Leopard-Trek and Radioshack will merge to form a new team next season

It seems as though a super power is trying to emerge, bring back the yellow jersey, employee top cyclist and well win. So Leopard-Trek and RadioShack will try to win the Tour by combining teams. Evens, will be a bit harder to beat than combining teams, the Australian won the tour by being the toughest single racer for those three weeks, staying clean, one minor bike mishap, which he rode himself back into the thick of it, staying in the main pack and finishing up with a true all out TT. Yes with the merger of the two teams, this will make it harder for Evens to repeat but nerveless, he will be right back in the thick of it.

The new outfit, to be named Radioshack-Nissan-Trek, will use Leopard-Trek’s existing WorldTour licence and will be based in Luxembourg, where the Schleck brothers’ team currently operates.

“Leopard announces that RadioShack and Nissan are joining the Leopard-Trek World Tour Team as sponsors for the 2012 and 2013 seasons,” read a Leopard-Trek statement.  

Nike + Mapped Runners in NYC

Wonderful way to track users.

Nike+ City Runs from yesyesno on Vimeo.

Sports Science, Feels Like Cotton, Works like a technical tee

Another Technical tee, well yes and no, this one feels like cotton but works like a wic-tec. You can were it out and not feel as though you just got back from a run, or where going on one. Nothing beats a tee that you can wear for anything, one and done.

sport science™ products are engineered to keep you dry and regulate your core body temperature, which keeps you cooler when it’s hot and warmer when it’s cold. Our dri-release® fabric rapidly wicks perspiration to keep you dry and comfortable.

sport science™ smarter basics™ are treated with FreshGuard® to reduce odor buildup in the fabric. This treatment will help keep you and your gym bag from smelling like, well, a gym bag.

sport science™ products are machine washable and dryable. Plus, they won’t pill and will stay wrinkle free.

sport science™ products are designed to fit and feel good in any situation. From our super-soft fabric, to our relaxed fit, we make sure each product prevents chafing and abrasion down to the last detail.

Bontrager computer/stem integration concept, Smart Design

Smart design is starting to take hold, designers are not just staying with how things used to be done. This concept from Bontrager show us that. What could make this even better is a universal mount or just stop trying to act like you don't have one, a iPhone mount.

Can't wait to see what comes next.

Getting Clean, Merkur Vision

Shaving is a pain, razors are expensive and in my mind a waste of money. Using a straight razor can be tricky and life threatening. Then there is the Merkur Vision a butterfly safety razor built to last. Merkur's Vision adjustable razor, known to many as one of the great wonders of the shaving world, is unquestionably a crowning achievement in engineering. This state-of-the-art razor is designed with full adjustability, so that the blade angle can cater to the unique contours of your face, as well as a slight slant bar that offers a boldly close but still forgiving shave. The remarkable Vision razor is as much a work of art as it is an instrument of precision.

Bikes and Coffee, They Go Together

Ok, this is just great, what a way to use old lever's. Another I wish I would have though about that.

The Coffee Brake
A sturdy mug for sturdy folk.
Created by a world traveler who dared to ask the question:
"What good is a sturdy metal mug with a flimsy plastic handle?"

Whether you're a hardcore coffee drinker or a dabbler, this 14 oz. double-walled insulated stainless steel mug is what you're after. Non-skid bottom and snug-fitting plastic lid.

Necessity is the mother of addiction...er, invention.

Scallywags

VitaCoCo, Amazing!

You son't have to love VitaCoCo I sure did not, then I tried the Peach & Mango, wonderful with all the energy of the original stuff. Trying all different stuff, FRS, Hammer Nutrition, even My Vega (which is great) and the Vita Coco beats them hands down.

The downfall to the VitaCoCo is the price. $2.50 to $2.99 is a bit steep, now you know why people drink cola.

Wikipedia says this:
Coconut water is the clear liquid inside young coconuts (fruits of the coconut palm). As the fruit matures, the coconut water is gradually replaced by the coconut meat and air. A very young coconut has very little meat; the meat it does have is very tender, almost a gel. Coconut water has long been a popular drink in the tropics, especially in Southeast Asia, Pacific Islands such as Hawaii, Africa and the Caribbean, where it is available fresh, canned, or bottled.
Coconuts for drinking are carefully packaged and sold in many places. These are typically Asian coconuts whose outer green husk has been removed, and the remainder wrapped in plastic. In Central America, particularly in Costa Rica and Panama, they are found and sold in strategic highway stops and on beaches. Coconuts are cut in front of customers to ensure the coconut water's freshness. Coconut water can also be found in ordinary cans, tetra paks, or plastic bottles (sometimes with coconut pulp or coconut jelly included). It is also being marketed as a natural sports drink because of its high potassium and mineral content.
There have been cases where coconut water has been used as an intravenous hydration fluid in some developing countries where medical saline was unavailable.

Now Goya has some amazing products at an incredible price, I have not tried the coconut but if it is like their other products then you can't loose.

Last is Costamar Cream of Coconut Milk, wonderful stuff and $1 for the can, dump into shakes mix and go.

