June 1 - The St Louis area will be represented at the 2008 Race Across America by team Hole in the Head Gang. Last year's effort was aborted after one of the members underwent surgery. You can learn about the team on their web and follow the race on the RAAM web.

May 26 - A High Intensity Training Center (HIT) has opened at 5252 Mexico Rd in St Peters, MO. The facility is operated by Ryan Ludwig and offers testing and custom training programs utilizing state of the art technology. 636-441-6448 web...

May 3 - Lance Armstrong crossed the finish line of his first Boston Marathon in 2:50:58. Although he posted a credible time for not being in the best of shape for the event, his race day agenda was clearly skewed towards raising money for his foundation which had fifty runners in the field with a goal of $250,000...

April 30 - The District of Columbia is launching a bike share program next month much like those currently found in many European cities. A $40 annual fee will provide access to a network of bicycles stored at computerized stations around the city. If successful, it could provide the impetus for other U.S. cities to implement their own programs... St Louis area triathlete, John Curtin, will attempt to complete 100 triathlons in 100 consecutive days, May 31 thru Sept 7. Good Luck! web

April 29- Congratulations to Sarah Haskins for winning the St Anthony's Triathlon in St Petersburg, Florida over the weekend. She won the Olympic distance, non-draft legal race in a time of 1:59:24. 2 34 63 Rebeccah Wassner was second in 2:00:34 and Mirinda Carfrae was third in 2:01:52... Television coverage of last weekend’s U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Tuscaloosa, Alabama will be broadcast by MSNBC on May 4 & 18. The one-hour highlight show for the women’s race will be shown on May 4 while highlights of the men’s race will be broadcast on May 18.

April 26 - Congratualtions to all St Louis area runners who completed the 2008 Boston Marathon. The top five local male finishers were: Bryan Calloway (2:34:40), Steve Warner (2:43:44), Steve Chorma (2:54:24), Jeremy Leuders (2:54:31), Barry Davolt (2:54:31). The top five local women finishers were: Stephanie Hood (2:44:44), Candace Caveny (3:08:38), Mari Burfoot (3:09:57), Claudia Kasen (3:16:32), Becky Hudnall (3:19:55)... Entering this weekend's racing, St Louis has two professional ITU triathletes ranked among the top 50 in the world: 25-Sarah Haskins, 49-Jill Petersen.

April 23 - Team in Training will send 17 St Louis area triathletes to the St. Anthony’s Triathlon in St. Petersburg Florida on Sunday who will raise over $80,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The team is led by Alumni Coach Ted Sward. Members include: Tricia Buchheit, Chris Clark, Reed Luikaart, Katie McGovern, Rainy Ossola, Todd Richheimer, Graham Singer, Lisa Battocletti, Bill Chamberlin, John Downey, Colleen Dwyer, Melanie George, Josh Manwaring, John Moran, Laura Pfeiffer, Tim Walsh, and Rich Wyble... Congratulations to Jill Petersen who won the the Mazatlan PATCO Triathlon Pan American Championship. She finished the Olympic distance event in 1:56:36... The U.S. triathlon Olympic team added another member to both the men's and women's squads after qualifying race #2 which took place in Tuscaloosa, Alabama on Saturday. Julie Ertel and Matt Reed won slots and will join Laura Bennett and Jarrod Shoemaker. Sarah Haskins will very likely join the squad unless Sarah Groff is the top American at the HyVee World Cup race in Des Moines... Jay Orr (1:10:21) and Maureen Conley (1:22:48) won the Max Trax Duathlon long course race. Josh Littrell (38:30) and Jennifer Meyer (44:42) were the overall winners in the short course division. complete results... Missouri resident Rodney Adkison won an Ironman World Championship lottery slot.

April 16 - Congratuations to Tony Rigdon (1:13:00) and Helen Alexander-Kratz (1:25:52) for their overall wins at the John Howard New Town Duathlon. The top three in the men's divsion were rounded out by Scott Shaw (1:13:40) and Brandon Janosky (1:16:44). On the women's side, Amy Strahan (1:27:01) and Maureen Conley (1:27:12) completed the podium.

April 10 - Big River Running co-owners, Ben Rosario and Matt, Helbig can be heard each Sunday 2-3pm on 1380 AM as they talk up the sport of running. You can be a part of the show with live call ins (314-969-1380) and your e-mails (radioshow@bigriverrunning.com).

