Thursday, 30 August 2012
I took a short ride around the Wright State campus today, following the treeline from the furthest parking lot to the Nutter Center. Nearly past the Center, I found what I sought: an entrance into the forest and a pathway suitable for off-road exercise. The trail systems are not very lengthy through the forests around WSU, but enough is there for an hour's trail ride. Most of the trails are double-track, some graveled, some packed earth. And they offer one stream crossing and quite a few hops over fallen trees.
The forest also has some path openings close to the Creative Arts and Library, but they are marked as part of the Biological Sciences preserve or study areas. Good to see the markings and know that plenty of other paths are available, so these can be left free from bothering the natural habitat.
I plan to find an outdoor activities group similar to the one that has developed at University of Dayton. Perhaps interest can be built for truly developing part of the forest areas for off-road biking.
Ride conditions
Temperature: 78 to 82°F at 11:45
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves
Bike: Mongoose MGX-D40 trail
Time: about an hour, distance unknown *
Heart rate: unknown *
Path users: 1 pedestrian, close to a campus-forest opening
* no Playback of the ride available, Garmin is on the blink
30 August 2012
25 August 2012
Taint of the Tour
According to analysis by the New York Times, one third of the top-ten finsihers in the Tour de France from 1998 to 2011 "have admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs at some point in their careers or have been officially linked to doping."
Those who follow professional cycling are not surprised. Unless it is the surprise of the obverse: two thirds of top finishers have not (yet) admitted to use or been officially linked to use. The list of untainted competitors incudes:
These indeed are top athletes, and they are a strong argument against the actual enhancements to performance that doping may bring.
That is, if indeed these athletes compete "clean."
Those who follow professional cycling are not surprised. Unless it is the surprise of the obverse: two thirds of top finishers have not (yet) admitted to use or been officially linked to use. The list of untainted competitors incudes:
- José Azevedo (2 top-ten finishes)
- Vladimir Belli
- Joseba Beloki (3 top-ten finishes)
- Michael Boogerd (2 top-ten finishes)
- Santiago Botero (3 top-ten finishes)+
- Janez Brajkovič
- Angel Casero
- Damiano Cunego
- Tom Danielson
- Cyril Dessel
- Fernando Escartin (2 top-ten finishes)
- Cadel Evans (6 top-ten finishes)*
- Chris Froome *
- Robert Gesink
- Roberto Heras (2 top-ten finishes) +
- Ryder Hesjedal
- Chris Horner
- Bobby Julich
- Kim Kirchen (2 top-ten finishes)
- Andrei Kivilev
- Andreas Klöden (3 top-ten finishes) +
- Roman Kreuziger (2 top-ten finishes)
- Christophe le Mével
- Luis León Sánchez
- Francisco Mancebo (4 top-ten finishes)
- Iban Mayo +
- Denis Menchov (3 top-ten finishes)
- Axel Merckx
- Daniele Nardello (3 top-ten finishes)
- Vincenzo Nibali (2 top-ten finishes)*
- Jean-Christophe Péraud
- Óscar Pereiro (4 top-ten finishes) +
- Andrea Peron +
- Thibaut Pinot
- Yaroslav Popovych +
- Michael Rasmussen +
- Christophe Rinero
- Jean-Cyril Robin
- Michael Rogers
- Pierre Rolland (2 top-ten finishes)*
- Samuel Sánchez (3 top-ten finishes)
- Carlos Sastre (6 top-ten finishes)
- Andy Schleck (3 top-ten finishes)
- Marcos Antonio Serrano
- François Simon
- Georg Totschnig
- Jurgen Van Den Broeck (2 top-ten finishes)*
- Christian Vande Velde (2 top-ten finishes)
- Tejay van Garderen *
- Thomas Voeckler
- Bradley Wiggins (2 top-ten finishes)*
- Haimar Zubeldia (4 top-ten finishes)*
- * 2012 top-ten finisher, not included in the NYT analysis.
