The World According to ISM

NEWS from Eric Limkemann

2011-03-20T15:57:00.001-05:00

Hello All!
I’m usually good about getting out a pre-season update, but for some reason I neglected to get to it this year! It’s been a busy off season with a few big changes along the way. The first major change is my enlisting the coaching help of Matt Russ of The Sport Factory. I’ve been overseeing my own training over the past few years and needed a fresh set of eyes to get me moving. I’ve seen steady improvement over the winter and am looking forward to continuing the trend throughout the season. I’ve also joined the Sport Factory coaching staff and have the privilege to help a great group of talented athletes (and actually utilize my Masters Degree). All told, it’s been a great relationship! The second major change is coming shortly as Ashley will begin her Surgical Residency this summer at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA. It’s a great program and I’m extremely proud of her amazing success in Medical School! In Richmond, I will be focusing full-time on training and racing for the next couple years and will work on putting all of the pieces together for a steady stream of great races!

As for this season’s races, I’m focusing on the Olympic distance to start the year and will see where a focus on speed takes me. After the first half of the year, I’ll sit down and re-evaluate the second half. I will again be donating a portion of any prize money to the Blazeman Foundation and I courage everyone to get involved! A link is available through my website.

This year’s races (assuming a smooth move to Richmond in May/June!):
Miami 5150 3/20/11
South Beach LTF Race 4/10/11
St. Anthony’s 5150 5/01/11
Memphis in May 5150 5/22/11
Escape from Alcatraz 6/05/11
Lifetime Fitness Race 7/09/11

I’m currently in Miami racing the first race of my 2011 season with the inaugural race of the new 5150 series. It is an Olympic distance series put on by WTC, the organizers of Ironman Races. I flew down to Ft. Lauderdale on Friday to meet up with my relatives Jim and Claudia Roper who are gracious enough to put me up for the weekend. The Pro field for the race was stacked with pro athletes making up 10% of the entire race! I knew looking around at the pro meeting that I’d have to race well to get my goal of finishing in the top ten!
Race morning started with a warm-up in the dark and a jump into bay just as the sun was coming up. The swim was a non-wetsuit swim that was fast and frantic like an ITU race. I settled into a steady pace and came out in 12th place with a time of 16:38. I was in the first group comfortably and took off toward transition. Being the first race of the year, my transition was less than stellar but I was able to maintain contact with the main group. The first mile of the bike was tough and I had trouble getting up to speed. The group in front of me pulled away and I pushed the pace as hard as I could flying solo. I caught a few of the guys toward the end of the bike and was passed by Chris Lieto, who looked like he was just cruising! I came off the bike in 10th place with a split of 56:31 for the 40k and actually improved my placing from the swim. I took off on the run knowing that I had a chance of holding on to a top 10 finish. I pushed the pace hard and held the first few miles under 5:20 pace. Brian Fleischmann passed me about half way through and I couldn’t hold onto his pace. I had to dig deep to hold off hard-charging Kaleb Vanort, who ran a race-best 29:54. Man, racing sure can hurt! In the end I finished with a solid 33:10 10K split for a 1:48.35 total time and an 11th place finish.
I was a bit disappointed about missing out on my goal of a top 10 finish, but I’m very pleased with the first race and my early season fitness! I’m on the right track for a great season and am looking forward to getting back on the starting line in a few weeks. Of course, I wouldn’t be racing this well without the help of Matt at the Sport Factory or my great group of sponsors: BlueSeventy, First Endurance Nutrition, Great Clips Salons, ISM Saddles, Kiwiami Triathlon, and Newton Running! The support and encouragement from my sponsors, friends, and supporters really makes my racing possible. Thank you!
I’ll be updating the website shortly.

Eric Limkemann

www.ericlimkemanntriathlon.com
www.twitter.com/EricLimkemann

Michellie Jones New ISM Sponsorship Coordinator

2010-12-14T17:57:00.000-06:00

CONTACT: Steve Toll, Founder/Chief Executive Officer of Tampa Bay Recreation/ISM Saddles, 813-293-6974; and Dave Bunce, ISM Operations Commander, 512-968-1888

TAMPA, FLA -- Tampa Bay Recreation/ISM Saddles, maker of the world's most comfortable bicycle seat, is proud to announce that Triathlon icon Michellie Jones has joined the company to be the point-person in the company's relationships with professional athletes.

Jones, one of the world's premier and most decorated triathletes, has started this fall for ISM -- Ideal Seat Modification.

"Michellie is one of the most professional athletes the sport has ever known and we're pleased to have Michellie's expertise and knowledge as part of our ISM team," said Steve Toll, founder and chief executive officer of ISM Saddles.

Michellie will act as liaison between ISM and the professional athletes under contract with ISM. ISM has about 40 world-class athletes under contract such as U.S. Olympians Laura Bennett, Sarah Haskins and Andy Potts.

Michellie will also help ISM in its goal to sponsor a Pro Racing Tour Team.

Michellie, who is Australian, was the 2006 Ironman World Champion and has 160 career victories. Michellie was the seven-time Triathlete Magazine Triathlete of the Year.

“I am looking forward to taking on this new role at ISM and having the opportunity to share my expertise and knowledge I have required as a professional athlete over the last 23 years,” Michellie said.

ISM Saddles is internationally-known and recognized for producing one of the most comfortable bike saddles on the planet and for having its seat used by premier triathlon athletes, bike road racers, casual bicyclists and all age-groupers.

The ISM is a medically superior saddle to traditional bike seats because the pressure created by a traditional seat can lead to erectile problems, impotence and nerve damage from lack of blood flow.

“The word is out. You can be comfortable while riding a bike,” Steve Toll said.

Check out the ISM saddle at www.ismseat.com

Eric Limkemann 8th at Rev 3 FULL!