GO! St Louis Marathon Top Ten Men and Women

2:24:50 - Karl Gilpin - Russellville MO
2:26:19 - Matt Flahert - Bloomington IN
2:31:05 - Mike Cole - Kendallville IN
2:34:07 - Kevin Gale - St. Louis MO
2:34:24 - Stephen Yates - Florissant MO
2:40:58 - Ronald Chisolm - Creve Coeur MO
2:42:45 - Jeff Kelly - Urbana IL
2:44:58 - Chris Mizel - St. Peters MO
2:46:59 - Ryan Lane - St. Peters MO
2:47:05 - Daniel Groepper - Creve Coeur MO

3:07:26 - Tara Keller - Hilliard OH
3:08:28 - Ashley Hansen - Sonoma CA
3:10:48 - Megan Earney - Olathe KS
3:11:52 - Debbie Nack - Bexley OH
3:13:31 - Nancy Hammond - St. Louis MO
3:14:52 - Jacqui Aubert - Champaign IL
3:15:32 - Caroline Chamness - Kingwood TX F
3:16:55 - Leslie Casey - Shelby OH
3:20:45 - Jackie Pirtle-Hall - St. Charles MO
3:22:18 - Sarah Viggiano - St. Louis MO

GO! St Louis Half Marathon Top Ten Men and Women

1:08:20 - Mathew Chesang Olathe KS
1:09:11 - Emisael Favela Chicago IL
1:09:35 - Simo Wannas Turku DC
1:09:49 - Jonathan Eckberg Greenville IL
1:11:46 - Brian Grudowski Charleston IL
1:11:56 - John Aerni St. Louis MO
1:13:03 - Brian Whitehead Richmond Heights
1:13:30 - Justin Garrard Ottawa KS
1:13:47 - Tim Bradley St. Louis MO
1:14:08 - Dennis Fricks Crestwood MO

1:20:13 - Kelly Handel Austin TX
1:24:15 - Jill Czarnik Urbana IL
1:25:12 - Judy Dorpinghaus Washington MO
1:26:20 - Sarah Williams Salina KS
1:26:22 - Amy Broadhurst Peculiar MO
1:26:22 - Jolene Mick Salina KS
1:26:26 - Marisa Mele Naperville IL
1:27:54 - Jen Korzan Granger IN
1:28:39 - Amy Hall St. Louis MO
1:28:52 - Heidi Gotway Saint Peters MO

March 21 - Ironman Arizona is just a few weeks away (Apr 13). Twelve St Louis area athletes are registered for the event. This year Arizona will see a second race as the city of Tempe hosts a fall Ford Ironman Arizona event (Nov 23). The fall event also has a group of twelve St Louis area multisporters signed-up, a list which includes a few first-time, iron-distance racers. In 2009, it's back to just one IM Arizona race which then finds a permanent date on the calendar, the weekend before Thanksgiving... Participants in the Marathon de Sables are heading for Morocco as they gear up for a brutal 151-mile foot race in the Saraha desert, March 27-April 7. web

March 20 - Triathlete Magazine writeup of the Miami International Triathlon. web... The World Masters Athletics Championships (Indoors) are taking place March 17-22 over in Clermont-Ferrand, France. The U.S. entries include Ida Keeling (W90-94, 60m run) and a host of kids from 35 to 89 years of age.... Velonews raises important questions about the circumstances and ongoing investigation of the tragic incident on March 9 when a Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Deputy plowed his car head on into a group of cyclists, killing one and injuring two others, one severely. web... Bicycles have been used for many purposed, but as a tool to herd an angry beaver back to the river in downtown Des Moines may be a first. web

March 19 - Congratulations to Sarah Haskins for capturing the Miami International Triathlon as she led from the start gun to the finish line. Interestingly, the women's field also included German triathlete Nina Kraft (4th). We have links to Sarah's race report and to a Miami Herald account of the day.

March 18 - USA Triathlon announced the creation of a USAT Hall of Fame to honor elite and age group athletes and other contributors who have played a key role in the development of the sport and USAT. Nominations are currently being accepted for the inititial inductions. web

March 17 - The St Patrick's Day 5-miler took to the streets of downtown St Louis as the luck of the Irish once again prevailed upon the weather. Perfect conditions greeted the thousands of runners who participated, 1,616 of whom registered as "competititve." The remaining 4,000 were more focused on a "good time" than a chip time. Nice work to the top five men finishers: 1-Brian Lyons 24:25; 2-Zac Freudenburg 24:30; 3-Justin Kunz 24:34; 4-Karl Gilpin 24:34; 5-Ben Rosario 24:46. Likewise, congratulations to the top five women: 1-Stephanie Hood 27:57; 2-Margaret Lyons 29:40; 3-Judy Dorpinghaus 30:05; 4-Candace Caveny 30:37; 5-Lisa Lewis 31:25.

March 14 - It's fair to say that Mike Farrell found his running form early this season after winning the Top of the Morning 5k in a time of 15:03. Candace Caveny took the lady's division in 18:23.

