Lance Armstrong: Time for “Comprehensive” Health Care Reform

Lance Armstrong overcame testicular cancer to win the Tour de France seven consecutive times.  Writing for CNN.com, he advocates for “thoroughly comprehensive [health care] reform.”

Armstrong points out that he lacked health insurance when doctors diagnosed his disease.  Had he been an ordinary citizen, probably he would have died or ended up with crushing debt.  But one of his sponsors used their financial leverage to make their insurance carrier pick up Armstrong and pay for his treatment.  (He doesn’t identify the insurance company.)

Put plainly, the impact of diseases like cancer won’t subside with the recovery of economic markets. The threat they bring grows, minute by minute. Increasing investment now to combat that threat, even in the midst of a recession, will pay substantial dividends in the decades to come by driving down the costs of treatment and public assistance.

We must advocate for effective, high-quality and comprehensive health services. The issues are complex and deserve the most constructive debate leading to progress; not piecemeal changes, but thoroughly comprehensive reform.

To this day, my family and I remain on Oakley’s insurance plan. We are the lucky ones. We can’t allow luck to determine the fate of Americans’ health.

What do you think?

Do you think our current system is fine as it is, and should not be altered?  Do you believe we need reform but without government involvement (the “public option”)?  Do you believe we need a system that closely resembles that in a particular country? (Which one?)

I’m a One-Third Triathlete

I “competed” in my first Triathlon today, except I really didn’t.  I was part of a relay team.  One teammate completed the swim, I completed the bike part, and the other teammate the run.  My part was a 20-K ride with hills and some technical parts in the town.  The race was put on by the Longwood University Cycling Club.  They did a fantastic job.  It was a lot of fun!  They’re hoping to put on anther triathlon in the spring, or maybe a criterium race.

For me, this was the last race of the season.  My time wasn’t very good, but I battled a cold all week and technically, this is the off-season for me.  Training for the 2010 racing season starts November 1 for me.

Why Drugs are Banned in Cycling

At CyclingInfo, perhaps the best cycling blog on the web, Tejvan Pettinger succinctly explains why drugs are illegal in competitive cycling.  All his reasons are good, but here is my favorite:

In the height of the EPO craze, cyclists were taking so much EPO they were ending up with ridiculous heamocrit levels of 60% and more. Their blood was so thick that they had to set their alarm for 3am in the morning. It was necessary to stretch in the middle of the night otherwise they risked never waking up because their blood was so thick. Some people will say legalise drugs, if they are safe. But, the safety or danger of drugs may not be apparent until it is too late. Often the effect of drug taking is cumulative meaning the athlete’s health is at risk after his career is over and people have forgotten about him / her. Why risk lives for no point?

He also explains why legalizing performance-enhancing drugs will not create a level playing field: not everyone responds in the same way to the same drug.

Orchard Gap, & 5,000 Miles

This past Sunday I rode a small part of the Tour de Gaps route in Mount Airy, from North Main Street up Ward’s Gap Road, to Orchard Gap Road, to the Blue Ridge Parkway.  It’s a straight shot to the mountains leaving Mt. Airy due north.  It was probably the most incredible experience I’ve had on a bicycle, ever.  The mountains loom in front of you for eleven miles, growing larger and more majestic with each pedal stroke.  By the time the ascent begins, they’re on top of you.  The ride up is glorious, in the most literal sense of that word: it’s full of glory.  The view back over the valley is priceless.  Even with a thick haze you can see all the way to Pilot Mountain.  I suspect that on a clear night you can see the lights from Winston-Salem.  The view to Mount Airy is blocked by the side of the mountain, which adds to the experience.  There are several houses built into the side of the mountain.  One wonders why they don’t slide down into the valley below, but they’re beautiful.  The entire experience is like being in another world, like you rode your bike into The Hobbit.

The climb is 3.3 miles at 9%, according to the Tour de Gaps website.  I think I averaged about 6 mph.  It was fantastic. There’s a nice store at the top of the climb, where a cold root beer will hit the spot . . . trust me.  I’m trying to rope Jordan into riding the entire Tour route with me in October.

Today I passed 5,000 miles on a low-effort ride with a Longwood grad student.  Compared to my more advanced colleagues, 5k miles ain’t much.  But on this date last year I was at 4,250.  The important thing isn’t how often you can ride, or how far, but how much joy you get from your bicycle. And I’m pretty good at that part of cycling.

Tomorrow is the eighth anniversary of the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C.  Perhaps for one day some of the animosity between left and right in this country can be put on hold.  Is that asking for too much?