- + Subject of doping allegations, not necessarily proven.
These indeed are top athletes, and they are a strong argument against the actual enhancements to performance that doping may bring.
That is, if indeed these athletes compete "clean."
23 August 2012
Metroparks training and a ride—Armstrong update
Thursday, 23 August 2012
My ride today was partially transportation (getting to an evening volunteers' meeting for Five Rivers Metroparks) and part recreation (a ride up the Stillwater Trail to Needmore Avenue, and the return home). Gentle stuff, and a good balance to the morning spent driving to several errands, including to the bookstore at Wright State.
One of these days, there may be a safe and sane way to Wright State by bike. Just not yet. These three routes all involve riding among fast traffic.
About a year from now, the best route will use the connector now in construction between Eastwood Park and Huffman Dam. 6.21 miles.
Now the titles have been passed to
I hold that Mr. Armstrong will long be considered the notable champion who won—unofficially after all—seven consecutive yellow jerseys. Whether through doping or "clean" efforts, his endurance, power, team leadership, and tactical keenness cannot be denied. The Tour de France is much more than a merely physical feat. Any winner deserves note. (Let us relieve even Floyd Landis of his lasting irritation!)
I believe that, though the USADA and other sports agencies have won through persistence, this may mark the beginning of their demise. Perhaps there may rise parallel sporing events, one track for untested competitors who make no claims of "clean" effort, the other track for undoped competitors who attest and may be tested to compete without drug enhancements. The events could be held with intermixed starts and with award ceremonies that honor both classes of athletes separately.
The possibility reminds me of the short story "Games Without Frontiers" by P. Klein, in which the athlete protagonist, "Al was of a privileged class. His genetics determined that he would respond well, not only to intense physical training and stress, but to the many drugs and nutritional supplements which would be injected, fed (force-fed if necessary), and inhaled by the athlete in the course of his training and competition. ...He basked in chemical glows, byproducts of the masses of steroids, branched-chain amino acids, and euphorics he was given."Mach 18, June 1989 And in the stadium, the roar of the crowd was not distinguishable from a roar in his head.
I believe that fandom can well broaden to celebrate both clean and doped athletes. After all, doping has a long history, and media has celebrated powerful athletes more than once while winking about the purported lack of drugs.
Temperature: 69°F at 19:45
Precipitation: none
Winds: 3 mph
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed 48x16
Time: 1:01:08 for 15.26 miles
Heart rate: 123 bpm HRave, 154 bpm HRmax
Playback of the ride
My ride today was partially transportation (getting to an evening volunteers' meeting for Five Rivers Metroparks) and part recreation (a ride up the Stillwater Trail to Needmore Avenue, and the return home). Gentle stuff, and a good balance to the morning spent driving to several errands, including to the bookstore at Wright State.
One of these days, there may be a safe and sane way to Wright State by bike. Just not yet. These three routes all involve riding among fast traffic.
- From the Creekside Trailhead at Eastwood Park, up Springfield Street to its intersection with the Wright Brothers-Huffman Prairie Trail, to the north side of the WSU campus. Springfield Street is especially busy at the Air Force rush hours of 6:30 to 8:30 a.m. and 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. 5.64 miles.
- From the Creekside Trail intersection with Airway Avenue, up Colonel Glenn to the southwest corner of the WSU campus. Traffic flows between 45 and 55 mph, and shoulders are non-existent or very narrow. 5.19 miles.
- From the Creekside Trail intersection with Grange Hall Road, up Grange Hall and residential streets in Beavercreek to cross U.S. 35 at Grange Hall, and then Colonel Glenn to the southwest corner of the WSU campus. Traffic flows on Grange Hall at 45 mph, on Colonel Glenn at 45 to 55 mph, and shoulders are non-existent. 12.42 miles.
About a year from now, the best route will use the connector now in construction between Eastwood Park and Huffman Dam. 6.21 miles.