2010-09-14T11:56:00.001-05:00

Rev3 Cedar Point Race Report
www.rev3tri.com
9/12/2010

This past weekend I was in Cedar Point completing my first full distance triathlon. The 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and 26.2 mile run took me just over 8 hours and 50 minutes to complete. The time was good enough for 8th place for the day and was over double the time of my longest race date! Despite a few nasty blisters, I survived in one piece and actually had a great time in the process! Since the race was longer than usual, this will be a bit long as well… Enjoy!
The weekend started out with the drive up to Sandusky on Thursday and meeting up with my fantastic homestay Tap Knupke and her kids. Friday morning, I attended the practice swim and decided to try it without a wetsuit…Bad idea. The water was just below 70 degrees and pretty choppy. Add to that 15 mph winds and I spent the rest of the day trying to warm up after just a 20 minute swim! Saturday, I was back at the beach with my BlueSeventy wetsuit and thermal cap ready. The waves were huge again and the wind was fierce, but I had a comfortable swim before checking in and attending the mandatory pre-race meeting. Afterwards, I spent an hour or so getting all of my race gear in order, which included way more planning than my normal races! It hit me that I would be out on the race course for a LONG TIME! I calmed myself down, met up with my Mom, Mike, and Tap for dinner, and got to bed early in anticipation for the pain to come.
The morning started early with a 4am wakeup. I ate as much breakfast as I could stomach and headed off to transition by 5:30. I checked in my bike, transition bags, and special needs bags and headed to the swim start to see just how rough the water would be… The official water temp was 64 degrees, but the waves from the last few days were nowhere to be seen! The lake was as flat as glass and I knew it would be a fast swim. The 2.4 miles were split into two loops and I started nice and easy over the first mile. A little bit to my surprise, I opened up a lead coming out of the first loop. I really don’t think my heart rate was over 100! I could get used to this Ironman stuff. The second loop, I put in a bit more time and came out of the water a bit over a minute in front of the next competitor. After a quick transition, I headed out onto the bike feeling pretty good.
I settled into a steady pace and tried to warm up in the sub 60 degree air. About 10 minutes into the bike, I was passed by Bjorn Andersson on his way to a crazy 4:19 bike split. He quickly disappeared, or so I thought… Suddenly, the USAT official told me to pull over and stop for a 4 minute stagger penalty! Apparently, Bjorn was still visible way in the distance and I was directly behind him! The stagger rule has no distance limit, so I had to stand down for 4 agonizing minutes! I couldn’t believe it! During the time penalty, I went from 2nd to 12th and watched the main group fly by in perfect legal drafting formation. I was cold and frustrated as I started up again on the bike. It was not the way I envisioned starting my first 112 mile bike leg! Over the next four hours I worked to close the gap and came into T2 with a 4:50 bike split (including the penalty time). The ride seemed like ages and made me realize how much work I have to do on my cycling! I was in 11th place with the marathon looming in front of me.
I had never ran over 20 miles before this and knew I needed to pace myself. I took off hoping to pass a few people and work my way up to a top 10 finish. My first mile was 6:10…Oops. The second was 6:20 and I knew I needed to slow down. I finally settled into a steady 6:50 pace for the next few miles. By the ½ way point, I had moved up to 9th with a 1:25 split. I was starting to really feel the previous 7 hours as I headed out for the second half, but knew if I could keep it up I would be able to move up a few more spots. I passed Bjorn at mile 16 and another racer dropped out to put me into 7th place by mile 21. I was really hurting over the last few miles and a quick-running Kirk Nelson passed me easily as I was out of gas. With Cedar Point in sight, I survived the last two miles for an 8th place finish. I crossed the line with a Blazeman roll and a great sense of relief!
Looking back, I believe I got a few things right: My swim was great, my nutrition was dead-on (First Endurance gets better and better as you go longer…), and my mental focus was great. I really need to work on my cycling endurance and perhaps a bit more long runs if I want to excel at this distance. Pacing was way off, but I know there is a bit of a learning curve. I fell short of my 8:30 goal time, but I think with this race in the books, I am capable of achieving it next time. Aside from a few blisters, I’m feeling pretty good and getting ready for Westchester in two weeks. We’ll see how much of an effect this race has on me!!!
Thank you to everyone for the great support for this race. Andre at Kiwami was able to send me a long course suit at the last minute and I was able to meet Robert from First Endurance at the expo. I’m lucky to be associated with these great companies! Of course the BlueSeventy wetsuit worked like a charm as did my ISM Breakaway saddle which me comfortable all day long. My Newton held up better than I did on the run! Also thanks to Dave and Denise from Dixie Chiropractic for keeping me healthy leading up to the race and coming out to support me all day long! Thanks to Tap for sharing her home with me and to all of the Rev3 staff for putting on a first class event. If you haven’t attended one of their races, you’re missing out!! As always, please support the Blazeman foundation through my website. If you don’t know why I rolled across the finish line, please find out!

Eric Limkemann

www.ericlimkemanntriathlon.com
www.twitter.com/ericlimkemann

Hillary goes bananas!!

2010-08-31T02:18:00.001-05:00

MEDIA ADVISORY - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, August 30, 2010

Ironman Champion Hillary Biscay Confirms Participation in the 26th Ultraman World Championships

TUCSON, Arizona - Wisconsin Ironman Champion Hillary Biscay will compete in the 26th Ultraman World Championships, held November 26-28, 2010. The event consists of a grueling three-day, 320-mile (515-kilometer) individual ultra-endurance experience and takes place on the Big Island of Hawaii. Entry is limited to only 35 participants and is by invitation only; Biscay secured one of the coveted entries based on her extensive Ironman performance resume.

Biscay’s participation in Ultraman will follow the anticipated completion of her eighth Ironman distance event of 2010, the Ford Ironman World Championships in Kailua, Kona, Hawaii. Biscay Finished 4th at Ironman Brasil, securing her qualifying spot for World Championships.

Biscay finished third at the 2010 Ironman Malaysia, her 40th career Ironman and 15th career podium. She is the most prolific Iron-distance competitor on the professional women’s racing circuit. In 2006, her unprecedented performance set a new standard in Iron-distance racing when she became the first person to record six top-five Ironman finishes in one season. Biscay qualified for the 2000 Olympic Swimming Trials and completed her first triathlon in 2001.

“I’ve been intrigued by the idea of Ultraman for some time and I was looking for a new challenge this year,” stated Biscay. “I had the chance to check out the Ultraman course following a summer training camp in Kona and decided I didn’t want to wait any longer to have a crack at this race.”

Biscay continued, “This Ultraman project would not be possible without the valued support my sponsors: PowerBar, K-Swiss, TYR, ISM, Wilier, Zipp, FSA, CycleOps, Vega and Global Rescue.”

At the conclusion of the 2010 Ultraman, Hillary will have competed for over 500 hours throughout her remarkable career and covered the equivalent competition distance of 121,936 football fields; New York to London roundtrip; the circumference of the moon; or a trek across the Sahara Desert, twice.

Biscay is represented by Octagon.

For more information:
http://hillarybiscay.com
http://ultramanlive.com
http://www.octagonoly.com

HJ blistering Rhode Island 70.3

2010-07-15T09:23:00.000-05:00

HEATHER JACKSON POSTS THE FASTEST BIKE SPLIT AT THE AMICA IRONMAN 70.3 RHODE ISLAND

In her true "Uber Biker" style, Wattie Ink.'s own Heather Jackson posted the fast bike split of the day in Rhode Island. After exiting the water in 12th position, Jackson mounted her assault on the roads of Rhode Island in pursuit of the lead, hammering her way to an impressive 2:29:53 bike split. Her bike time would be the fastest of the day by over 5 minutes. Jackson finished the day on the podium placing 5th posting a 1:28:21 run split. For complete details on the Amica Ironman 70.3 Rhode Island race visit www.wattieink.com

Heather Jackson Boise 70.3 RR

2010-06-14T09:12:00.003-05:00

The high-winds and hot weather conditions did not stop Wattie Ink. professional Heather Jackson, who posted an impressive 3rd place finish in Boise yesterday, following her solid 5th place performance at last weekend's Mooseman 70.3 event.

Jackson's 70.3 World Champion teammate, Julie Dibens, was the winner of the day in Boise with an impressive 4:25:14; Linsey Corbin was second at 4:29:22 and Jackson rounded off the podium with a 4:34:58.

Jackson's form is coming along nicely as she heads to Bend, Oregon next week for the USA National Time Trial Championships to test her cycling horse power against the nation's best cyclists.

