As I’m sure you are aware this week’s #bikeschool class is being hosted by two special guest Professors; Joe from @ryderseyewear and Canadian Olympian Lauren Campbell (@gunzycampbell). Having both hosted a class before I’m sure they will be very comfortable with the format but we wanted to find out more from the lady who will be pinning her hopes on selection to the Canadian Triathlon squad for London 2012 and hoping for some retribution dating back to Beijing!

Stevie Dexter – An athletes’ first Olympics can notoriously be a nervous and overwhelming time in their career. Having experienced the 2008 Olympics and the added media pressure that comes with that, are there areas of your life, training or racing that have changed because of those experiences?

Lauren Campbell - There’s no question that the Olympic experience was like none other and it’s something that has definitely left some lasting changes. The added media pressure really did affect how I carry myself, as I find that I am more comfortable speaking publicly and being interviewed. I used to be an incredibly shy person, nervous to even speak with sponsors or interviewers over the phone, but since I’ve come out of my shell a bit and put some of those fears behind me. As for training and racing, I guess you can say I’ve been carrying some unfinished “Olympic business” and have had that on my mind over the past four years! (I was involved in a bike pile-up in Beijing, resulting in a broken elbow and a DNF).

SD - Within the cycling peloton there are riders who are allowed to boss the race due to their experience, calibre or both. Is the same true within Triathlon and how do other athletes react to seeing you on the start list?

LC – There are definitely some more dominant riders in the pack, those that tend to be the stronger riders and want to see something happen, rather than sitting in and waiting for the run. The packs can be quite large in some events, often with the entire field of a World Series race, with over 60 women, so you can imagine some of the stronger personalities can emerge in those conditions. There are some women who are known to make some noise out there to get the group organized, which I respect (as I am often one of them), but the races are tactical so none of us want to work more than we have to get in position for the win.

Being away from racing for most of the past two years, I’m no longer a “big name” on the start lists. As a past podium contender and decent runner, I might be on the minds of some, but there are so many other potential winners these days. I’m still working my way back up to the top!

SD – Your blog mentions some of the ups and downs you’ve had in the last couple of years from ‘marriage, to injuries, crashes, sickness, surgery, frustrations, comebacks, and everything in between’. These are things that might happen to all of us, but how does a professional athlete cope with them?

LC – It’s definitely been a challenge to work through all of this over the past couple of years, and given the fact that my job relies on a healthy and functional body has made some of these setbacks even more frustrating. I have been very fortunate to have an incredibly supportive network around me that keeps my mind on track when I start to doubt my ability to return to form. Injuries and illnesses are all part of the game and I’ve learned that they DO heal, but you have to be patient and pro-active throughout the recovery. I can’t tell you how many physio, chiropractic, massage, surgical, and doctor appointments I’ve had over the past two years. It’s definitely been quite a process!

SD – When you see or hear LONDON 2012 what is your first thought?

LC – Pure excitement! It’s been a LONG road over the past few years to even get myself into contention to qualify for the team, so the Olympics will be nothing more than a celebration of everything I’ve been though. That, and the most competitive race I’ve ever done in my life. The sport has really grown over the past four years and I’m excited for the challenge to step-up and see how I go amongst the world’s best.

SD – Anyone with dreams of London 2012 has had to put in some big efforts during 2011 and this early part of 2012 to make sure they shine in front of the selectors. What are you doing to make sure you get to the start line in London this summer?

LC – Because I’ve been out of competition and training for all but 5 months over the last two years, I’ve been playing a lot of catch-up in terms of fitness and earning World Ranking points. Thankfully my health was back on track as of October of last year so I was able to put in a consistent block of aerobic, strength and base training, a critical component that I’ve missed out on over the years. By December I was able to add in some intensity and now I am away at a training camp in Florida, putting in a solid pre-race build that will hopefully set me up well for the busy season ahead. Because of the missed World Ranking Points, I need to race as much as possible between now and the end of May (the end of qualifying). The Canadian qualifying criteria is top-8 finishes at both Sydney and San Diego World Series events in April and May. As much as I’d like to only target those races, I haven’t earned that luxury and need to earn Canada another “country spot” for the Games, which is determined based on my Olympic ranking. It’s a bit of a confusing process, but thankfully I have a coach who is good at math and has figured out where I need to race and how I need to do at those races to earn the spot!