March 13 - The L.A. Marathon took a lesson perhaps from the Lifetime Fitness Triathlon when it instilled a handicap system. After much number crunching, it was determined that the women would get a 19:38 headstart. Tatayana Aryasova of Russia was making her marathon debut and used the offest to cruise to the line first. She earned a $100,000 bonus, plus $20,000 cash prize for her 2:29:09 first place finish, along with a 2008 Honda Accord. Laban Moiben from Kenya was the men's champion in 2:13:50... St Louis area finishers: Sara Kensinger 4:36:07; Robert Lewis 8:09:26; Katie Owenby 4:34:17; Karen Swanner 5:13:30.

March 12 - Sarah Haskins and Jill Petersen have been selected to the USAT Trade Team, a group of National Team level athletes who will promote the sport, sponsors and healthy multisport lifestyle to youths and teenagers... Over the weekend, Jill raced to a 5th place in the 2008 Valle de Bravo ITU Triathlon Pan American Cup. Nice work... How about these 2007 Age Group stats: 1st overall at Halfmax Championships; 1st age-grouper at Hy-Vee Triathlon; 1st at Dallas US Open (12th among the pros);1st age-grouper at Chicago; 2nd age-grouper at Muncie Endurathon; 3rd overall at Memphis in May. These results belong to Daniel Bretscher of Greencastle, IN who was recently named by USAT as their Open Male Age Group Triathlete of the Year... 13-year old girl from Brooklyn, NY qualified for U.S Olympic Trials by swimming the 100m freestyle 56.87. web... 101-year old Buster Martin will attempt to become the oldest person to run a marathon when takes part in London Marathon next month. He already owns the senior-most citizen standard at 5k, 10k, and half-marathon. web... A German cyclist with a both love of bikes and apparently plenty of Euros, has assembled, shaved, and tweaked his way to a 7.04-lb fully-assembed and rideable bike. web

March 9 - The Iron Girl - Lake Las Vegas triathlon will be televised by NBC on July 26. Iron Girl is an arm of the WTC and an all-women's brand with 10 events scheduled across the country. The concept is great even if the misnomer serves to confuse. The races are not iron-distance, focusing instead on sprint and international distance... Will velomobiles become another discarded fringe fad or a viable transportation alternative? It's an interesting question to ponder while checking out these videos.

March 7 -The GO! St. Louis Family Fitness Weekend is making a huge effort to minimize its weekend-long environmental footprint. To accomplish that, they will recycle more than 300,000 paper cups, 18,000 plastic water bottles, tons of cardboard, plus plastic, paper and aluminum products. Johnny on the Spots will utilize earth-friendly chemicals and recycled paper product. Spectators and participants are encouraged to carpool and ride MetroLink if possible...

March 6 - Big River Running Company is pleased to announce the opening of their 2nd location, 5352 Devonshire, St Louis, 63109. (314-832-2400). Store hours— M-F: 10am- 7pm, Sat: 9am- 5pm, Sun: Noon- 5pm. Congratulations to Ben Rosario and Matt Helbig... The Rec Plex Spring Triathlon is scheduled for Sunday, June 15. The first participant will push off from the wall in their beautiful natatorium at 6:30am, chased by the rest of the field in serpentine fashion. The 500m swim is followed by a fast 21-mile bike ride and well-shaded five mile run.... The Third Annual Springfield Tri Fest is set for July 26-27. The event consists of the Dew the Tri for Kids, the Stoneman sprint tri, and the international distance Iron Abe Triathlon. The event welcomes athletes of all abilities but will offer $3500 in prize money to makes things interesting for the elites.

March 5 - Scottish cyclist Mark Beaumont recently completed a cycling trip around the world in 194 days and 17 hours. He broke the previous Guiness World Record by a whopping 82 days and 2 hours. There is no specific route to follow, but a stringent list of criteria must be met for the record to be certified. CNN interviewed the rider upon his arrival in Paris... Picture you and your significant other preparing nutrition for an event in which you'll both be racing. Among the items you carefully inventory are: 42 dehydrated meals, 12 packs of Salami, 26 8oz pieces of cheese, 1 large bag rice crackers, 36 Almond Joys, 24 Reese's PB Cups, 36 KitKat Bars, 6 packs of smoked salmon, 6 large bags of M&M's, 2 large cans of cashews, 1 large bag of Gardetto Mix, 4 bags of little sausages, Cider Drink Mix, and 1 can of Hot Chocolate. Further imagine that these 191,050 calories you'll be splitting for 21 days only comprise about 2/3 of your needs, the remaining 2000+ calories per day will be consumed at race checkpoints. Such is the energy expenditure of Iditarod Trail Invitational race directors Bill and Kathi Merchant while they race their bikes along with the other participants 1100 miles through bitterly cold and brutal conditions... Readers may recall a blog SBR recommended not long ago. Alaska resident Jill Homer provides a very well written first-hand account of racing in "just" the 350 mile version of the race.

March 4 - Last weekend, Ghisallo Sports hosted a Trivia Night to benefit their Aspiring Athlete Fund. The evening was deemed a great success as over $2500 was raised to help deserving local athletes reach the next level of competition.

