. 

This winter I’ve found myself loving the trainer way too much. As I am spinning my mind is racing with impure, sinful thoughts like becoming a full-blown roadie. Perhaps his message was a sign sent from Mother Nature to save me.

Perhaps your rebirth was my salvation?  Welcome back Brother!!

I can almost hear the choir singing already!  Ahhhhh Canaddaaaahhh!!

 

 

 

 

Those who knew me long ago, know this.  For those who don't, here is the scoop.  I was a fat guy. 

I wasn't morbidly obese or anything, I just carried too much extra weight.  At my heaviest I was 214.  You might think that's not bad, but when you are only 5'6" it is.

So, I bought a bike, worked out and and ate right, became ripped and muscular and felt great. 

Then I met a girl, we got married, settled down in the country in an old farm house and became a mature responsible adult.

I continued to ride my bike, but being so far from the city made it very inconvient for me to get to a gym, and the responsibilities at home didn't seem to leave much time for it any way.  Instead, I started brewing home made beer and wine, eating delicious barbeque and rode my bike.

I began to get fat again.

I was quite proud of my accomplishment to lose the weight before and was disappointed when I gained some back.  When I reached 185 I decided it was time for an intervention.

Sue, being the awesome wife that she is, thought it would be a great idea for me to set up a gym in a vacant room here in the house.  We purchased some good quality equipment, rubber mats, a large mirror and a wall mounted Tv. 

On November 1st I began to take back control and started training my body back to the way it is supposed to be.  I have curbed my excessive appetite for large steaks, chocolate and good beer, and have managed to shed 16 lbs as of today.

I have decided that I never want to be as muscular as I once was, but rather, lean and strong. One great investment we made was in some Spinervals DVD's.  My cardio fitness has increased by leaps and bounds and I am feeling stronger than ever on the bike, plus it makes burning the fat a little more fun.  Since I began tracking my trainer time in December I have logged 1511 minutes of spinning.

I plan to keep updating this with my progress.  My goal weight is mid 150's.
I haven't been there in a very long time... time will tell I guess.  Wish me luck!

“You don’t need sight to have a vision.”  That is what I learned today from Richard Holloway. 

This morning Bikergrl and I woke up at 6am on our day off and drove to Pictou County to be a small part of a much larger journey. Richard and his team of most excellent support people have been embarking on a cross Canada bike ride to raise money for athletes with disabilities.

You might be thinking, “biking across Canada, so what?  Everyone and their dog does that nowadays.”

To counter that, I say, “Richard is not like everyone else… Richard is Blind.  With only 6% sight and tunnel vision it's clear that he has been embarking on a unique journey.”

At first glance you could pass Richard off as sighted.  His style and confidence are very prominent, and he has a personality that commands attention.  At 9am we met up with the departing group at Summer Street Industries.  This is a place where people with intellectual disabilities get a chance to make meaningful contributions to their environments. When we arrived, Richard was taking some of them for rides on his recumbent bike and they were loving every second of it. I am sure that inspired more than a few of these potential special athletes to give cycling a try.

I was there for more than just a bike ride.  This was an opportunity for me to reunite with Craig Aucoin, an old friend  who is also blind.

A few years ago while working out at our local gym, Craig was talking about his younger days when he could see better and loved biking.  Inspired by this I took the initiative to ask our local cycle club to buy a tandem bike so that Craig could enjoy biking once again. Craig now has several triathlons under his belt, he's a member of the Blind Guys National Triathlon Team, and in the future he plans on learning Brazilian Jujitsu.

Led out by a police escort,we began our ride under beautiful sunny skies, following Richard on his recumbent tandem. The pace was brisk and very fun; a few riders had a hard time holding on and ended up cutting the ride a little short.

When our group reached the turning point and we parted ways I looked to Richard.  Just minutes before he had filled Craig with joy by mentioning the possibility of acquiring a new racing tandem bike for him. I was very proud to be included in a very small part of it.