SD – Swimming… Cycling… Running… Which do you consider your forté and how do you use that to your advantage against your opponents?

LC – Running has always been my forté so I always race to get myself at the front of the race, or at least in a position to run myself up there. Racing has changed over the years though and there are many more strong runners, who are strong swimmers and bikers so I can no longer plan to run myself up from the 2nd pack. I’ve worked hard at my swimming and riding so that a) I’m in the lead pack off the bike and b) I’m strong enough on the bike that it won’t completely zap my run legs. But basically my race strategy is pretty simple: race hard and smart!

SD – When you need to completely switch off from training or racing what do you do to wind down and relax?

LC – I love to cook and have plans for my next career to be something food-related, so I spend a lot of my down-time researching recipes, sourcing foods, and of course cooking! I also love to read a good book, go for coffee, catch up with friends and do a spot of shopping every now and then.

SD – Many #bikeschool class members are triathletes or time-trialers and I find it hard to give advice… as I have no idea what I’m doing on a TT bike and swim like… well like a Richards Bay blue-bottomed monkey! What are your top 3 tips for #bikeschoolers?

LC – Top 3 tips, eh? There’s a lot I could say here but if it’s only three things then..

1) Enjoy what you are doing. There’s no sense in pursuing this path if you don’t enjoy it. Life’s too short, so find something you love and work hard at it!

2) Embrace the pain. I’m talking about the “good” pain, the lung-bursting, quad-burning pain that comes with a great workout or race. Getting to the next level is going to take you out of your comfort zone so you might as well welcome this discomfort!

3) Have balance in your life. Triathlon, cycling, etc is wonderful and exciting, but never let it take over your life. I’ve learned through my setbacks that there is much more to life than my sport/job. So whatever your goals, always remember why you are doing this and what’s most important to you in life.

SD – You’re running #bikeschool this week with Joe from Ryders Eyewear and we’re all really stoked. How does a relationship with a company like Ryders help you compete to your maximum potential?

LC – I’ve been so fortunate to have connected with a company like Ryders Eyewear. I’ve been on board with them leading up to the Beijing Olympics so we’ve been able to share this roller coaster of events over the past four years. They have been incredibly supportive of me through this hard time and this is the type of support network I mentioned earlier that has help keep me moving forward. So it’s this support AND getting to wear some of the sweetest sunglasses out there is what keeps me going!

SD – Finally, why are YOU loving the bike?

LC – I’m loving the bike because it’s a chance to see the world at my own speed. There’s nothing quite like rolling around a beautiful place and soaking in the sights! That, and getting to fill my belly with delicious post-ride treats!

My thanks to Lauren for some great answers and a lovely insight into a professionals career and life off of the bike (and out of the water). Don’t miss this week’s class as it’s sure to be a real doozy!

Keep The Rubber Side Down

Stevie

“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give” – Winston Churchill

This week we are the midst of one of the most tightly fought contests since King Arthur took on the might of The Black Knight. The intellectual hammer has been thrown down and it’s time to see which of you have the ‘refined skills to pay, the ever increasingly large, bills to which you owe’ and be in with a chance to win a pair of Ryders Eyewear Seeker sunglasses. For those of you who missed last Thursday’s #bikeschool and are not currently thinking and dreaming in 5-7-5′s, that last sentence contained a ‘Haiku’, not a very good one, but it was Haiku!