March 3 - The Master the Met Stair Climb ran into a logistical problem yesterday when the event couldn't evacuate participants by elevator from the 42nd floor of the Metropolitan Building as quickly as they were running up the stairwell. Consequently, the event had to be broken into 42 and 40 floor races. Despite that predictable glitch, the event shined brightly by raising over $200,000 for the American Lung Association... Good luck to St Louis native Jill Petersen as she moved to Colorado Springs to be a part of the USAT Elite Development Team... Professional triathlete Desiree Ficker easily won the Austin Half Marathon with her time of 1:18:17. She heads to Boston to complete in the Olympic Marathon Trials on April 20.

March 2 - A 25-year old woman in Great Britain was sentenced to four years in prison for striking and killing a cyclist, this while she was texting on her cell phone. web... Ironman New Zealand produced predictable results— Cameron Brown winning IM NZ for the 7th time and Joanna Lawn capturing the race for the 6th time in succession... The Ironman lottery is closed on Feb 28. All that remains is for the fortunate few to have their names drawn on April 15... Fabian Wegman (Gerolsteiner) rode the Tour of California with a prototype of Shimano's new E Dura-Ace installed on his bike. This is an electronic shifting system that offers tremendous promise and might find its way into bike shops in 2009. video

March 1 - For the last few years, the state of pro cycling has resembled some sort of bizarro world. That trend continued in the third stage of the Volta a Valenciana when the chasing peloton followed an official's motorocycle off the course into the open traffic of a highway that ran adjacent to the two man break riding correctly on the frontage road... The Double Chubb 25K/50K Trail Runs set for Saturday, April 19 have sold out... The TriAmerica Triathlon Series has announced its 2008 schedule. The events will be May 3-4 Englewood, FL; May 24-25 New Orleans , LA; June 14-15 Houston, TX; June 28-29 Syracuse, NY; September 6-7 Michigan City, IN; and the Championship Race on October 11-12 in Myrtle Beach, SC... The Tuscaloosa Tri-Palooza is set for April 18-20. The event is comprised of the men's and women's US Olympics Trials, the Collegiate National Championship, the Twenty-12 Talent ID Invitational and the Tuscaloosa Triathlon. web

Feb 29 - Faris Al-Sultan won IM Malaysia handily finishing more than thirty minutes ahead of runner-up on Petr Vabrousek. Belinda Granger took 12 minutes from the women's course record on her way to the title... Top three male finishers in the Mud and Gutz 8k were Ben Rosario (25:58), Matt Helbig (26:59), Carter Snow (27:07). The first three ladies were Judy Dorpinghaus (32:12), Eliza Davis (33:16), and Hillary Superak (33:39). The 4k titles went to Corey Kubatzy (13:18) and Stephanie Schmoele (16:34).

Feb 28 - The lottery for the New York Marathon opened last Sunday with applications to be accepted thru June 1. Despite the $155 entry and $11 nonrefundable processing fee, last year's race drew more than 103,000 applicants. The likelihood of being selected for the race is roughly one in three. web... The Boston Marathon is set for April 21. This year's race will include Lance Armstrong looking to improve on his 2:46:43 and Republican Mike Huckabee whose run at the US presidency is nearly as pedestrian as his 4:26:05 PR. web... Very nice work by Andy Koziatek who finished 4th at the New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon with a time of 2:40:11, and to Jackie Pirtle-Hall with her 5th place in 3:07:47.... The Toronto International Bicycle Show will convene for the 22nd consecutive year on the weekend of March 7-9. web... The Chicago Bike Show will be staged at the Convention Center in Rosemont, IL on March 29-30. It's not Vegas, but definitely worth a look if you are in Chi-town. web

Feb 27 - An item in the March issue of St Louis Magazine cited SBR sponsor Ken Dorn on the 2008 Five Star Wealth Manager Best in Client Satisfaction list... The local bike racing scene just keeps getting stronger each season. This year's Tour de Winghaven will offer a $20,000 prize purse. It will also be a selector race for the Nature Valley Grand Prix’s Composite Team. Riders placing well in the pro men’s and women’s races will be invited to be a part of the supported composite team for this NRC Stage race... The Master the Met stair climb has drawn a huge field. This first time event has nearly 1000 total participants comprising individual and team entries.

Feb 14 - The Tour of California starts on Sunday, but a bigger story may overshadow the race with the announcements of Team Astana being barred from this year's Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France. It's difficult to pick sides in this one. On one hand, the sport is aggressivley seeking to cleanse itself, and on the other, riders knew there would be risk when signing on with Astana. That organization is being demonized after last years TdF fiasco. Perhaps ASO (owner of the TdF) also noted the curious anagram for Astana: a satan.