Training Your Brain

This is a guest post from Renegade Triathlon Psychology coach Stephen Ladd (pictured right), who has taken a somewhat unorthodox path to becoming one of most sought after gurus in the world when it comes to training your brain for peak performance. His formal education in the States included undergraduate studies in psychology, religion, and philosophy, and Graduate studies in Comparative Religions. He then ventured outside of the US to experience the cultures and mind practices of Southeast Asia and Japan. In addition to this guest post and article below, Stephen will be featured on next week’sBenGreenfieldFitness.com podcast episode.

The concepts you are about to learn can be applied to marathoning, ultra-running, cycling, or any endurance sport, but we are going to use the example of triathlon for today.

I consider a triathlon (of any distance) to be the “toughest sport on earth”. The amount of time and effort required to train for three separate sports is unparalleled in the world of athletics.

But what is often overlooked are the extreme mental and emotional demands of triathlon training and racing.

For a triathlete to consistently perform at peak performance levels, they must have the ability to control their mental and emotional states, especially prior to and during the actual race. Imagine being able to instantly evoke a supreme state of “confidence” in yourself instead of having pre-race anxiety, or evoke a state of “determination and focus” when you start to feel fatigued and have another six miles to the finish.

It is important to understand the difference between what is labeled these days as “Positive Thinking” and what I am talking about when I refer to controlling your mental and emotional states. The “Positive Thinking” protocol (at least how it’s commonly taught) is to simply ignore how you feel (anxiety) and tell yourself, over and over again, that you feel confident, or happy, or focused or whatever it is you’re desperately trying to convince yourself that you are.

On the other hand, accurately and properly controlling your mental and emotional state is a way for you to literallychange your subconcious mind, so that you’ll actually be confident, instead of just telling yourself that you are confident. See the difference? When you do what I am about to teach you properly, there will be no need for you to try to convince yourself that you are confident – instead, you will actually be in a supreme state of confidence and able to perform closer to your peak potential.

One valuable tool for achieving this true change in your mental and emotional state is called “Anchoring”, which comes from the world of Neuro-Linguistic Programing (NLP).

Continued on Endurance Planet

Cannondale SuperSix, Great All Around Bike!

Slowtwitch.com has this great review of the Cannondale SuperSix, summed up light and fast. One of the biggest things that I noticed was the Tune QR road skewers reach an astonishing 33g for the set, that is nuts. If you are looking for an all around road.tri bike well then the SuperSix, will get it done, I am not talking full Ironman's but sprints with a full areo kit would do the trick.

SlowTwich article

Natural Running Efficiency: Using Elasticity in the Lower Leg

Natural Running Efficiency: Using Elasticity in the Lower Leg

This is What's Wrong!

You wonder what is wrong with the US, why we are so unhealthy, well from the photo I am sure you can guess. Yes they are unhealthy, try buying 3 donuts, they will quickly upsell you to 6, they are cheaper if you buy 6. WOW, that does it hooked, extra set of calories, these are the things, as nice as they are you get sucked into the vortex and it is hard to come back from. The best way to combat this process is local shops. EAT LOCAL

Best Triathlon Car, So Far!

Not sure much needs to be said, the Counrtyman All4 (cooper s) it is AWD, fast and gets great gas millage. Fold the rear seats down and you have more than enough room for your wetsuits, wheels, even an extra set of cloths. Get the installed load bars on-top and off you go.

Very much like a tri bike, except it can corner. Remember how you felt when you drove your first go-cart, imagine that but much, much faster. Not to mention the aftermarket stuff, trade down your SUV, move up from Honda.

MINI USA

Nothing Needs To Be Said!

Smaller Events Need Better Coverage! Bloggers, Twitters and Facebook Unite..

What does it take for smaller venues to be recognized. Banding together, yes it is nice to do the IM events, it cost you plenty. The smaller events usually in your back yard can be as much fun or more. Going to local event you build friendships, meet training partners and even start a friendly rival. The cost is a fraction of the big events without the hassle. Drive in the morning of the event, compete, hand, go home.

So I am not sure why more local events are not covered by TV or Radio, even streaming. The marketing impact of local events is overlooked, having a booth orjust ground support show community involvement and professionalism that frankly more brands need.

So get on the band wagon, Twitter, Facebook, blog or podcast local events, who know a pro might just show up.

Chrissie Wellington, Just Plain FAST!

Chrissie Wellington is just plain fast, getting faster, scary to see what she might do in Kona this year, I think she held back when she broke the record a couple years ago.

Seems the story was the same, come out in first after the swim, extend the lead on the Bike and be blazing fast on the run.

The fifth man is a woman
The world sensation was completed by three-times Hawaii-winner Chrissie Wellington, who won for the third time straight at Challenge Roth - and again with a new world record. The best female triathlete in the world was able to once again improve her own record from last year of 8:19:13 hours by one minute and crossed the finish line after exactly 8:18:13 hours. Almost as incredible: Wellington finished fifth overall and can now rightfully claim to belong among the top 5 men. The 34 year-old athlete, who presented herself in excellent shape led the race from start to finish and can currently only beat herself.

After Chrissie Wellingtons finish the 180,000 spectators had to wait for a while for the ladies in the second and third places. With a time of 8:56:23 hours the young German rookie Julia Wagner was able to make her dream come true and cross the finish line in the second spot, followed by Rebekah Keat from Australia with 8:59:22 hours.

Truly a inspiration to all, smiling all the way.