Heather proudly competes using her Adamo Breakaway saddle.

For more information on Heather Jackson contact: Wattie Ink.
wattie@wattieink.com

Sam Krieg wins Idaho State Road Race Champs

2010-06-02T19:27:00.003-05:00

ISM is please to announce Cat 2 roadie Sam Krieg of Krieg Cycling (www.kriegcycling.com ) has just won the Pro 1,2 Idaho State Road Racing Championships on his Adamo Podium saddle. He won with an off the front effort solo effort. We brought this saddle to market specifically for the road racer and couldn't be more proud of Sam.

"First off thanks for the saddles. I have to be honest and say the road and TT saddle have saved my life. NO JOKE. I have been racing and training for 7 years and I just wish I would have tried one sooner".

On another note, Sam also won the Cat 2 Tour of Gila TT on his Adamo Racing saddle and rode the other stages on his Adamo Podium to a 2nd place overall. Get some!!

Jo Lawn wins in UK!

2010-06-01T08:27:00.000-05:00

Jo Lawn wins on Adamo Racing on UK Soil at first event in the new and innovative TriGrandPrix Series

This Sunday (30th May 2010), arguably the strongest long distance field ever assembled in the UK competed in The Outrageous Half, the first event in the new and innovative TriGrandPrix Series (www.TriGrandPrix.com). The half-iron distance event, was held at Leybourne Lake, near Maidstone, Kent, featured a 40 strong pro field, competing for their share of the £40,000 prize money up for grabs.
British athlete and former ITU World Champion (Standard and Long Distance), Leanda Cave, who recently placed second in the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon and won both Ironman 70.3 Florida and Escape from Alcatraz recently will be a strong contender in the Pro Women's field, but will face stiff competition from Czech long distance specialist Lucie Zelenkova, and seven times Ironman New Zealand winner Joanna Lawn. Ana Burgos is a name to watch out for too, after recently making the transition from ITU racing, and Ana Casares, the Basque run specialist could pose a threat to the big names in the final 21km run.

Results:

Female
1st - Jo Lawn NZ - £8,000
2nd - Leanda Cave – GB -£3,000
3rd - Eva Ledesma Calvet – ESP- £2,500
5th - Julia Grant – NZ - -£1,500

Male
1st - Fraiser Cartmell – GB- £8,000
2nd - Timo Bracht – GER - £3,000
3rd - Clemente Alonso ESP -£2,500

Chris McDonald Ironman Utah RR

2010-05-07T18:24:00.003-05:00

3:30 am and I hear the screech of the alarm . to be honest I was pretty happy to hear it today as it had been 8 months since I had hear that sound in preparation for an Ironman.
It was the inaugural Ironman Ironman St George. I had visited the area late in 2009 and had a look over the course and thought that this was going to be a tough little race and let me tell you Utah and st George didn’t disappoint .
After the early morning shuttle from downtown st George out the sand hollow I had a few quite minutes to think about things and I was really excited to be racing.
I jumped in the water a good twenty y minutes prior to the start to get used to the frigid 57 deg water and before I knew it we were getting the count down and boom we were off .
I can say that for about the second time in my career things went to plan in the swim . I got off to a good start and found myself sitting second in the lead group with only Luke bell swimming solo off the front . I was completely content with this and just sat and bided my time . once we rounded the last turn buoy things were heating up and I decided to just move to the back of the group and relax.
Once we hit dry land I didn’t waste any time in transition and was second onto the bike with 12 or so guys in tow .
From here I looked around at who was in the group and knew I had some of the strongest guys in the race with . We rolled up luke at around 30 or so miles and now we had a lead group of 6 guys with 3 of them doing the lions share of the work.
There is not a lot to say about the remainder of the bike other than It was very windy and when Wiess came by us it was like being passed by a car!
We hit T2 with the group now down to 4 and Michael had built a solid 6 min lead in the second half on the bike . Ben Hoffman and myself had been working hard to limit the damage to him and we hit the run about 7 seconds apart . I pretty much looked at bens back for the remainder of the marathon . the gap went up and down and ended at around 90 sec . I was happy for Ben to have break through race to take second place . Also a big congratulations to Michael for having a great race.
I was happy to walk away from St George with a podium finish after a frustrating end to my 2009 season.
A big ( huge ) thank you to all my family friends and sponsors . it is a good start to a big year.
Cheers Chris

Chris "Big Sexy" McDonald
Professional Triathlete
3 x Ironman Champion
www.chris-mcdonald.net

The Winner's Circle

2010-04-29T08:54:00.005-05:00

Sarah Haskin's winning St. Anthony's

Raynard Tissink winning Ironman South Africa.

Multiple champ Rebeccah Wassner's winning equipment.

Jo Lawn winning Ironman New Zealand.

St. Anthony's or BUST

2010-04-28T10:44:00.009-05:00

6ft gator we saw on a training ride!

ISM pros Eric Limkemann and Zach Winchester.

Stud Phil and his newly fit custom painted Trek (thanks for the BodyGlide).

Bossman Steve and Nina Kraft.

Sarah Haskins' winning ride!

Last week I traveled to corporate and got a chance to check out the new ISM World Headquarters. Nice warehouse space and offices. And we got a huge shipment in from our factory and I was put to work helping our shipping department. It was also the weekend of the long running (and usually triathlon season opener), St. Anthony's triathlon. I can't remember how many times I've done this event, but it holds a special place in my heart as it was my first Olympic Distance back in the 90's.

I fit tons of folks while there and had a chance to hang with some of our professionals and other industry friends. I always enjoy seeing new and old faces and I have never seen so many ISM saddles at an event. It was cool to see and proof that our staff's hard work is paying off. Thanks for all your support.

The event was windy and they shortened the swim several waves after mine. Great day for racing though and although I didn't come close to a PR, I did race with several Team ISM members and managed to escape the Gulf swim with all of my body parts.

Congrats to all who finished. We managed to win the women's event with our own Sarah Haskins dominating. Congrats to Cameron for winning the men's event.

Heather Jackson interview on Slowtwitch

2010-04-27T09:20:00.003-05:00

Monday, April 26, 2010
Wattie Ink.'s Heather Jackson Featured on Slowtwitch Today

Wattie Ink professional, Heather Jackson featured on Slowtwitch today! Check it out here at: http://www.slowtwitch.com/Interview/The_coming_of_Heather_Jackson_1319.html

Heather proudly competes with her ISM Adamo Breakaway saddle.