Feb 13 - The Bonk Hard Chill placed the emphasis on chill this year with frigid temperatures greeting racers last weekend. Undeterred by the numbing cold, the Team Alpine Shop (Jeff Sona, Carrie Sona, David Frei, Doug Nishimura) was red hot on their way to a win in the 18-hr/4-person team division. Team Alpine Shop best out-of-staters, the Lab Rats, by 52-minutes after covering the course in 11 hours and 4 minutes. Given the competitive nature of TAP, they were probably disappointed by finishing four minutes back of the winning 18-hr/2-person team, Control Freaks from Bolivar, Missouri. The 8-hr/4-person winners were US CAN DEU in 5:43 while Team Old Shoes led the 8-hr/2-person groups to the finish 5:51.

Feb 6 - A long-rumored multisport mega-merger was finally consummated late last month when Falconhead Capital purchased Elite Racing, Competitor Publishing, and Triathlete Magazine. The three will be combined under one umbrella company called Competitor Group. While not specifically disclosed, reasonable estimates put the buyout in the $35-50 million range... Further upstream, even bigger fish went at it when Dorel Industries acquired Cannondale Bicycle and Sugoi from Pegasus Capital in a $200 million cash deal. Pegasus had purchased a nearly bankrupt Cannondale five years ago $58 million... One half of the Kortuem (Haskins) household is definitely headed to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. While Sarah must wait until April in hopes to qualify for the women's tri team, husband Nate has been named to the support staff as team mechanic. He is no slouch with a cone wrench having received a UCI mechanic's license... Eric Hansen wrote an amusing piece for Outside Magazine in which he details a relationship dysfunction among active couplesthat he terms Skills Deficit Syndrome. web

Feb 5 - Creator of a hugely popular online cycling resource, Sheldon Brown, passed away over the weekend. Brown, diagnosed with multiple sclerosis just last year, was 63... The GO! St Louis Marathon Pasta Party scheduled for Saturday, April 5 has been moved to the Old St Louis Post Office at 815 Olive Street. Tickets are $20... St Louis County Parks launched 30/30 Hikes. This program encourages general health thru low-impact, outdoor exercise. The name derives from the thirty, 30-minute hikes it promotes throughout its park system. web

Jan 30 - A motorist who was driving nearly 100mph in a 55mph zone struck and killed a cyclist and is now suing for damage sustained to his automobile. The accident and subsequent litigation come to us from that cycling friendly country of Spain. web... In other cheerful cycling advocacy news, one cyclist "felt the burn" from riding but unfortunately for him it wasn't lactic acid. He was stopped by police for posing a hazard while riding at night with no lights. When the cyclist attempted to flee on foot, he was tased by the officer. web... Tour d'Afrique riders are currently in Sudan as they make their way south from Cairo to Capetown. How tour directors deal with safety and security as they cross the border into Kenya should be of paramount concern. SBR e-mailed one of the participants and is still waiting to hear back on what he may have learned.

Jan 27 - Get well wishes go to Corky Miller and Nicole Burdge, both of whom sustained injuries yesterday during a bike ride after being taken down by a passing vehicle... Last Tuesday's installment of the Tonight Show saw Jay Leno taking questions from the studio audience. Jay kiddingly chided the first participant for wearing shorts on LA's coldest day of the year. Little did Jay realize it was cyclist Victor Weinreber who was over 4000 miles into his bike ride around the world. Unfortunately Leno didn't pursue the subject when informed by Victor and moved on to other (lame) audience members... Nice work to Sarah Haskins at the Miami Half Marathon yesterday. Her 1:19:02 finish placed her 4th among the women. Not bad for a training run.

Jan 26 - In still more tragic news emanating from Kenya, Wesly Ngetich died after being after being shot in the chest with an arrow. Ngetich was a two-time winner of Grandma's Marathon and a top-three finisher at the Austin, Houston and Toronto Marathons. The incident was reportedly unrelated to the political violence plaguing Kenya.

Jan 25 - Cyclists with the 36th annual RAGBRAI on their schedule recently learned of this year's route. The 471-mile west to east ride across Iowa begins July 19 in Missouri Valley and ends July 26 in Le Claire. More than 10,000 cyclists take part annually. web... The words pool swim triathlon and mass start are usually incongruous when used in the same sentence, however there is an exception, should they decide to stage a race. Check out this recently opened pool in Algarrobo, Chile. web... A very creative Canadian teen managed to design and assemble a bicycle constructed entirely of wood. From the looks of it, he appears to have an artisan-level career in woodworking ahead of him if a Trek executive doesn't find him first. web... A woman awaiting sentencing for the wrongful death of a cyclist displayed no remorse during a recorded telephone conversation. The judge reacted harshly by slapping her with ten years instead of the minimum four she could have received. web

Jan 24 - It's only mid-January and we already have a lock on the best quote of the year. It comes from Stipstream-Chipotle team physiologist Allen Lim while conveying his first impression of the phenomenal Taylor Phinney. As most readers know, Taylor is the son of Connie Carpenter (world pursuit champion / Olympic gold winner) and Davis Phinney (multiple Tour de France stage winner): "It wasn't until I saw Taylor Phinney ride that I was struck by the profoundness of genetics. That kid is on a whole other level at 17 years old. He's truly gifted. He's doing things right now, today, off the couch, that 90 percent of the world's population would never attain no matter how good the training. He's another species. He's neither slow-twitch nor fast-twitch, he's All-Twitch."