Pilot Mountain Death Climb III

Not much time to write this morning, but glad to share my third annual assault on Pilot Mountain was a success. Now I’m 2 for 3. I took about two minutes off my time from last year.  I’ll post the gory stats later. Stats updated below.

Here is something interesting.  The most painful part of this ride was my right shoulder.  I experienced pain in my shoulder when Jordan and I climbed the route to Apple Orchard this summer.  But today was different.  The pain was searing—I thought my damn arm was going to fall off. After I made it through the switchbacks, I couldn’t grip the bar with my right hand. I shook out my arm, changed positions on the seat, and tried to relax, but nothing worked until the gradient leveled off a bit.  At least it took my mind off the pain in my legs.

Distance: 2.47 miles
Time: 23:32.6
Avg speed: 6.29 mi/h
Avg. cadence: 61 rpm
Max speed: 11.4 mi/h
Max cadendence: 101 rpm

Most Dangerous Thing About Cycling . . .

. . . bad drivers.  Second most dangerous thing is probably bad cyclists, although I suspect a very effective Darwinian mechanism probably eliminates unsafe cyclists.

Read this: Who Causes Cyclists’ Deaths?

I’ve had my share of close calls on the roads, especially in Birmingham.  The 90/10 split sounds about right.  About 10% of my near-death encounters were my fault (usually too aggressive), and 90% are the drivers’ faults.  I’m sure that most of the time drivers do not realize their actions create an unsafe situation for the cyclist.  Only a few times have I believed a driver was deliberately trying to hurt or kill me.

The other serious problem around Farmville is drivers that are too courteous. They cross the yellow line to pass me on blind curves and hills, unable to see what might be coming from the other direction.  I appreciate the room, and I don’t want you to hit me either.  But if you can’t see traffic coming in the other lane, it isn’t safe to pass.  If you will time your encounters will bicyclists, it typically takes only ten to twenty seconds for the road to straighten out enough for you to see clearly what might be coming in the other lane, making it safe to cross the line and complete the pass.

Here are some tips for cyclists:

• Remember the Holy Trinity of bicycle safety: be visible, be predictable, and ride in a straight line no matter what.
• In traffic, sit up and don’t move all the way to the right.  Drivers need to see you to avoid hitting you.
• Obey the traffic laws.  Wait your turn at traffic lights and stop signs, just like a car.  Signal all turns.  In traffic, behave like a car as much as possible.  For the love of God, stay off the sidewalk unless you’re in Jr. High, and ride in the same direction as the cars.
• Hold your line.  If an obstacle prevents this, don’t veer left unless you’ve checked over your shoulder that Death isn’t bearing down on you.
• In traffic, make eye contact with drivers as much as possible.  Otherwise, assume you are invisible to drivers.  You probably are.
• Practice good bike handling technique.  You should be able to shift hand positions, retrieve and return your water bottle, switch an empty bottle to the rear cage and a full bottle to the front, open and eat a granola bar, pull up your socks, scratch your ass, and anything else you can think of without veering left into traffic or executing a zig-zag motion on the road.
• Foster good will.  Smile and wave at any driver who does anything remotely courteous.
• Do not yell at drivers or make obscene gestures.  You will not win that fight.
• Turn off your MP3 player in traffic.
• Carry a cell phone with a camera, and keep the phone turned on and within easy reach.
• It may one day be necessary to talk to the police.  Practice memorizing license plate numbers and descriptions of people.  Learn how to identify cars by make and model.  Always be able to identify the name of the road you’re on, which direction you’re riding, and what time you’re there.
• On all rides, carry your driver’s’ license and insurance cards, or copies of them.

Tips for drivers:

• Don’t cross the yellow line to pass a cyclist if you’re on a curve or a hill.  If you can’t see at least 100 yards down the other lane, it isn’t safe to pass.  In most situations, you will have to wait only ten to twenty seconds for the road to straighten out enough to allow a safe pass.
• Allow for about three feet between your car and a cyclist when passing.
• If approaching a cyclist from the rear, don’t assume the cyclist knows you are coming.  This is especially true if you’re driving a newer car.  I often do not hear newer cars until they are nearly beside me.

HT: Cycling Info.

Tips for a Fun Century

A “Century” is a single-day 100-mile bicycle ride.  For beginning recreational cyclists, a century is a rite of passage.  If you can ride a hundred miles in one day, you’re part of a club.

If you’re thinking about riding your first century this fall, here are four things you need to keep in mind if you want to have a good ride: (1) the suffer point, (2) effort, (3) hydration and nutrition, and (4) comfort.