And that’s what this week is all about… the Haiku, or more accurately the #baiku, but more of that later. Haiku is a short, 17-mora form of poetry, usually written in three lines with 5-7-5 moras in each respective line. Although haiku are often stated to have 17 syllables this isn’t completely accurate as syllables and moras are not the same but it is widely accepted in Western culture that haiku can take the form of a string of 5, 7 and 5 syllable sentences. Closely tied to the Japanese aesthetic of Yugen and the spirituality of Buddhism, Haiku looks deceptively simple, but can take years to master, unfortunately you now only have a couple of days to get your entries into us before this weeks #bikeschool class!

For those of you who have no interest in history, Japan or widening your intellectual boundaries, you may want to skip the next section…

Basho and the great masters

Haiku derives from a type of Japanese court poetry called ‘tanka’ that was popularised and refined between the 9th and 12th centuries. Tanka was often written to explore religious or courtly themes and had a structure of five lines with a 5-7-5-7-7 syllable structure. During this period, it became a popular activity to write long strings of linked tanka verse. One person would often contribute the first three lines (5-7-5) of the poetic chain and a different author would complete the chain by composing a 7-7 section. Then another author would build on the previous 7-7, with another 5-7-5 passage. This chaining of verses called ‘renga’, could sometimes add up to hundreds of linked tanka.

The first part of the poem, called ‘hokku’ or “starting verse,” frequently set the tone for the rest of the poem, and the authors of hokku often earned the respect and admiration of their follow poets. By the 19th century, largely through the work of Masaoka Shiki, hokku began to be written and read as individual poems. From the word hokku derives our word haiku.

Three great masters of hokku, Basho, Buson and Issa, lived during Japan’s Edo-period (1600-1868) and their work still exerts a great deal of influence on how haiku is written today. All three men were born in rural villages and spent many years practicing and refining their art form as well as wandering the countryside, observing nature and the human condition.

So… you guys have a lot to live up to!!!

The EVOLution of the #baiku

Last week @bikerly and @cyclelicious had a discussion surrounding haikus and how easy it would be to get the word ‘embrocation’ into one of their own creations. @cyclelicious suggested he try and work with the lyrics from CAKE’s ‘The Distance’ and quite impressively the follwoing was created…

It’s icy then hot

embrocation in time of need

cycling the distance

(@bikerly, 2011)

As with most of @bikerly’s ideas, this has quickly snowballed into a full on EVOL plan and at last week’s #bikeschool a contest was announced to sweeten those mind-grapes and produce some bike related haikus… more commonly known as a #baiku!

The only rules of the #baiku contest are that your entries should be in haiku format and MUST include the words ‘#bikeschool‘ and ‘Ryders Sunglasses‘ in there somewhere. The awesome prize for this contest is a pair of Ryders Eyewear sunglasses and the competition is already hotting up. As this article goes to press there have been some fantastic entries from @kui360 and @twittyboyd amongst others but there is still time to enter and the winner will be chosen by @cyclelicious this week after it closes on Thursday at 1pm EST.

Until next time, good luck and keep Loving The Bike……

Stevie

The great folks over at Outside PR represent some smoking good companies, and they recently sent the Loving the Bike team some items for review.  Instead of doing a separate post for each one, we thought we’d get all geared up with these great products and let you know what we think.  As with all our reviews over here at Loving the Bike, we give you our totally honest opinion and let you know why you should (or shouldn’t) go out and get one of these products for yourself.

We could have went into great detail on each product and give you absolutely everything you needed to know about them….and more.  But we know what people do when a very long post lays before them….you skim it.  So I got the feedback from our review crew and cut to the goods to provide you with a quick description, what we liked best, and what changes we’d recommend for each product.

Pearl Izumi Elite Jersey and Elite In-R-Cool Short

Description: The ELITE Series by Pearl Izumi is part of their line of gear targeted to the “dedicated athlete”.