Jan 22 - Dara Torres was a 17-year old when she first won gold in the '84 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Now at 41, this amazing swimmer is shooting for a spot on the U.S team in the Beijing Games and has a very real chance of accomplishing just that. web... The Seattle Intelligencer reported that for calendar year 2007, 863 Seattle area bus riders racked their bicycles on buses then exited without them. Forgotten bikes eventually find their way to a warehouse where they are stored for a month or so before finally being given to charity. Not surprisingly, last year the transit system reported a one-day high of 26 forgotten bikes during the Seattle Hempfest.

Jan 21 - Lance watchers will happy to know that the seven-time Tour de France champion has entered the 2008 Boston Marathon. LA smashed the M35-39 Q-time (3:15:00) by virtue of his 2:46:43 finish at the 2007 NYC Marathon. The 112th running of Boston will take place on Monday, April 21... As a cyclist, how do you react in a confrontational situation with a hostile motorist? Do you demonstrate the same emotionally driven behavior as your antagonist? Perhaps you reason with him to no avail while citing chapter and verse of the Missouri driving statutes. Next time try the disarming approach of Bill Strickland from Bicycling Magazine. The result may very well surprise both you and the motorist. web... The Dubai Marathon held out a million dollar bonus in the hope of seeing a new world standard. Current record holder, Haile Gebrselassie (2:04:23), gave it a go. Unfortunately it was the rain and not the runner that made history. For four days preceding the race, torrential downpours produced the greatest precipitation in that arid community's recorded history. Gebrselassie fell 30 seconds short with his 2:04:53, but still cashed in nicely with a cool quarter million dollar check... High school senior, Davis Phinney, is proving to be the next American super star track rider. The 17-year old phenom scored a 4-km individual pursuit gold medal in the Los Angeles Track World Cup. If Phinney wins the final World Cup race in Denmark next month, he receives an automatic U.S. Olympic team berth.

Jan 20 - Some of our northern cycling bretheren in Minnesota refuse to let harsh winter conditions prevent them from going long. The YWCA of Minneapolis and Uptown Cycling Studio stage a 5-Hour Ultra Cycling Challenge. This is a series of five, 5-hour rides on LeMond Revmaster spin bikes. web... The Burrito Union Triathlon on September 6 has a relatively simple formula: Swim 600m, bike 18.2M, 3.1M trail run, then repeat for 10 hours. You gotta love the race divisions— Fat Capitalist, Imperialists, and Comrades. Entry fee is $100 thru April 15 for solo racers. Venue is Pattison State Park in Superior, Wisconsin web... Runners looking for a way to bring in the summer solstice might consider the Green Mountain Relay staged June 21-22 in Vermont. Members of competitive teams (7-12 runners) and ultra teams (5-6 runners) race north to south covering 200 miles of that state. Whether seeking the course record (23:38:07-NY Athletic Club, 2007) or just soaking in the experience, this is an interesting option for the longest day of the year. web

Jan 16 - Jordan Romero is a 6th grader in Big Bear, California who has a dream of climbing the highest peaks on all seven continents. The fact of the matter is that the 11-yr old just scratched #4 from his list after summitting Mt. Aconcagua (22,834 ft) in S. America during Christmas break. As a 10-year-old, Romero topped Kilimanjaro in Africa (19,340 ft), Elbrus in European Russia (18,510 ft) and Kosciuszko in Australia (7,310 feet). If all goes well, Jordan will scale Denali in 2009 and Everest in 2010-11. web... The state of Virginia enacted a traffic law intended to deter the worst of drivers, but recently netted 19-year old bicyclist Kajuan Cornish who was assessed a $1050 fine for riding recklessly through an intersection. Cornish stated, "The officer who pulled me over said I was going too fast." Officer George Evans responded to a reporter's inquiry by saying, "If he gets hit, then we have a mess." It sounds messy either way.

