And the Winners Are

03
Jun
2011
By

With our 2011 edition of the Crank Honors going on for the past couple weeks, it has made for a very exciting May.  If you haven’t guessed, I’m a fan of so many great cycling blogs out there and it’s been nice to see all the love going out to some well deserving websites.

It’s been great, and announcing the top dogs in each category is very bitter sweet.  On one hand I’m stoked to let these blogs know that their fans have voted them the best in their category, but I don’t want any of the other blogs to be let down.  There were a lot of votes for so many different cycling sites, and I want you to know that all of you are doing great stuff.

Hopefully y’all are blogging about cycling because you are passionate about it and love every single minute you spend on making your site great.  That really is all that matters most, but it’s also fun to get feedback and honor the best.

Here’s to all of us cycling bloggers……keep up the great writing and riding.  Well Done.

Okay, so let’s get to it.  Here are the official results for each of the six categories in our Crank Honors voting:

Road Cycling Blog

Blog: Cycling Tips

Location: Australia

Crank History: Congratulations to Cycling Tips for repeating as the road cycling top dog. Congratulations to Wade and his Aussie crew.

About: Wade is a great cyclist and has an amazing blog happening over at Cycling Tips.  He explains things by saying that he’s “just an average cyclist who can’t get enough of it.”  Wade goes on to say that “the fact that I’m average is probably why it’s an addiction.  If I were good I probably would have had enough of it by now. I have a lovely wife who puts up with and even encourages my cycling habit, as well as a career as an engineer that I enjoy. Life is good.”

Travel Cycling Blog

Blog: Tired of I.T.

Location: Originally from Canada, touring the world.

Crank History: This is the first time Tired of I.T. has been in the running for the Crank Honors and they should be proud because they were able to knock off last year’s powerhouse, Going Slowly who came in a very close second.  Tired of I.T. received more votes than any other cycling blog in any of the categories.  Well Done.

About: In early 2009 Dave started selling off every possession he owned, did a couple of test runs to work out gear kinks, and tie up any loose ends with business and personal relations and set off on his bike on April 7th, 2010.  So far it has been a lifestyle shift living off a bike with 6 bags, instead of living in a large 3 bedroom house. It’s made him happy again. Now that he’s away from working with computers professionally he’s got his hobby back again and also his creativity.

Mountain Bike Blog

Blog: Greg Rides Trails

Location: United States

Crank History: Greg Rides Trails was in the running last year, but was beat out in the end.  This year Greg was able to come out on top in the Mountain Bike Blog category.  Congratulations, Greg.

About: At Greg Rides Trails, he is interested in sharing concrete mountain biking information and instruction with you, and doesn’t get too deep into simple stories of where he rides or what he crashed attempting to do the other day.

Lifestyle Cycling Blog

Blog: Bicycle Design

Location: United States

Crank History: The lifestyle category was the closest out of all divisions with only two to three votes separating each of the top five blogs.  With a lot of different blogs being grouped into this category, it’s definitely one of the toughest.  Congratulations to Bicycle Design for coming out on top.

About: Since 2005, Bicycle Design blog has been the place for discussion of design in the bicycle industry. All types of bicycles (and other human powered machines) are covered here, from the latest high-end road and mountain bikes to transportation oriented bikes and unique utilitarian designs.

Commuter Cycling Blog

Blog: Culture Cycles

Location: United States

Crank History: By splitting apart the Travel and Commuter blogs (which were part of one category last year) we were able to open it up and highlight a lot of great commuter blogs.  This was another close category, but Culture Cycles was able to break away and come out on top.

About: Culture Cycles is an embrace of cycling as a community featuring the best of the best from all ends of the cycling spectrum, daily.

Women’s Cycling Blog

Blog: Bike Shop Girl

Location: United States

Crank History: We are super happy to have added the women’s cycling blog category to this year’s Crank Honors.  There are a bunch of great cycling blogs that focus on promoting cycling to women and highlight all the great things happening within it. This was another very close category, with each of the top 5 blogs getting a lot of votes.  Up until the last day of voting, That Messenger Chick looked like they were going to take the category….but all of a sudden the fans of Bike Shop Girl came through with force and allowed her to come out on top.  Congratulations to Bike Shop Girl on being the inaugural winner of the Women’s category of Crank Honors.

About: Bike Shop Girl is about “Empowering the cyclist within you.”  It’s author, Arleigh is a bicyclist, mechanic, bike fit guru, educator and says she is learning everyday.

Congratulations once again to all the cycling blogs who received votes for the 2011 Crank Honors.  A huge thank you also goes out of those of you who voted and continue to support cycling blogs on a daily basis.  I can speak for all of us cycling bloggers and say that we truly appreciate it.

Enjoy Your Ride

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  • http://twitter.com/mtbgreg Gregory Heil

    Wow, thanks so much Daryl! I really am honored! Like you said, there were so many incredible blogs in each category, it almost hurts to pick a winner!

    • http://lovingthebike.com Darryl is Loving the Bike

      Congratulations, Greg.  I am very happy for you.