Sarah Haskins' WINNING St A's Race Report

2010-04-27T09:01:00.002-05:00

Race Report: St. Anthony’s Triathlon
This past Sunday, I competed in the prestigious St. Anthony’s Triathlon. The race is beginning to have a hometown feel to me, as it was my fourth time competing at the race. I missed last year after undergoing surgery in Feb. or 09’ at DISC Medical facility in CA for a nerve entrapment release in my leg. This was the first time we stayed in downtown St. Pete’s and experienced the atmosphere and flavor of city.
The race is EARLY, especially traveling from Colorado with a 6:55AM start (which is more like a 4:55AM start; however, once race morning arrives any feeling of tiredness is replaced with a rush of adrenaline!) I woke up at 4:40AM; had my normal breakfast and walked the .8 mile to the transition area to get setup. It is still very dark at 5:30AM, so fortunately Nate had his flashlight to help me get all my gear set up in transition. Around 6 AM, I started my warm up and ran down to the swim start, followed by some activation, drills and strides. I wanted to make sure to get in the water and test out a couple of runs into the water since it was a beach start. The water felt very refreshing at 74 degrees vs. the muggy, humid 76 degree morning.
The men started promptly at 6:52 and we began just three minutes behind. I had a decent start, next to Laura Bennett who is one of the best in the world at beach starts. She had a body length on me after the run into the water, but I remained calm and got right on her feet for the first 400meters of the swim. After the first couple of buoys, I took over the swim lead and swam at a comfortable, but strong pace. The swim started off fairly calm, but the waves definitely picked up the second half of the swim. As I approached the steps to climb out of the water, I was grateful a couple of volunteers were there to help me onto that first step, as I was feeling a little dizzy from the waves at that point.
Once out on land, I focused on getting my TYR Sayonara off as quickly as possible and strapping on my Rudy Project Wingspan TT Helmet. I felt comfortable on my Fuji D-6 with my 921 Oval Aerobars, ISM Adamo saddle, Zed Tech 404 and Sub9 disc. I also loved my new pedals from Sampson Sports; Stratics S6, which are lightweight, yet have a great platform for power. The bike was a bit windy (wind from the south), so the first 15 miles of the bike were challenging. I focused on making sure all my corners were smooth and keeping up a high and steady tempo. At two points on the course (around mile 3 and mile 17), I could see where the other girls were located. I noticed I had about at least a minute lead over the next girl, so I continued to ride at my pace and made sure to hydrate in preparation for the run. Several times on the bike; I caught myself grinding my teeth; so I was very glad to have on my UnderArmour Bite Tech Mouth Piece! The mouth piece really helps me to stay relaxed while pushing the bike, focused during transitions and staying smooth during technical corners on the bike. I drank 36oz of EFS fluid while on the bike course, much more than most races beginning at 6:55AM due to the high humidity in Florida!
Heading into T2, I focused on starting the run off at a high tempo pace, especially thinking about my form. The run is an out and back, so I only could see the other competitors at the half-way mark. I noticed I had a lead by a couple minutes, so I knew if I could keep everything together at that point, I should break the tape in first. I was very glad to get to that last stretch of the run, knowing that I accomplished my goal for the day! My time was the second fastest for me on that course (although it is tough to compare overall times because conditions change so much from year to year!).
After the awards ceremony, we headed home back to Colorado. This made for almost two days in one, but it was nice be able to spend my recovery day on Monday at home. The travel home was much easier than the travel to Florida….we had to drive in a snowstorm up to Denver last Friday! Yes, Colorado can still get pounded with snow at the end of April!!! Hopefully, that snow was the last!!! I am now gearing up for my second WCS race in Seoul, Korea on May 8th. Recently I have been doing lots of traveling and racing, but this is my last race for quite some time (five weeks). I will spend most of May and part of June training for the races upcoming in this summer.
Best Wishes
Sarah

Alaskan Iditarod won on ISM Typhoon

2010-04-19T16:20:00.002-05:00

The annual Alaskan Iditarod Trail Invitational (ITI) human powered race began on Feb 28th this year, a week before the more well known Iditarod sled dog race. The ITI invites 50 racers in three categories of foot, ski or bike to race in the popular 350 miler to McGrath or continue on for the longest winter human powered race- 1,100 miles to Nome. This was my third time to McGrath and second attempt to Nome. In 2008 I became a statistic as one of the 90% average dropout rate for the Nome race with a multitude of injuries that prevented me from finishing. When I biked into Ruby (mile 600) that year I was a mess of edema, ulnar nerve damage and considerable saddle soreness and perineum nerve damage. Pushing your body in the “no pain no gain” mantra is not a good idea in ultra-endurance racing. I’ve learned a lot since then and one of my improvements was an ISM adamo typhoon seat that I inaugurated last year for the 350 race. Even though I am now, likely, susceptible to repeat nerve damage there was surprisingly none. This year I took the race a step further to compete, again, in the 1,100 mile race. The event was of particular importance to me because not only was it “unfinished business” but I live in Nome. What would it feel like to compete in the longest human powered winter race and finish essentially at my doorstep with my wife and daughter right at the finish line? And to ride the last mile with my friend, Nora, who is a leukemia survivor? I compete in these races, also, to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) in support of Nora. She wanted to ride the last mile of the race with me, a vision that was not possible in 2008.

The race can be brutal- some sections are 70 to 170 miles between checkpoints or even a man-made structure. Snow conditions vary from riding, grinding or pushing. It’s a trail only passable and created in the winter completely determined by weather. Technically, it’s a one stage race but mentally, I broke the race up into four different sections: 1) Start to McGrath- 350 miles 2) McGrath to Ruby- 210 miles, 3)Yukon river, Ruby to Kaltag to Unalakleet- 270 miles and 4) arctic coast from Unalakleet to Nome – 270 miles. There is no support after the McGrath race other than a food drop. Temperatures this year varied from +40 down to around -40 or colder. Temperature gauges, especially portable ones, are not very accurate after -20 so there were some variations in reports. I was moving on the trail an average of 17 hrs/ day and (actual) sleeping/snoring an average of 3-4 hours. However, it was quite diverse as some days were 26 hrs long while the shortest was 12 hrs. The mileage was also diverse; shortest distance was ~30 miles and longest ~130 in a day.

In those 16 nights and 17 days I slept everywhere from on-trail bivies, heated tents, an unheated rundown cabin, three shelter cabins, two lodges, three Iditarod checkpoints, generous people’s homes, a clinic and once leaning on my bike (20 minutes draped over my handlebars at night on a really cold frozen Bering Sea). Throughout the race I became attached to my gear that worked well and helped me survive in extreme conditions. Items such as a pair of Patagonia socks and my ISM adamo seat were invaluable. In the mornings getting on the seat “cold” did not even bother me. In 2008 sitting was so painful I was actually glad when I had to push the bike in deep snow.

About 20 miles from Unalakleet I started recognizing landmarks and places I have been before, having lived there previously. It was so uplifting that even the sudden violent windstorm that blew in couldn’t stop me from barreling into Unalakleet. The familiarity of this region and trail up to Nome and recognizing people I knew in town was all I needed to step up my effort and kick in serious adrenaline.

It took me only a little over two days to ride the roughly 270 miles from Unalakleet to Nome. When I was 20 miles from Nome I started running into friends who were snow machining out to see me and by the time I hit an actual paved plowed road 5 miles out of Nome vehicles were driving out with cheers and honking horns. Nora met me 1 mile out of Nome and rode into the burled arch (Iditarod) finish line. It was spectacular! My wife, daughter and a large gathering of folks were applauding me into the arch for the grand win of the ITI. The feeling of riding home over a 1,000 miles into my wife and daughter’s arms was phenomenal.