Jan 15 - The Trek Bicycle Store of St Louis will head a group taking part in the Etape du Tour— your chance to ride a stage of the Tour de France with 8000 other cyclists. web... The Lake Saint Louis Triathlon will hold its 26th edition on Saturday, August 30. Registration for the 2008 race will open in mid-February. As in previous years, the combined fields of the short and long course races with be limited to a total of 750 entrants... A trifecta of 26.2 milers were run last weekend. The Disney World Marathon landed 133 Missouri runners among its 1000's of participants. Top St Louis area finishers were Christopher Kremer (3:28:27) and Jacquelyn Baudhuin (3:40:38)... The desert southwest attracted 120 Missourians to the P. F. Chang Rock 'n Roll Marathon in the Phoenix-Scottsdale-Tempe area. St Louis metro marathoners were led by Gerald Zavorsky (2:49:27), Steve Chroma (2:54:15), and Carol Wright (3:15:49)... The Chevron Houston Marathon saw Jennifer Burke (3:39:40) and Brian Kilburn (3:03:21) make the finish line ahead of just a handful of local athletes... The Ozark Valley Triathlon is a USAT sanctioned race staged at Lake Wedington Recreation Area on Sunday, June 22. The event opens with a 1000yd warm water swim, is followed by a rolling 19-mile bike ride on new asphalt, and finishes with a 4-mile run with two tough hills. Other key features include ChampionChip timing, 100-racer waves, tons of prizes, and a nice post-race meal. web

Jan 13 - Local triathlete, Rainy Ossola, got a write-up in the Suburban Journal. The Collinsville resident has been an effective fundraiser for The Gateway Chapter of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training. web... St Louis area radio health and fitness personality, Victoria Babu, received some Post Dispatch ink when she was profiled in a triathlon-themed article. web... As disgraced former Olympian Marion Jones crash lands with a 6-month prison sentence, Olympics-bound Ryan Hall has become the poster boy for clean living and hard work. The 25 year old churned out a spectacular breakthrough season in 2007 with his U.S. half-marathon record (59:43) in Houston, a U.S. marathon debut record (2:08:24) in London and his dominating Olympic Trials victory (2:09:02) in New York... Six-time Ironman World Champion, Mark Allen, celebrated his 50th birthday over the past weekend. What is the likelihood that The Grip could train his way into IM shape and break Kevin Moats M50-54 Kona record (9:26:23) set in 2006?

Jan 13 - Check out the very well produced promotional video for The Trilogy. web... Cyclesportives have become hugely popular phenomenon in the U.K. These rides are patterned after the very well-attended Grand Fondos staged in Italy in which thousands of riders participate. Cyclosport is an interesting and popular info portal for UK riders.... It could almost be described in satiric movie script terms whereby a divorced couple are communicating to one another across the settlement table through their respective attorneys. That analogy might well sum up the email "conversation" between Floyd Landis and USA Cycling CEO Steve Johnson carried on thru middle-man Neal Rogers of VeloNews. First combine the protestations of Landis with the non-confrontational NGB head, then add a dose of the modern-day interview technique of referring to yourself in the third person, mix well, and you end up with a bizarre dialogue that essentially goes nowhere. web... Go! St Louis marathoners and half-marathoners have until February 1 to register should they wish to have first names printed on their race number bibs.

Jan 11 - The 2008 US Masters Swimming Short Course Nationals will be staged May 1-4 at the Texas Swim Center, University of Texas, Austin, Texas. Potential participants can refer to the complete list of event qualifying times. pdf... USA Track & Field is looking for runners to be a part of their 3 month Stretch Study. There is no compensation for participants, but your three month involvement will provide important data for their research. Results of the study will be made available. web... A speedy and complete recovery go to Greg and Rosemary Girouard who were riding a tandem bike along Big Bend Blvd when they were struck by a wildly out control vehicle driven by a young male. The riders suffered numerous injuries including broken ribs, punctured lung, broken leg, ribs, face, teeth, and head trauma. Send cards, letters, gifts, etc. to the Trek Bicycle Store of St. Louis, c/o Greg and Rosemary Girouard, 13922 Manchester Rd., St. Louis, MO 63011... More get well wishes go to Dianne Bain, president of the Ghisallo Cycling Club who incurred several injuries in a bike crash. She broke her pelvis, sacrum, and some ribs, plus fractured a bone in her neck... Bikescape has embedded an interesting cycling advocacy video produced by Ted White in 1992, Return of the Scorcher. This footage offers a 16-year old message that is equally relevant today as when it was originally produced. web

Jan 10 - Outside Magazine posted an amusing article by Alex Heard entitled, "Six-Pack Abes", in which he postulates about which presidents and current contenders for the job were fitness fanatics? web