The Suffer Point.  At some point during your first century, you’re going to suffer.  Which is to say, you’ll be asking yourself, “why did I do this?” That point is your suffer point.  If you hit your suffer point anywhere after 80 miles, you’ll be okay.  You’ll struggle, but you’ll finish.  On the other hand, if you hit your suffer point too early, you’ll be in trouble.  Hit your suffer point very early, and you may not finish, or you may risk injury if you try to.

A good training program will push your suffer point backward.  Experienced, well-conditioned cyclists have suffer points beyond 100 miles, so completing a century, even a self-supported one, is not a huge problem for them.  Most beginners do well to push their suffer point to 75 to 85 miles for their first century.  But no matter what your experience level, if you show up undertrained, you’ll hit your suffer point too early and risk disaster.

To do: The centerpiece of your training program should be moderate increases in your weekend ride, say, 10% to 20% each week.  The best program is one you design yourself, perhaps with the help of an experienced cyclist acting as your mentor.  This allows you to build in flexibility and target the specific areas where you need to improve.  Follow this link for some good advice on developing your own training program.

Of course, your suffer point is not a static parameter.  Your training program will establish it (in theory), but your decisions the day of the century can move it in the wrong direction.  This is what you want to avoid.

Effort. The last thing you should worry about for your first century is how fast your bicycle is moving.  The speed of your bicycle is a function of several variables, most of which are beyond your control, such as the wind and the road gradient.  Instead of focusing on speed, focus on how hard you’re working, measured by breathing, heart rate, cadence, and gear selection.

Your effort needs to be gauged for the time you’ll be on the bike, about six hours (more or less).  So you need to develop a pace that you can sustain for that length of time.  If you go out too hard at the beginning, because your adrenaline is pumping, or because you’ve hooked up with a fast group, you’re going to blow up somewhere down the road.  Essentially, you’re drawing your suffer point in.  If your training has pushed your suffer point to 85 miles, but you fly out of the start with an effort that outruns your training pace, your suffer point will move to 80, then 70, then 60 miles, until eventually the actual mileage and the suffer point meet.  Whenever this happens, you’re toast.  And the rest of the day will be miserable.

To do: Ride at a comfortable Zone 2 pace, a pace you can maintain for several hours.  Choose relatively low gear ratios and a high cadence to shift pressure from your muscles to your cardiovascular system.  Resist the temptation to ride hard.  Avoid groups that out run your training pace, and save your energy through the first two thirds of the day.  If you want to go fast, save something for the last twenty miles.

Hydration & Nutrition. You need to take in at least one bottle of water per hour, and 70 to 80 grams of carbohydrates per hour.  If you fail to get enough water and food, you’ll draw in your suffer point, rapidly, even if you’re riding at the correct effort level.  If you bonk because of dehydration or hunger, you may wind up on the side of the road making a desperate cell-phone call for help.

What specifically should you eat and drink? It’s up to you.  Use your training rides to find what works.  Plain water combined with gels, Gatordate combined with Powerbars, Perpetuem combined with plain water and energy bars, or something else.  Talk to other cyclists to get ideas and experiment with different combinations to find the right combination that allows you to maintain your effort for several hours.

To do: Don’t change your hydration and nutrition strategy the day of the Century! If the organizers aren’t providing your choice of beverage and food, work out a way to carry what you’ll need.  For example, if your choice of beverage isn’t available at the rest stops, consider carrying small containers of powder and mixing it yourself at each stop.  (The organizers will certainly make plain water available at each stop.)

Comfort. The issue here is joint and muscle fatigue that develops because of sitting on the bicycle for several hours.  You’ll win 90% of this battle by choosing a road bike instead of a comfort bike, hybrid bike, or mountain bike.  (Not to mention the fact that those types of bicycles, heavier and less aerodynamic, require more energy per pedal stroke than a road bike for a given set of road conditions.)  Staying comfortable is a simple matter of periodically adjusting your hand position on the bars, and standing up to pedel every 15 minutes or so, or on each hill.

To do: Change hand positions often.  Stand up to pedal on small hills, or every 15 minutes if you’re on flat ground.  Stretch your neck from time and time, and take time to stretch at the rest stops.

Cycling: Watching the Clock

If you’re like me, it’s a struggle to find the hours needed to train for races or centuries, or to ride just for fitness.   Of course, a critical piece of information is how long the Sun will be providing enough light for safe cycling.  I found this out a few years ago when I commuted back and forth to work with Doug Welle in Birmingham, AL.  We both had 8:00 AM classes, and in December and January we needed to ride out at the earliest possible moment.  That moment is the start of civil twilight.