Thanks Richard.

I live for the 8 hours of Gore.  Really I do. The atmosphere and the camaraderie are unheard of at many other sporting events that I have partaken in during my thirty-two years here on planet Earth.
I am not an elite level racer, nor do I really consider myself a weekend warrior.  I eat a lot of hamburgers and rare steaks and love a cold homebrew, oh and ice cream cones from Withrows Farm Markets.  I am just a guy with a couple of bikes who likes to ride.

Nonetheless I always look forward to competing at Gore. This year my training was a little less cycling and a lot of backpacking. My wife (bikergrl) and I spent vacation backpacking in Iceland, I carried a 28 kilo pack for four days across glaciers and up and down mountains, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect from my body come race day.

When the calendar hit August 9 and our alarm went off at 6 am I was very, very glad to see that it wasn’t raining.  In fact it promised to be a beautiful Sunday.

Like little kids eager for Santa we ate breakfast and chugged our coffee before making the short drive to Gore.
Coming over Court House hill we could see the MTB village up in the field, the morning dew glistening off of the grass and the sun slowly rising up over the horizon were signs that it was going to be a great day.

For those who are not familiar with the concept of the 8 hours of Gore I will explain it a little.  It involves riding a bicycle around a course a tad longer than 7 km long as many times as possible in an 8 hour time window.
It can be done in teams of three, two, or as I chose solo. There is also a single speed category for crazy people.

The race starts at the bottom of a fire road with a foot race to the top of a hill where all of the bikes are waiting, from there it is a mad dash through the field to the little trail head to avoid the bottle neck, from that point on the day becomes a little blurry…

Last year I managed to get 11 laps out of my body while the winner (Martin The Machine Austin) threw down 14.  Before the race started this year I promised myself that I would do 14 laps stupid, stupid!!
I felt really strong for the first three laps, I was hydrating really good, pacing myself well, the bike was handling the technical stuff without any help from me (or so it felt) and then the cramping started.  The pain was not nearly as bad as last year but enough to make a difference in my goal.  I had added a pinch of salt to my water to help prevent the cramps and quickly figured out that I need to add a pinch more.  The next pit stop fixed the cramps, but the back pain was just starting, and then I couldn’t get into my big ring, But hey the sun was still shining and I just could not get that big cheesy grin off of my face and I was having a blast.
All of the cheers and encouragement from the people there really helped me on my way, or was I just hearing the elves in my head singing elf songs.  I am not really sure any more.  By lap 13 I am positive that the smile had vanished and my body was becoming lifeless. That’s when my brain told my body to, “ suck it up princess and keep spinning.”


By the end of the day my GPS told me that I rode 99.62 km with a moving time of 7h 47m so when you factor in the price of admission it only cost me about $4.69 an hour to have an awesome time.

Do you know someone who puts in a ridiculous number of miles? 
Would your mate rather spend more time on their bike than with you? 
Does someone you know have a bike worth more than your car?
Is there more spandex on your clothes line than street clothes?
Can you recite the entire finishing order of the Tour de France without batting an eye?

If you answered yes to any of the above let's hear the story.  We love reading about people obsessed with riding.  The rider of the month will win a Propeller Brewing Company 6 pack of their choice (beer or soda for you young'uns) and a funky PedalTrout bumper sticker. Oh, and of course you can toot your own horn, too!  If you love to ride, tell us all about it.

Submit your entry in 500 words or less to PedalTrout.com and include a picture if you have one.

Those who know me know that I love my bike.  If it were not for my two-wheeled machine I would likely be close to six hundred pounds because I also love to eat… lots!! My bike has offered me lots of opportunities in life.  I became a national racing official, a coach, and I did some racing, (I still do a little) I also saw some really cool parts of Canada and heck it even found me a wife… we even got married on bikes. It’s should come as no surprise then that I am also a huge fan of bike racing, but I prefer to follow our Nova Scotia racers than the Lance Armstrongs of the world.