Lance Acquiesces, USADA Strips Records
The L.A. Times reports that Lance Armstrong has given up in his fight against the charges by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency that Armstrong used banned substances since 1996, including the blood-booster EPO and steroids. Soon after, the USADA announced that it will ban Armstrong from cycling for life and strip him of his titles, including seven Tour de France victories.Now the titles have been passed to
- 1999—Alex Zülle of Switzerland, in the Banesto team, whose total time behind Mr. Armstrong was 7:37. In 1998, Mr. Zülle was part of the Festina team, which was banned from the 1998 Tour de France amid doping allegations Five Festina riders including Zülle admitted taking EPO.
- 2000—Jan Ullrich of Germany, in the 2000 Telekom team, who was behind Mr. Armstrong by 6:02. Mr. Ullrich won a gold medal and a silver medal in the 2000 Olympics.
- 2001—Jan Ullrich, who was behind Mr. Armstrong by 6:44. In this Tour, Mr. Armstrong crashed and Mr. Ullrich waited for his competitor to resaddle and rejoin the race.
- 2002—Joseba Beloki of Spain, riding in the 2000 Once team, who was behind Mr. Armstrong by 7:17. Mr. Beloki had finished third in the 2001 Tour de France, and performed well in the 2002 Vuelta à Espanña.
- 2003—Jan Ullrich, who was behind Mr. Armstrong by 1:01. Again in this Tour, Mr. Armstrong crashed after catching a musette, and again Mr. Ullrich waited until his rival had rejoined the race.
- 2004—Andreas Klöden of Germany, riding in the T-Mobile team, who was 6:19 behind Mr. Armstrong. Mr. Klöden had competed with honors in 2003, was national road race champion in 2004, and did well for several following years. However, it was alleged that he had received an illegal blood transfusion during the 2006 Tour de France.
- 2005—Ivan Basso of Italy, riding in Team CSC, who finished 4:40 behind Mr. Armstrong. Mr. Basso was banned from racing in the 2006 Tour because of alleged blood doping under Dr. Fuentes in a Spanish clinic.
I hold that Mr. Armstrong will long be considered the notable champion who won—unofficially after all—seven consecutive yellow jerseys. Whether through doping or "clean" efforts, his endurance, power, team leadership, and tactical keenness cannot be denied. The Tour de France is much more than a merely physical feat. Any winner deserves note. (Let us relieve even Floyd Landis of his lasting irritation!)
I believe that, though the USADA and other sports agencies have won through persistence, this may mark the beginning of their demise. Perhaps there may rise parallel sporing events, one track for untested competitors who make no claims of "clean" effort, the other track for undoped competitors who attest and may be tested to compete without drug enhancements. The events could be held with intermixed starts and with award ceremonies that honor both classes of athletes separately.
The possibility reminds me of the short story "Games Without Frontiers" by P. Klein, in which the athlete protagonist, "Al was of a privileged class. His genetics determined that he would respond well, not only to intense physical training and stress, but to the many drugs and nutritional supplements which would be injected, fed (force-fed if necessary), and inhaled by the athlete in the course of his training and competition. ...He basked in chemical glows, byproducts of the masses of steroids, branched-chain amino acids, and euphorics he was given."Mach 18, June 1989 And in the stadium, the roar of the crowd was not distinguishable from a roar in his head.
I believe that fandom can well broaden to celebrate both clean and doped athletes. After all, doping has a long history, and media has celebrated powerful athletes more than once while winking about the purported lack of drugs.
Ride conditions
Temperature: 69°F at 19:45
Precipitation: none
Winds: 3 mph
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed 48x16
Time: 1:01:08 for 15.26 miles
Heart rate: 123 bpm HRave, 154 bpm HRmax
Playback of the ride
Getting Ready to Commute Again
Wednesday, 22 August 2012
I've been off regular riding for more than ten weeks, due to Summer classes I've been taking at Wright State University. Then before that, I had no workday commute, since my work was at home, looking for a new employer. Now with two As on my transcript and after a couple companies have contacted me on my submitted resumé, it seems to be time to get back into commuting shape. Who knows where I'll be working, but it may be soon. (I hope.)