Pro Eric Limkemann 2nd Place SuperSeal RR

2010-04-13T08:04:00.001-05:00

SuperSeal Triathlon Race Report
April 11, 2010
www.superfrogtriathlon.com

This weekend, I was in San Diego competing in the SuperSeal Triathlon. It was my first race of the year and a great opportunity to get a feel for how training is going and what I need to do to be ready for the rest of the season. It was a successful weekend with a second place finish and a solid first race.
I flew out to San Diego and met up with Mr. Charlie Clark and our host for the weekend, Tony Yeager. Tony is in training to become a Navy Seal and was gracious enough to show me around the base and the Seal Training grounds. It was amazing to see the level of training and dedication involved with the Seals! The rest of the weekend was spent adjusting to the time change, getting ready to race and enjoying the beautiful city of Coronado.
Race morning started out with the ½ Ironman Superfrog race before the Olympic Distance Superseal 2 hours later. I watched the Superfrog racers take off, drank my EFS Drink and pre-race, and warmed up. It’d been almost 5 months since the last time I put on the BlueSeventy wetsuit, but when I did, I knew it was time to go! The race started with a smooth bay swim. I felt strong throughout and came out with about a thirty second lead and feeling fresh. It’s nice to have my swim fitness where it needs to be thanks to my training with the Dayton Raiders!
After a ¼ mile run to transition, I hopped on the bike and took off looking to increase my lead. The course was fast and flat and I saw my lead move to over a minute after the first of two loops. I felt strong and comfortable on the Veritas bike and ISM saddle despite the relatively windy conditions… Until I was passed like I was standing still by the eventual winner, Michi Weiss. A former Olympian in Mountain biking with the 3rd fastest bike split at Kona last year, Weiss came out of nowhere and was quickly out of sight! I must have had a decent lead out of the swim to stay in front of him for the first half of the bike! I put my head down and pushed hard into T2 trying to give chase.
I felt pretty good heading out on the run despite heavy legs. The run was with the wind for the first half, but on dirt trails. I fought to establish a rhythm and hoped to get a glimpse of the leader. By the half-way point, I was bummed to see that I was down by 4 minutes, but happy to see that I also had a 2 minute lead on the 3rd place racer. Turning into the wind, I kept up my turnover and finished the race solidly with a time of 1:54.
The race was a great tune-up for the season and I will be working over the next few weeks to sharpen up and develop a bit more top end speed. Next up is St. Anthony’s down in Florida. Thank you to everyone for a great race and to my great sponsors for helping the season get off on the right foot: Newton Running, Kiwami Triathlon, First Endurance Nutrition, ISM Saddles, Veritas Bicycles, ESS Eye Pro, and Great Clips Salons. Pictures from the trip will be posted on the website shortly. While on the site, please be sure to click on the Blazeman logo on the main page to find out more about ALS and to donate to the Blazeman cause!

Eric Limkemann

www.ericlimkemanntriathlon.com
www.twitter.com/ericlimkemann

Wind Tunnel

2010-04-01T17:26:00.001-05:00

March 25, 2010 UCI World Champs. ISM riders take 2nd and 3rd in Team Pursuit and win a World Record!

March 27, 2010 California 70.3 Ironman riders using ISM took 4th and 9th in the men’s event and ISM Pros Sam Mcglone 3rd, rider using ISM 4th, Michellie Jones 7th, and Angela Naeth 8th.

March 28, 2010 Mat Davis wins Ronde van Manda on his Adamo Podium saddle.

March 28, 2010 Patrick Vernay wins Ironman Australia AGAIN on his Adamo Racing saddle.

Crit Racing in Tampa

2010-03-28T09:22:00.008-05:00

Here are a few pics of our boy Pete killing it in the crit. Steve saw a bunch of ISM saddles in the peloton. The USCF crowd is really embracing our patented technology.

Another WORLD RECORD on an ISM Adamo seat

2010-03-26T07:47:00.004-05:00

Hey Team

Just a quick note. Thank you for the emails and texts. Your support is so much appreciated.

So yesterday was not the day I had hoped for as I set out to defend my world title in the Individual Pursuit. In the qualifying round I missed out on the gold medal ride off and had to settle with the race for bronze. Unfortunately things just weren't 100% on fire yesterday, and at a World Championships they have to be to win medals. So 4th it was.......somebody throw me a Moro bar!!!

But today was another day and there were two other team mates amped up to race in the Teams Pursuit. So I had to put my own personal disappointment aside and put on a new game face. Our qualifying ride wasn't what we were after and we missed out on the final Gold ride off to the Aussies and the Brits. We were however determined to take on the Americans for the Bronze. With the coaching staff devising the perfect plan to ensure we maximised everyones strengths and every one of us crossed the line completely spent Lauren, Rushlee and I executed the perfect race and the result.......a bronze medal BUT most exciting of all the WORLD RECORD!!!!!!

We had to hold our breaths to see how long our world record would last while the Aussies and the Brits rode for the Gold. The Aussies took the title but they couldn't match our speed and I am proud to say the Kiwi women hold the WORLD RECORD.

It is definitely bitter sweet because of course we would have loved to have the Gold medal and Rainbow Jersey's, but for now claiming the fastest time ever we can sleep with. What a great feeling.

Attached are a couple of photos and some links to some stories from the champs.

For now it's late, and while racing is over for me I have chief supporter and team cheering duties to attend to for the next three days of competition, starting tomorrow with the Men's Teams Pursuit, the Men's Kilo and the Womens Scratch Race.

Catch you all soon

Ali

http://tvnz.co.nz/othersports-news/sergent-strikes-silver-bronze-women-3433559

http://tvnz.co.nz/othersports-news/sergent-strikes-silver-bronze-women-3433559/video

http://www.roadcycling.co.nz/TrackTalk/new-world-record-for-nzs-team-pursuiting-women.html

-------------------------------------
Alison Shanks

Brandon Marsh IM China Race Report

2010-03-18T22:53:00.000-05:00

Several weeks ago, Doc suggested that Amy do IM China. And, if I wanted to have a “China Experience” as well as an “American Reality TV Show Type of Day” that I go as well and have a day in China. So, we booked tix to leave Krabi and head to China with a few of our TeamMates for what has to be one of the more unpredictable and tougher IM races on the circuit.

I have not watched one single episode of the Survivor TV show, but I know that it involves competing against others for a prize, some different tests, voting members off the island, and whatever else goes in on “reality TV” shows because we all know that they are indeed real.

I will try to keep my reality show kind of brief. My competitors were many, but I figured that in the end it would come down to who could just finish as opposed to who could race the fastest. That was partly true. I left the water behind my two fellow male teammates…and one of our female teammates. Out on the bike, I set out to ride a long ride, and would face several tests.

The wind tested us all…headwind, crosswind, seemingly little tailwind. I had the wrong front bottle set up b/c the bottles that were handed out were too small to fit into my bottle mount, and I ended up continuously refilling one of my screw top bottles. I picked up my special needs bag with a couple of Nescafe coffe/milks and it worked like a charm. I moved up through my competitors and several of them decided that today was not their day.