What We Like: The first time I put on my new Pearl Izumi kit and walked outside, my kids saw me and said “Wow, Dad….you look awesome”….True Story. So it’s safe to say that these are some nice looking cycling clothes.  What me and the team liked best about it was the comfort.  It felt great on and off the bike. The Elite 3D Chamois is honestly the most comfortable we’d ever worn on our butts and can totally realize exactly why Pearl Izumi has carved out a great name for themselves.

One more thing that we really liked is the waterproof (sweat proof) zip pouch on the back of the jersey.  This was my first jersey with one of these on the back, and it is a great spot to store my ipod while riding.

We’ve already had some hot, hot days over here in Texas and the thin material and In-R-Cool technology sure feels good on days like this.  I know that this jersey will be my first choice as we creep into the 100+ degree days ahead.

Recommended Changes: The waterproof zip pouch is just barely big enough to fit an itouch.  We’d like to see the zipper another half inch longer.

The only other recommended change that we have on this one is graphics.  Not like this should be all that important, but we really like having cool designs and graphics on our clothing and the samples provided by Pearl Izumi were a little plain.

Ryders Eyewear

Description: Ryders is an eyewear company out of Canada who provides sunglasses and goggles for athletes.

What We Like: I was born with a pair of sunglasses on my face, so I am definitely a lover of shades.  I personally had never heard of Ryders before getting the sample, although the rest of the Loving the Bike review team had.  We received two pairs of their Seeker series, and one of the chops (polarized) for review and think they are pretty cool.

What we liked best about the Seeker line is that they come with inter-changeable lenses so they can be swapped out for different riding conditions.  The no tint are great for evening rides, the partial tint are perfect for cloudy days, and the full tint are nice for sunny day riding.  Kelli felt that they were “very comfortable, provide a nice wide-lense view, and are great for varying degrees of sunlight”.  The Chops were more of a hanging out/social scene type of sunglasses more so than for athletic usage.

Recommended Changes: Having a small face, I found the Seeker a little big for me…but only for looks.  Kelli said the same thing about the fit for women. They fit great and stay on my face, but I feel they are a little wider than I prefer.  There might be another Ryders brand better suited to my face type.  Our team also felt that the frames strength didn’t appear to be overly strong and are unsure about the long-term wearability of the glasses.

GU Roctane Gel and Electrolyte Tablets

Description: People have been sucking down the GU packets for something like 10 years already.  Gu Energy is made up of athletes, scientists, and a production team and are out to deliver the best sports nutrition on the planet.

Their product line includes Gels, Chomps, and Brews.

What We Like: Energy and Hydration are always a great thing when you’re out riding, so any product that can help us out with this is very welcome.  We definitely loved the taste of both the gels and the hydration tabs and like that there are so many flavors to choose from.  I’m definitely more of a hydration tab user than I am of gels, and I thought the GU Brews were very thirst quenching.

Seeing as Kelli is the Loving the Bike pro when it comes to anything regarding sports nutrition, we looked to her for the most accurate review.  Here’s what she liked best about the GU Gels:

• Uses more than one carbohydrate source (maltodextin & fructose)
• Provides Branch-chained amino acids – but only in small amounts (less than 1000 mg)
• Claims natural flavors (preferred over artificial ones, but no specifics on “natural” flavor sources given)
• Includes caffeinated and non-caffeinated varieties
• Includes herbal blend that may sooth stomach (ginger, chamomile)

Recommended Changes: We didn’t have any recommendations for changes made to the Brews, but here’s what Kelli had to say about what could be changed when it comes to the Gels:

• Has a thicker texture than other gels – personally more difficult for me to get down while cycling
• Sodium and Potassium in non-physiological ratio – include 55mg Sodium, 45 mg Potassium.  Would prefer approximately 4:1 Sodium:Potassium with up to 200 mg Sodium per packet
• Individual packaging promotes high amounts of waste compared to bulk packaging jugs (did not find any source of bulk packaging for gu such as found with Hammer gels)

So there you have it.  Three companies reviewed all in one shot.  What are your experiences with these companies?  What do you like best?  What would you change?