Today's ride was a leisurely 14.6 mph, starting with a book delivery to the Post Office and continuing on to the gym at Forrer and Smithville. (It used to be Cardinal Fitness, but a new owner has changed the name to Every Body Fitness.) The ride included a half-hour upper body workout of fairly low intensity.
I included a short leg out the drive from the Eastwood lagoons to the park entrance on Woodman, to check out the new construction of the connector to Huffman Park. The bikeway is staked out through Eastwood to its route underneath the bridge over the Mad River, and most of the path has received initial scraping. The equipment was actively scraping in mid-afternoon, and only a quarter mile remained unscraped in the park. I spoke to one of the men as he took a break in his pickup. They plan to complete the underlayment of gravel this year, and to apply asphalt in early 2013. The bikeway should be open by Summer 2013.
I told him that he should be proud of the work being done, since it provides a much needed link between Eastwood and Huffman parks. And an indirect, but important connection to Wright State University.
The construction of Highway 35 continues, and the Iron Horse Trail is broken into loose dirt just south of its juncture with the Creekside Trail. However, even during periods of actual work, the crews allow passage when it's safe to do so. The gates at either end of the bikeway through the construction area are movable—and light enough for almost anyone—to allow easy access.
Click here for information on other bikeway closures.
Precipitation: none
Winds: Variable 3.5 mph
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed 48x16
Time: 1:43:04 for 25.32 mi miles
Heart rate: 131 bpm HRave, 157 bpm HRmax
Bikeway users: no count
Playback of the ride
I've been off regular riding for more than ten weeks, due to Summer classes I've been taking at Wright State University. Then before that, I had no workday commute, since my work was at home, looking for a new employer. Now with two As on my transcript and after a couple companies have contacted me on my submitted resumé, it seems to be time to get back into commuting shape. Who knows where I'll be working, but it may be soon. (I hope.)
Today's ride was a leisurely 14.6 mph, starting with a book delivery to the Post Office and continuing on to the gym at Forrer and Smithville. (It used to be Cardinal Fitness, but a new owner has changed the name to Every Body Fitness.) The ride included a half-hour upper body workout of fairly low intensity.
I included a short leg out the drive from the Eastwood lagoons to the park entrance on Woodman, to check out the new construction of the connector to Huffman Park. The bikeway is staked out through Eastwood to its route underneath the bridge over the Mad River, and most of the path has received initial scraping. The equipment was actively scraping in mid-afternoon, and only a quarter mile remained unscraped in the park. I spoke to one of the men as he took a break in his pickup. They plan to complete the underlayment of gravel this year, and to apply asphalt in early 2013. The bikeway should be open by Summer 2013.
I told him that he should be proud of the work being done, since it provides a much needed link between Eastwood and Huffman parks. And an indirect, but important connection to Wright State University.
The construction of Highway 35 continues, and the Iron Horse Trail is broken into loose dirt just south of its juncture with the Creekside Trail. However, even during periods of actual work, the crews allow passage when it's safe to do so. The gates at either end of the bikeway through the construction area are movable—and light enough for almost anyone—to allow easy access.
Click here for information on other bikeway closures.
Charles Love
Charles experienced a solo crash this past Tuesday that left him with abrasions and a broken clavicle. But he's still smiling, and his bike is OK.Ride conditions
Temperature: 84°F at 14:45Precipitation: none
Winds: Variable 3.5 mph
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed 48x16
Time: 1:43:04 for 25.32 mi miles
Heart rate: 131 bpm HRave, 157 bpm HRmax
Bikeway users: no count
Playback of the ride
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