Out onto the run, and I was determined to not take a single hard step for 42k…just put one foot in front of the other and get to the finish. I slowly moved up through the ranks and all systems were go. I was 3rd at 28k…sorry no mile markers for my American Friends. It was then that the island…Haikou Island…turned my closest allies…my legs…against me. After working together for about 130 miles and doing quite well I might add, my legs voted. They voted to stop. Full stop. I was determined to trick them into voting the other way…water, gatorade, EFS Liquid shot, bananas, race walking, everything. I tried every trick in the book, but nothing worked. For the next 14k almost EVERY step was hard, and not because I was gaining on 3rd. Every step was hard because I was fighting an uphill battle with every muscle in my legs that was voting to stop.

I walked, jogged, straight leg walked, shuffled, and got to the finish line just before the Mrs. finished. My reality show was a real one. I ended up 9th again at my 3rd IM in 6 months. So, if you could watch my Survivor: IM China reality show, you would see a real reality show.

Thanks to Louis Garneau, Cervelo, Blue Seventy, 3T, ISM Saddles, and the Bike Boutique for the sponsorship of the team this year. Thanks to the rest of the team and doc for making Krabi training camp memorable. Thanks to Amy for nearly catching me at the end and making me “run” that last 1k…

Sweet and Sour Chris McDonald IM China RR

2010-03-17T21:37:00.001-05:00

HI Guys,

well as many of you know I headede to China this past weekend to start my 2010 season with another crack at IM China after suffering from two flats there back in 2008 .
I was excited to race both Macca and Luke McKenzie in such a tough race , However it was over before it began.

10 days before the race I had a treatment on my lower back that actually put me in a lot of pain . I was confident that it would be fine and made my way to Haikou 7 days before the race . Ultimately two days before the race I was still in pain and decided to swap to the Ironman 70.3

Having prepared to race and IM this was kind of sour ! However I was lucky that there was a 70.3 happening on the same day so that was sweet!

I headed into to 70.3 with an open mind and hoped that everything would be fine with the back.

After watching the Ironman start and cheering for our friends we had a very reasonable 9am start time. I had a solid start and managed to get on the feet of the lead swimmer and hold my place in line for the entire swim .
Onto the bike and it was a Howler! As I ran through transition and jumped on the bike I watched one of the transition tents get blown over. my first thought was maybe one lap of this bike course might be a good thing :-)
The next was put your head down and build a gap . I had not done any real hard riding in training for a 70.3 as I was expecting to race the IM and I knew that it was going to be a race of the last man standing not really the "fastest" athlete.
I felt pretty good considering and managed to build a lead of 4 :30 over Freddy ( eventual winner )
We hit the run and it was HOT! I knew right away that I had Ironman pace and that was it . I was passed by Freddy at the 15 km mark and just had to stick to my Ironman shuffle and get to the finish line in 2nd place .

It certainly was a frustrating week having to switch races but I was happy to take 2ND place in the 70.3 and look forward to a big year ahead.
Next up is Super frog half IM in San Diego and then onto Ironman St George.

Thank you for all your help and lets look forward to a great year.

P.S the back ended up fine and the treatment was worth it long term:-)

Cheers Chris

Sarah Haskins WINS Miami International

2010-03-15T20:43:00.003-05:00

USAT Sprint Development Race-Clermont, Florida
This past week, I have officially begun my start to the 2010 racing season. On March 7th, I raced in Clermont, Florida in a draft-legal sprint triathlon. This race was very unique in that developmental athletes, who have not yet obtained a pro card, were permitted to race and gain experience and a feel for what draft-legal racing is all about. I have not competed in a sprint race since my first year of racing back in 2003! The race went by very quickly and I can 't complain about my result finishing up on top of the podium. The entire race was in Lake Louisa State Park and was a wetsuit legal swim, since Florida has been experiencing a colder than average winter. The swim was especially short, because we had a long run in and out of the water. The bike was four laps on a smoothly paved, flat road and the run was a two loop flat, fast course. I exited the swim just behind Sara McLarty and ended up cycling with her as well as Alicia Kaye. I felt good on the swim and bike, but needed to brush up on my transitions, as they were quite rusty! I felt strong on my run and thought about my new run form I have been working on since January. I spent the following week training in Clermont, Florida while I was preparing for the Miami Triathlon.
MIT:
Race morning began very early with a 4AM wake up and pre-race meal (peanut butter bagel with banana along with 16 oz of First Endurance EFS drink). Prior to the race I had another EFS 16oz bottle that included a scoop of First Endurance Pre -Race. My nutrition during the race consisted of one bottle (16oz) of EFS drink and that was it (simple for Olympic distance racing). I usually have two bottles, but noticed in the cooler mornings I only drink one bottle (like Dallas last year when it was 50 and raining). This race I do wish I had another bottle-so now I know at 60 degrees, I would drink two 16oz bottles of EFS!
I raced Miami back in 2008 and finished in first, so the goal was to defend the title from a couple of years ago. The water was a cool, 69 degrees, but fortunately, I had my TYR's Sayonara Swimskin. Which kept me a little warmer. I had a great swim and exited just 15 seconds back from the super star swimmers McLarty and Piersol. I had much better transitions this race and got onto my bike working hard to catch the leaders, but feeling strong on my new Fuji D - 6 with Oval concept bars! I also taped my Under Armour Bit Tech mouthpiece and felt great with my mouth guard. Unfortunately, I went slightly off course about 7 miles into the bike course and lost a little bit of time, but kept my head in it to get right back on course and back into my riding rhythm. I ended up exiting the bike about 15 seconds behind McLarty, with Peterson about 40 seconds behind me. I started off the run at a good pace; not quite sure what was going on behind me. The run was a two loop out and back, so we were able to see our competition. I noticed that I was gaining time on the other athletes and was able to back off the pace a little towards the end of the run . The faster I can recover from a race; the faster I can get back into serious training for Sydney, my first big race of the year! It was a good feeling to break the tape!
I am currently in St. Louis for a couple days and getting a chance to see the family and celebrate birthday's with my nieces (Sarah turned three on the `14th and Anna one on the 17th). I have another tough training block approaching the next couple of weeks (and an altitude adjustment since I have been away from home for six weeks!)

Also noteworthy is Sara McLarty finished 3rd and Brian Fleischmann 13th on ISM saddles.

Early Season Results

2010-03-10T09:04:00.008-06:00

Here's a picture of our rep, Lars Finanger, at VeloNews/Triathlete Magazine's bike. Lars will be traveling to Abu Dhabi to compete this weekend with 9 other ISM athletes. I wish them all good luck. Below are some recent results of Pros on ISM saddles:

Feb 27, Ironman Malaysia Hiroyuki Nishiuch 2nd male, Edith Niederfriniger 2nd, Hillary Biscay 3rd, Jocelyn Wong 5th

Feb 28, Dessert Classic Duathlon Tucson, AZ Sam McGlone 1st, Michellie Jones 2nd, Angela Naeth 3rd, (interesting to note 4th place also on Adamo Saddle)

Feb 28, Nina Kraft wins Santos International Triathlon in Brazil

March 6, Ironman New Zealand Jo Lawn 1st, Kim Loeffler 3rd

March 6, Rouge Roubaix Mathew Davis wins P1,2

March 7, Brian Fleischmann and Sarah Haskins WIN Elite Sprint Nationals

ISM Pros Check in.