Basically, civil twilight is the period of time before sunrise and after sunset when there is enough ambient light reflecting off the Earth’s upper atmosphere that most outdoor activities can be performed without artificial lighting.  (Here is the technical definition.) From morning civil twilight to evening civil twilight is the span of time I feel comfortable riding a bike without artificial lighting, which is a pain in the arse to put on the bike.

(Don’t follow my example.  I’m lazy.  Put some lights on your bike and be extra careful before sunrise and after sunset.)

To find the civil twilight times for your locality, go here: http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/RS_OneDay.php, then enter the data for your location:

You’ll get this:

So in Farmville, VA today, civil twilight ends at 8:07 PM.  I need to get in a 90-minute active recovery ride, so I know I can start as late as 6:30 PM and still have 97 minutes to make it home.  If I can get started at 5:00 PM, I have more than enough time even if I get a flat tire or have some other problem.

A Good Piece of Advice for Time Trialing

If you have a wireless computer: Before you go to the starting tent, make sure the magnet on the wheel doesn’t smack the pickup unit. If it turns out it is hitting the pickup after you head out, screw it. You can get another one after the race. If you happen to make it back to the finish without losing the pickup despite the magnet hitting it 95 times per minute for 30+ minutes, consider attaching the pickup to the chainstay upside down or backward–so that if the magnet hits it, it pushes it away from the spokes. It may be a problem to get the sensor close enough to the wheel and crank magnet simultaneously. (I have a CatEye V2c with speed and cadence sensors integrated into the same unit, and I’m still working on positioning it upside down so that both magnets are close enough to work.)

I found this out at the Virginia Farm Bureau’s Conquer the Canal TT in Portsmouth, VA on Sunday–20 km on a flat, closed course with virtually no wind.  Other than worrying about my stupid pickup unit (~$80 replacement from CatEye!), I had a great day.  I didn’t finish very well in the Cat 5 standings (28th out of 38th), but I felt I improved over my performance at the Dismal Dash.  My average speed was 22.0 mph.  Not great, but I’m getting better and that’s what counts.

After the race Jordan and I rode the course for another time trial coming up later in the year.  Jordan drug me around a winding 22 mile course in about one hour, and along with the race itself it made for an awesome day of cycling.

Jordan did very well for his part, finishing sixth in the Masters 30+ race, and coming up with the idea to hang the pickup unit upside down.  Then he forgot to collect the gas money.  But I think I left a water bottle in his truck, and I’m sure it’s worth at least $30.

My plans for improving:

• I’m going to try riding in a larger gear and dropping my cadence from the mid-90s to the mid-80s.  It’s possible I can generate more power at a lower cadence.  It may take a few weeks of careful monitoring to see if this really works.
• I’m going to widen the spacing on my aerobars to open up my chest and possibly improve my breathing.  I won’t go wide enough to expose my elbows to the wind, but with some additional space I might be able to pull a bit more oxygen into my blood.

Crank Brothers Speed Lever

The skinny: You need to throw away your traditional tire levers and purchase the Crank Brothers Speed Lever.

I don’t normally do any kind of product endorsement on this blog, for two reasons.  First, I get nothing for it.  Second, I still consider myself too much of a novice to give advice on spending money.  But one tool I own is so unique for its utility and ease of use that I can’t help but plug it for all my cycling friends: the Crank Brothers Speed Lever.

A flat tire is one of the most irritating things that happen on a bicycle ride.  The worst part of fixing any flat is getting the tire off the rim to replace or patch the tube.  A traditional tire lever is difficult to work with, and cyclists often measure themselves by the speed with which they can use one to wrench the tire off the rim.  If everyone could change a flat quickly, no one would take pride in being fast at it.  But the fact is many cyclists have a lot of trouble getting the tire on and off the rim.  Part of that is lack of practice.  But another part is that traditional tire levers are stupid.

On the other hand, the Crank Brothers Speed Lever is amazing.  Where a traditional lever leaves me red-faced and cussing, the Speed Lever works like a magical charm.  I can get a tire off and on the rim in a fraction of the time and with a fraction of the effort needed with a traditional lever.

The Speed Lever looks flimsy, but it isn’t.  I’ve subjected mine to considerable force and have had no problems at all.  I’m not sure you can break it during normal use.  It has a lifetime warranty anyway.

The advantage of the Speed Lever over a traditional lever is similar to the advantage provided by aerobars during a time trial.  How many people compete in a time trial without aerobars?  After you’ve used or seen a Speed Lever demonstrated, you can avoid buying one only if you lack basic common sense.