  • http://bicycledesign.net/ James Thomas

    Thanks Darryl! This is quite an honor.  I am not surprised that it was very close…there were definitely some great blogs in the lifestyle category (as well as all the other categories).

    • http://lovingthebike.com Darryl is Loving the Bike

      Very impressive.  Yes, you were up against some great blogs….but this shows that you have some very awesome fans.  Congratulations once again.

  • http://about.me/Aaronthestrong Aaronthestrong

    Congrats to all the winners! It’s awesome to see such great blogs out there!

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Ismail-Shah-Taimur/1776234634 Ismail Shah Taimur

    Thank you for such a an wonderful filled experiences.

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Every Winter or Spring, I seem to get a cold or flu that keeps me on the couch for a week.  This really puts a damper on my training and leaves me feeling weak for a couple of weeks afterwards.  Any tips to avoid colds so I can keep training strong?

Kelli’s Answer:

I wish I had a magic potion for this!  But, instead, I’ve got 7 Tips:

  1. Eat well & Hydrate Every Day.  Start with a good nutrition foundation.  Choose whole-foods like fruits, vegetables, lean protein, whole grains, dairy or soy, and healthy fats instead of processed foods and junk.  They will reduce inflammation and reduce oxidative stress…both of which damage cells and make it harder to stay healthy.  And, make sure you’re getting enough nutrients by including regular meals and snacks – if you skip meals and you’re malnourished, your body will use all its nutrients to simply produce enough energy rather than fortifying your immune system.  And, your body needs water to function its best – dehydration will affect your training ability, your overall health, your perceived effort, and your ability to fight illnesses.  Drink water throughout the day and during/after training.
  2. Take your supplements: vitamins, healthy fats, probiotics, Vitamins C and D, and iron (if needed).  As an athlete, you simply have more nutrition needs than other people.  Unfortunately, you may not be able to get in everything you need through food consistently.  To stay healthy and support your body best, include a high-quality daily multivitamin.  Then, take fish oil supplements to reduce bodily inflammation, and probiotics to fortify your immune system and keep your gut healthy.  Next, make sure that your multivitamin includes Vitamin C and that you are getting at least 1000 IU of Vitamin D per day (in addition to sunshine).  Lastly, and especially if you are female, make sure you are getting enough iron through your diet or supplements (if needed) – I’ve seen a consistent correlation between low iron status and chronic colds, flus, and even mono.
  3. Get enough sleep. A common denominator between non-pro competitive adult athletes?  Huge demands on time.  It’s easy to allow all of your responsibilities to crowd your day and decrease your hours of sleep.  But, research supports that too little sleep can increase your risk of illness – so, make sleep a priority!
  4. Know when to train, and when to take a break.  When you first begin to feel sick, it’s a good idea to cut your workouts short.  Shorter workouts can actually boost your immune function, whereas long, endurance training can make it more difficult to fight off a cold.  It’s usually a bad idea to “tough it out” and push through a long workout when you’re feeling lousy.
  5. Nip it in the bud.  There are products at the pharmacy, and maybe one in your pantry that can help you fight a cold if you use them soon enough.  Products like Zicam and Cold-Ease do have research to support their use in shortening the duration of a cold.  If you’d like a more natural approach, try organic apple cider vinegar.  It’s somewhat folk-medicine, but many people (including myself and many of my clients) swear by 2 Tbsp organic apple cider vinegar in 16 oz. water twice per day.  It seems to clear out sinuses and reduce risk of a long-lasting sinus infection.  Of note, you should NEVER drink vinegar straight as its high acidity can harm your esophagus, so make sure to dilute it with the water.  It doesn’t taste good, so plug your nose and drink it down!
  6. Get outside and enjoy some personal space.  Personally, I have 3 little germ factories (my children) in my household.  It’s simply not possible to avoid being around running noses and coughs.  But, the more everyone can get outside rather than cooped up indoors in close proximity, the more you can avoid colds.  Many experts believe we get more colds in the winter simply because we’re cooped up inside together more.
  7. And, maybe most importantly: Wash your hands and avoid touching your face. You get sick for one reason (and one reason only): germs. Bacteria and viruses make you ill by finding a way into your body through physical contact. Since most of your contact with the world happens through your hands, washing them or using a gel sanitizer can stop germs from making the leap from contaminated surfaces to inside your body. Hand washing is especially important after riding public transportation, moving from one environment to another and before eating or preparing food. What’s more, even if your hands are relatively clean, chances are some germs will find a way to survive there. But these parasites will only compromise your health if they can get into your body…the easiest place to transmit illness is through mucous membranes such as your eyes, mouth and nose. Keep your hands away from your face and make it difficult for germs to find you.

Please send us your questions for our Expert Sports Nutritionist, Kelli Jennings to “Ask the Sports Nutritionist“. Kelli Jennings is a Registered Dietitian with a passion for healthy eating, wellness, & sports nutrition. For more information go to www.apexnutritionllc.com.

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