2010-03-03T09:10:00.005-06:00

Some pics of Pro Eric Limkemann killing it in a virtual race. You definitely get bessed dressed in our book, E. Nice Team kit and sweat towel.

Below, fellow Professionals and sisters, Bec and Laurel Wassner check in from Tucson Training Camp. Also in attendance were fellow ISM athletes, Amanda Lovato, Sarah Haskins, Nate Korteum, Tyler Lord, and Sam McGlone.

Hello. We hope everyone is doing well and not too snowed in! As always, thank you for your support. Here is our latest update and a few photos from Tucson.
Thanks again!
Laurel and Bec Wassner

We just wrapped up a very HARD but successful 3 week training camp with the Cliff English Coaching Elite squad in Tucson, Arizona. A highlight was riding from the desert to the top of snowcapped Mt. Lemmon. Bec made it to the famed cookie shop in under 1 hour 52 minutes, which we hear is pretty good...for a girl. We swam outside everyday at the U of Arizona pool, averaging almost 30k meters per week. Bec even set a new personal best (after 30 years of swimming) during a "get-out" swim, swimming the 50 meter freestyle in 28.4. Both of us rode more than we ever have, getting a taste of what it is like to train for long distance races. Also, while we were here I got the chance to use my camera and photographed a travel story on Tucson for an upcoming issue of Triathlete magazine.
We will be opening the 2010 season with the Roslyn Sanchez Triathlon on March 7 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. This is an Olympic distance race that benefits the San Jorge Children's Foundation and the Casa Cuna of San Juan. We're excited to participate in this unique race and to help raise awareness for these two organizations which do so much for children with cancer. We're also looking forward to racing alongside actress Roselyn Sanchez and what promises to be a star-studded field. I will be racing solo and Bec will be participating in a celebrity relay. Stay tuned for photos from the weekend!

For more information on the race, see:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&ref=search&gid=196342338359

ISM Sweeps Desert Classic Duathlon

2010-03-02T07:37:00.002-06:00

Michellie Jones opens the season with a Podium performance.
A great season opener for many Pro’s and a chance to test fitness resulted in a stellar field at the Desert Classic Duathlon.
Samantha McGlone reprised her 2005 title with a one minute margin of victory over Michellie Jones at the Desert Classic Duathlon in Phoenix, Arizona Sunday.

Samantha McGlone, the 2005 Desert Classic winner, started her day with a 20:47 split on the 3.5-mile trail run which put her 42 seconds behind Tucson neighbor and 2002 ITU World Champion Leanda Cave of Great Britain, 35 seconds behind Swiss Xterra star Renata Bucher, 13 seconds behind Michellie Jones, 12 seconds behind Marisa Asplund, and 4 seconds behind Linsey Corbin.

McGlone then took charge with a second-best 55:55 bike that took 49 seconds back from Jones and 51 seconds from Cave and 4:09 from Bucher while Angela Naeth surged with a race-best 55:24 bike.

McGlone then held off Michellie Jones by one minute at the line with a 1:36:00 time. Naeth placed third, nine seconds back of Jones.
Desert Classic Duathlon
Phoenix, Arizona
February 28, 2010
R 3.5 mi./ b 21 mi./ R 2.7 mi.

Results

Pro Men

1. Chris Foster (Redondo Beach CA) 1:23:57
2. Ben Hoffman (Durango CO) 1:25:53
3. Matthew Sheeks (Woodinville VA) 1:26:02
4. Ryan Guiliano (Schaumburg IL) 1:26:29
5. Chris Ganter (Philadelphia PA) 1:29:49
6. Brendan Halpin (Missoula MT) 1:33:30
7. Stephen Slabodnick (Chandler AZ) 1:37:39
8. Derek Yorek (Alamosa CO) 2:51:00

Pro women

1. Samantha McGlone (CAN - Tucson AZ) 1:36:00 (RIDES ADAMO RACING)
2. Michellie Jones (AUS - Carlsbad CA) 1:37:00 (RIDES ADAMO RACING)
3. Angela Naeth (CAN) 1:37:09 (RIDES ADAMO RACING)
4. Leanda Cave (GBR – Tucson AZ) 1:37:28 (RIDES ADAMO RACING)
5. Lisa Ribes (Tucson AZ) 1:38:42
6. Marisa Asplund (Durango CO) 1:40:05
7. Renata Bucher (SUI) 1:41:25
8. Kathy Rakel (Litchfield Park AZ) 1:41:59
9. Linsey Corbin (Missoula MT) 1:42:57
10. Anne Curi Preisig (Falmouth MA) 1:45:18

Ironman Malaysia success!

2010-03-01T07:49:00.003-06:00

Hiroyuki Nichiuchi 2nd Male Pro (Adamo Racing)
Edith Niederfriniger 2nd Female Pro (Adamo Racing)
Hillary Biscay 3rd Female Pro (Adamo Road)
Jocelyn Wong 5th Female Pro (Adamo Racing)

Congrats to all. Check out Hillary Biscay's 3rd place race report below:

I kicked off my 2010 season last weekend with Ironman Malaysia. Because you will be subjected to at least seven more ironman race reports this year, I thought we would start with a slightly different format for the first one. Ironman is inevitably a contest of maximizing the day's highs and managing its lows in order to make the best of the circumstances one is dealt, so I've recapped my day here in these terms.

Highlight: Winning the swim: first woman out of the water.

Lowlight: Realizing within the first hour of the bike that the reason I was sliding off the front of my bike seat was because it had moved and was like this / .

Highlight: Getting ahold of an allen wrench about kilometer 70.

Lowlight: After spending several minutes on the side of the road removing my back bottle cage system to access the bolt to tighten my seat clamp, my sweaty hands couldn't do the trick, and I soon found myself riding in the same funky position I'd been in . . .

Highlight: Even after 39 ironman finishes, I come away from every race with important lessons learned. I love my new bike, but no matter how good the bike, two weeks is simply not enough time to get a new bike dialed and all of the kinks sorted out. I knew better; I took a risk, and I paid for it. I will not make this mistake again.

Lowlight: I lost a lot of time on the ride, and came off the bike well down on Belinda (Granger) and Edith (Niederfriniger).

Highlight: I started the run in third and was determined to hang onto this position.

Lowlight: The prevalent sensation in this marathon is one of running in a sauna. There were certain particularly-hot sections of each of the five run loops during which I felt as if my head were about to explode and/or one of my shaky legs was going to buckle beneath me.

Highlight: Amazingly, none of these things actually occurred. I stayed focused on myself and my own run, knowing that I could control only this and not the girls chasing me, and managed to have several stretches of the run during which I felt relatively "good."

Lowlight: The outbound portion of the final run loop: I felt like I was doing a slow-motion impression of running, better described by my Australian friends as "running up and down on the spot."

Highlight: I had to deal with a few challenges on race day, but in spite of this being a hot-and-sweaty sweatfest, blisters were not one of them. Ironman Malaysia is a true test of run shoes, as many athletes are taken out by things like blisters. Yet I had the luxury of drenching myself with water every couple of kilometers without worry, because my K-Swiss K-Onas drain in a second. I was so thankful for them!