Racing in Nova Scotia is becoming increasingly popular with more and more talented local riders taking podiums at National races than ever before. This year Nova Scotia has fielded a strong Canada Games cycling team, which should prove to be very successful.
 
The Canada Games first arose in 1924, at a meeting in Winnipeg of the Amateur Athletic Union of Canada. For more than 40 years it remained a frequent subject of discussion. Finally, in 1966 in Quebec City, the governments of Canada and Quebec gave their joint approval to a proposal to hold the first Games the following year.

A small voluntary committee of businessmen and educators was established. Planning and organization were hurriedly begun. The event was designed to coincide with Canada's 1967 Centennial celebrations.

The first Winter Games were an outstanding success. Despite monumental problems of planning, financing, logistics, and eventually abnormal snow and cold -- minus 37 C. for the opening ceremonies -- a makeshift torch was set alight.

Since then, at two-year intervals, eighteen more ceremonial torches have been ignited to signal the start of successive Canada Games. With Prince Edward Island having hosted the 1991 Winter Games, each province has now hosted the Games at least once, with several having hosted twice already.

An estimated 45,000 young Canadians have participated in the Games. Another 180,000 have engaged in try-outs and qualifying events. Many millions of Canadians have watched the Games either first-hand or on television, and over 67,000 have volunteered.

Cumulatively, over $230 million has been invested in the Canada Games since their inception, about half of it in capital projects. From track and field complexes to ski hills, soccer pitches to swimming pools, a legacy of sports facilities has been built up in 19 medium-sized communities across Canada. These facilities have provided a springboard for growth in sports excellence and fitness, as well as for the training of coaches, technical officials, and sport administrators.

This season Michelin in Nova Scotia very generously sponsored the cycling team.  Since Michelin’s roots begin with bicycle tires and the company itself has very deep roots here in Nova Scotia I personally feel that it was a great move. 

The cyclists selected to compete for NS are Garrett MacLeod (Wolfville), Andrew L'Esperance (Halifax), Geoff O'Toole (Dartmouth), Ryan S. MacDonald (Pictou), and Ben Bschaden (Halifax)
   
The Under 23 athletes will participate in the road race, criterium, time trial and cross country mountain bike races.
     
Jamie Lamb, a highly talented and successful bicycle racer himself has been assisting with training the riders this year and has high praises for this years team. “It's shaping up quite well with Lespy  fresh off his Canada Cup results (3rd at the CC#1 (Canada Cup) in Baie St. Paul, Quebec, and 5th at Tremblant, Quebec) and coming into his own with his first BNS Elite victory this past weekend at Upper Clements. Garrett McLeod will be returning from a summer of racing professionally for Kona-H&R Block in BC, and will be the rider for Lespy and Geoff O'Toole (winner of the Halifax Criterium) to support all the way to the podium. Ryan MacDonald, (of Pictou), as the youngest member of the team, will learn a ton and gain valuable experience for all racing successes ahead of him, and will show the country that in the mountain bike class, he's a few grades ahead of his peers.”

Garrett McLeod of Wolfville N.S. will be competing in his third Canada Games for Nova Scotia this summer. Garrett has participated in previous Canada Games on Nova Scotia's cycling team in 2005 and alpine skiing team in 2007. This 20 year old has held six provincial cycling titles, stood on the podium four times at National Championships, and represented Canada internationally.

I asked Andrew ( L’esperence) what he thought of Michelin Sponsoring the cycling team this year.  “The clothing is great, its super high quality stuff and it looks nice too, it’s a nice change to see in NS bike races instead of just CS (Cyclesmith) and BP (Bikes Plus) clothing. It's also nice that the whole team has the clothing and it lets us look like a team during a road race when we are riding together as a team.”

Andrew Parsons (Pictou) is the Head Coach, Norman Lai (Halifax) is the Team Manger.

The Cycling events will be held during the first week of the Games set for August 15-29.