Jan 9 - On Jan. 18 (yes, a Friday) the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon will offer the richest prize purse in the history of the sport— one million dollars. The men's and women's winners will each receive $250,000. The high stakes race will draw world record holder Haile Gebrselassie, defending champion Willy Rotich (2:09:53), and a host of other world elites chasing a huge payday. web... Super-star American distance runner, Ryan Hall, will compete in the 2008 London Marathon on April 13. The 25-year old has already earned a spot on the U.S. Olympic marathon team but looks to improve upon his 7th place finish last year in London. He will run head to head with world half-marathon record holder Sammy Wanjiru, three-time London winner Martin Lel, world champion Luke Kibet, and 2004 Olympic champion Stefano Baldini... The ITU announced a minor shake-up in the 2008 World Cup calendar with the addition of a race in Chiapas, Mexico on October 12. Officials also delivered the bad news that two races have been stricken from the caledar, the BG Triathlon World Cup events formerly scheuled for London on Sept 14 and in Israel on Oct 12... A very disturbing situation has unfolded in Kenya as post-election violence erupted between political factions and rival tribes resulting in the slaying of over 300 people. Former Kenyan Olympic athlete, Lucas Sang, was hacked to death by a machete-wielding mob while world marathon champ Luke Kibet narrowly escaped. Other top Kenyan athletes are in peril at a training center located in the heart of the unrest. web

Jan 8 - Ironman 70.3 South Africa is set for this Sunday, January 13. Over 900 athletes have their sights set on 50 slots to the Ironman 70.3 World Championship... The 24 Hours of Adrenalin World Championships celebrate their 10th anniversary with a return to the Canadian Rockies in 2008. Canmore, Alberta will play host on July 26-27 for what should be remarkable weekend of racing. A limited number of solo slots remain for this world class MTB race, but the 1400 team member slots sold out in just 2.5 days. web... Aussie! Aussie! Aussie! oy! oy! oy! The Cycling Promotion Fund in Australia announced that a record 1.47 million bicycles were sold in calendar year 2007, outpacing auto sales for a remarkable 8th consecutive year. Four familiar factors were cited for this amazing trend— increasing fuel costs, concern for climate change, intolerable traffic congestion, and the desire for a healthier lifestyle. Meanwhile, back in St Louis, we're spending $535 million to encourage auto usage on Interstate 64.

Jan 5 - A columnist for the London Times, Matthew Parris, created a maelstrom after his anti-cyclist diatribe was published on Dec. 27. There were 219 comments, mostly rebuttals, posted to the article. Many heated discussion forums were up in arms as they were outraged by the tone of his article. Mr Parris subsequently took a damage control posture by claiming that it was only exaggeration for comic effect, but it was easy to see why cyclists took his mean-spirited words personally. Where's the humor in suggesting cyclist should be decapitated by stringing piano wire across the road? The entire basis for his tirade was the empty assumption that passing cyclists were the source of discarded energy drink cans he helped pick up from among roadside litter. Two salient points should be noted. Mr Parris is not a cyclist so he doesn't get that we don't carry cans of anything while we ride, nor does he have an understanding of the caffeinated energy drink market which has become the "coffee" for young people (read: drivers with open windows). Peruse the article and make your own judgment.web

Jan 4 - Sunday, January 13 is a huge day in the world of marathoning. That particular date will see the running of three very well attended events: the Disney World Marathon, the Chevron Houston Marathon, and the PF Chang Rock n Roll Marathon in Phoenix... For most runners, running a marathon in Minnesota on January 13 might be unthinkable, but not when it's 68 degrees with no wind, hills, or humidity. The Zoom! Yah! Yah! Indoor Marathon may be the only race of its kind in the U.S. The event is staged on the track of the Tostrud Center at St. Olaf College. With a field strictly limited to 40 participants, each runner is assigned a personal lap-counter/cheerleader. Runners perform 150 laps, with a joint easing reversal of direction every 30 minutes. Four aid stations offer ample hydration and calories while piped in music helps maintain motivation. Believe it or not, slots for this race are highly sought after... The ZYY Marathon may be unique these days, it wasn't the first indoor marathon. After jumping in the Way Back Machine with Sherman and Professor Peabody, we discovered that in 1909 Matthew Maloney of the Trinity Athletic Club won a marathon in Madison Square Garden with a time of 2:54:45... Ninety-nine St Louis metro residents have qualified and are registered for the 2008 Boston Marathon to be held on Monday, April 21.

Jan 2 - Across the pond, the National Lottery in the UK created a fascinating opportunity. In June of 2005 they announced a competition to find the winner of a £50 million National Lottery grant. The intention was to find a groundbreaking project that would inspire communities to revitalize the areas in which they lived. There were 33 initial entries in the competition which were whittled down to a long list of 13 projects. In August of 2006 they were further reduced to 6 projects which were awarded development grants to take their plans forward to the next stage. In October of 2007, 4 finalists were selected and held to a public vote via online and by telephone. Sustrans Connect2 was announced the winner on December 12. Connect2 is a UK-wide project which will improve local travel in 79 communities by creating new walking and cycling routes... Even though most university students are still enjoying their holiday break, we thought we'd take this opportunity to provide our highly educated readers with an abbreviated primer in bicycle math. More complex formulae may follow, but for now here are three basic tenets. They are: the First Cycling Theorem of Right Angles (pdf), the Second Cycling Theorem of Right Angles (pdf), and Murphy's Laws of Cycling (pdf).