I am wrapping up another successful collegiate season here in Madison, Wisconsin with the Cumberland University cycling team at collegiate road nationals. 

We are about to make our way back home by going through Chicago for a delicious deep dish pizza.  I'll definitely snap a photo and post it on the NashvilleCyclist.com Twitter account to inspire jealousy!  One of the fun parts of traveling so often with cycling is you get to see some really cool towns on a regular basis.  Typically though, the best ones are definitely college towns like the one here in Madison with the Univeristy of Wisconsin.  There's nothing like keeping a town vibrant and happening when it has to cater to 18 to 25 year olds! 

Despite our fun here it has been difficult to be away from Nashville for a whole week while everyone back home has been struggling with the cleanup after the flood.  I have several friends who lost a lot or nearly everything they own, and I'm sure you know somebody in the same situation.  Fortunately I live on very high ground between the Cumberland River and Stones River and was not affected, but I am surrounded by neighborhoods ravaged by the flood.  To not be there to help out with the cleanup has been frustrating, but at the same time I have been comforted to read news, see TV reports (namely CNN) and get messages from friends about the amazing progress they've made to restore things.  Obviously it will take a lot of time, patience and monetary resources to return to normal, but we have no choice but to march forward and make it happen.

Our city is in the midst of its greatest challenge ever, but I am convinced we are showing the world exactly how a city should respond to tragic adversity.  We have held our heads high regardless of how bad our circumstances have been.  Instead of allowing chaos control us we took immediate action to solve problems and help our neighbors.  The world is watching us and I know they are dumbfounded at our ability to suck it up, move forward and get to work restoring our lives.  However, as a native Nashvillian I am not surprised at all with how we have responded.  I know the character and strength of this city well, and frankly this is one of, if not our proudest moment ever.

We are not the kind of people who sit around and wonder, "Why me?"  No, instead we have consistently been the ones who will say, "Why not me?"  Only the strongest people are provided the opportunity to teach others the right way to do things, and sadly in order to provide those lessons the strongest must often go through serious pain themselves.  Ok, we will accept that challenge, and we will win. 

Because our city has marvelously handled this difficult moment I believe Nashville will be rewarded in spades.  Yes, it will take time for us to get up off the mat and return to our new normal, but you and I both know we will.  As we clean up and polish ourselves off I am confident the entire world will desire a trip to Nashville.  People will want to see for themselves what makes this city so special.  What is it about Nashvillians that makes them different?  What is it they can learn from us and take back to their hometowns?  We are teaching the world some incredibly valuable lessons right now, and because we are damn good at being Nashvillians we will be greatly rewarded for our diligence.  Mark my words.

If you want to learn how to respond to tragedy - look to Nashville.  If you want a lesson in selflessness - look to Nashville.  If you want to learn how to hold your head high - look to Nashville.  If you are in need of hope - look to Nashville.

I almost feel ashamed to even discuss or think about cycling right now, but here goes with a few items.....

Ride of Silence Nashville 2010
This is just a reminder that Nashville's ride to honor bicyclists killed or injured will take place on Wednesday, May 19th at 7:00 PM at Centennial Park in downtown Nashville.  Please make plans to attend and help us get hundreds there to ride through the streets and raise awareness!

Wednesday Night Criterium Series
Surely you could not forget this, but just in case Race #1 is Wednesday, May 26th at 5:45 PM at LP Field in downtown Nashville!

TCRC Criterium Training Series
I am happy to see our friends in East Tennessee are starting their own series too!

Why women don't cycle more
There is no single answer to this headline.  This blog gives a couple of general reasons, but if you attend any organized charity ride you'll see a ton of women riding.  Maybe women don't ride as often for as far as men, but many women are riding - just less regularly.  If you go into any bicycle friendly town or areas where outdoor activity is the normal culture then you'll see many women on bikes.  This author does have one good point not often discussed, and that is women are usually more concerned about how they look rather than their actual fitness.  Now, before all you crazy racing women start emailing me remember that you are greatly in the minority as compared to recreational female cyclists.  I still believe bicycling across the board is more about the friendships and human connections we make rather than any of the other benefits received.  Some people choose beer league softball or sand volleyball to associate and build friendships, we choose the bicycle.

Road wars
This is a very good article about the frustrations building between Marin county motor vehicle drivers and bicyclists.  There are some good ideas to be found regarding informational brochures and a topic that I touch on a lot - to get respect we must give respect.  One thing I would like to see changed is how we begin the framework of this discussion.  First, we are not at war with one another.  Headlines like this send the message of conflict that cannot be resolved.  Neither side is out to get one another, and neither of us are out to take away something that is not ours.  All both parties should strive for is to share.  This mindset starts with our local governments, city and transportation officials.  Being a protected class by law is not enough because we have that already.  Instead we must have our leaders stand up and verbally set the tone and expectations on how both parties should treat one another.  The education process has to happen and then we must be patient for it take hold.  Just like any other worthwhile movement of acceptance it will take an entire generation before bicyclists are reasonably accepted on the roads without hateful attitudes.

Mid-race criterium bike change
Check out this video on a successful bike change by Andrew Pinfold in the middle of a crit at Speed Week in Dilworth recently.

Phinney and Kiefel recall 7-11's wild Milan-San Remo
This is a wild and crazy race story from way back in the day.  Hitchhiking to a finish line is an option I have yet to consider, but I'm certainly not above it if necessary!  Then to finish such an amazing race to then not see your name in the results but instead see your hitchhiking teammate?  Oh that had to hurt!

Eat whatever and live to 120
Considering my plan is to live to 100 then maybe I aimed a little too low?  The 10 tips to living a healthier and longer life are good ones to follow.  All endurance athletes should pay closer attention to their sugar intake all throughout the day and understand how it impacts your blood sugar.  Our society isn't prepared to handle a population that can commonly live to 120, but if just a few of us get there it sure would be amazing!

Weighing the evidence on exercise
As the researching states, exercising by itself is pretty useless when it comes to weight loss if calorie consumption is higher than our rate of expenditure.  It has always been simple math.  There are three options to losing weight: 1) increase physical activity, 2) decrease calorie intake, 3) combine #1 & #2 together.  Among other findings this study found that rats that exercise were better able to burn fat and become satiated sooner, while non-exercising rats took longer to become satiated and burned more carbs while fat storage increased.  Also, low intensity activity did not create the sensation and action of caloric compensation to make up for the calorie loss as much as intense training.  For sedentary people this is good news because it means you don't have to workout hard, but instead the main thing is be consistent with a light activity plan.  We're all rats in a cage anyway right?

Frei explains the motivation behind his doping
Finally an admission and the reasons why.  What a shame.  I wonder how many other clean cyclists were overlooked for roster spots as Frei has been given the opportunity over the last few years.  Sure, some think what he was doing simply leveled the playing field for himself, but still there's this underground of lost opportunities by cyclists who were always clean but never got a chance because dopers got the roster spots instead.