Highlight (Yes, I realize I am interrupting my pattern here, but of course I've got more highs than lows--why else would I engage in this crazy business?!): Not getting run down. I crossed the line in third place, accomplishing my goal of an Ironman Malaysia podium finish, and my 15th career iron-distance podium finish.

Lowlight: New WTC rules say that I am not eligible for the third-place $4000 USD prize money: after 10 hours and 10 minutes of hard racing, my time falls 2 minutes outside of 8% of the winning time. According to the new "8% rule," finishing 8.3% off of the winning time means I don't get paid. Unfortunately, this money does not get redistributed to Belinda, Edith, or the four men who finished within the prize money cutoff. It "disappears."

Highlight: My amazing sponsors who help make it possible for me to make a living in this great sport: K-Swiss, PowerBar, ISM, Zipp, Wilier, FSA, and CycleOps.

Highlight: Celebrating the big 4-0--my fortieth iron-distance finish--by completing one of the toughest ironmans on the circuit here in Langkawi.

Lowlight: New WTC rules say that I am not eligible for the Kona-qualifying slot because I finished outside of 5% above the winning finish time.

Highlight: I have four more Kona-qualifying opportunities before this year's World Championships. It's only February and I will only get faster and stronger as the season goes along!

Right on, Right on, Right on.

2010-02-17T08:11:00.007-06:00

(blog title in my best McConaughey voice)

Pic of ISM Pro Angela Naeth and her custom painted steed. Angela competes with her Adamo Racing saddle

Here I am after my marathon. I suffered through another one and have been limping around all week. Note to self, move out of my three story townhome before I compete in another marry. Stairs are not my friend. Time to dust off the bikes and get in some road miles. First tri of the season is St. Anthony's. Guess I need to get in some pool time too!

Heather Jackson WINS her first Pro Crit

2010-02-15T10:14:00.003-06:00

Professional Trek/K-Swiss triathlete, Heather Jackson , traded in her TT bike and aero bars for a professional criterium win on the road today at the Roger Millikan Memorial Race in Brea, California. After bridging a half lap gap to the breakway group of three solo, Jackson sealed the deal with an attack in the final few 100 meters of the race for the victory.

Heather proudly competed using her ISM Adamo Road saddle.

For full results, check out www.socalcycling.com

Amanda Lovato Joins Forces with ISM Saddles

2010-02-12T09:43:00.002-06:00

ISM is pleased to announce Amanda Lovato will be competing using ISM Adamo saddles. Below is her latest race report from her winning event at Ironman 70.3 Pucon.

On December 31st I had made the decision to not race Pucon. I had been sick for 5 weeks. I had the flu, which turned into a cold, which had turned into a sinus infection. I had been lying in bed more than I had been training. My confidence was low and Cliff and I agreed that I didn't need to punish myself with a lot of travel with the possibility of a bad race, after taking some time off from racing the past four months. I left for Casa Fred in Austin on January 1st, antibiotics in hand, and a small bit of hope in the back of my mind. But I promised myself that if my 2 week push did not go well, that I would stay home.

I knew from previous experience that I could race well if I built my training right into race day. For ten days, I worked and trained really, really hard...I trained so hard that by the end of the push I was crying and could not possibly imagine training another day...I couldn't bring myself to call Cliff. I was too burnt up and exhausted and knew that if I talked to him, I would cry even more...lol! In the back of my head, however, I knew that I was in a good spot and the training I had done in that ten days was sufficient. So the decision was made...I rested enough to not feel like crying, and got on the plane to Pucon on Tuesday before the race. I rested a few more days (always respect the travel), then rode 40 miles two days out at 3/4 effort.

Michael and I had spent a lot of time enjoying Pucon during race week, absorbing the culture, and eating enormous quantities of food. PNF had suggested that we enjoy Chile and to think of the race as a hard workout within a vacation. We took her advice to heart and really did think of Pucon that way. We settled right into the Latin lifestyle of eating late and going to bed late. And race night was no different. While I did eat dinner at my normal "race dinner" time of 4pm, I could not help myself with a late night dessert.

Race morning came. Our alarms went off at 5am. The race start was 8am. ML and I overslept by an hour...finally waking up at 6am. We ate our breakfast and were able to get to transition just after 7am. We were both just laisez fair about the whole "race thing". I'm not sure that we have ever been so laid back before a race...lol. I missed my opportunity to do a race warm-up, but we did make it to the swim start on time. I wasn't nervous. I was excited. I had no expectations. After all, everything that I planned on doing for this race was different than anything thing that I had ever done in a race before:

My plan was to try out some new ideas suggested by my GI doctor. One of these suggestions was to ditch my jetstream. I have never ever raced, in the past 12 years, without my jetstream. Apparently I suck down huge amounts of air through the straw which accelerates my upper GI problems.
I have a new bike (my sweet little Kestrel Airfoil). The fit that I have now, suggested by the RAPPSTAR :)) is the most aggressive fit that I have ever had in the past 12 years of me racing triathlons. Zane, my bike fitter, has been fighting with me for years to change my fit, but I would not have it. However, after some gentle nudging by Jordan, I finally agreed to try a different fit.
I am riding the ISM ADAMO saddle. I have always ridden a flight or a SLR. However, again, with gentle nudging from Jordan and ZANE, I have been riding this saddle for a few weeks and I love it.
I can not remember the last time that I raced without socks...Olympic distance races...maybe?? However, I am now racing in Saucony A3's. I decided that since everything else I was trying was a roll of the dice that I should toughen up (as Rinny and Richie would say) and race without socks. (My feet look like raw meat...I may not try that again for a half...yes I am a wimp...LOL) .

The Swim:
This was the first year that the pros did not have to start with the age groupers. Pedro, Pucon's race director, is trying to help the race grow. And he wanted to see how full the roads would be with a wave start. For the first time ever, in the races history, there were wave starts. I was pretty stoked as I though the wave starts were set smartly. The 45 plus ladies started 5 minutes after us. And I believe the 35 plus men started about 15 minutes after us. It was a CLEAN race for us girls!

As we lined up for the swim, I positioned myself behind Christian Bustos. After all, we used to swim together when he was in Boulder training. And I thought that I could at least sit on his feet. The gun went off, we started... and it was as if I had forgotten how to swim or had never swum before. I was able to swim on Christian's feet for exactly 475 meters (the first buoy). I then felt my swim fitness and promptly got dropped. I swam all by myself for the rest of the swim and finished last place pro.

The Bike:
As I hoped on my fast Kestrel Airfoil, I had two things come to mind:

#1. I hoped that I could ride like I did during my ten day training block.
#2. I hoped that my ISM Adamo saddle would not cause a Splish suit malfunction during my ride.

The first hour I struggled a bit. My quads were achy and I didn't feel spritely. However, I remembered why I was there.... I was in CHILE! I was in Pucon racing! I was doing what I love the most. AND...I wasn't having GI issues.

And then something really awesome happened at about mile 20... my legs came around!
All of the sudden, I felt really, really good. And I started passing the South American girls!

I reveled in the fact that I was in PUCON! I was smiling, cheering for the other girls, and giving good fist pumps. I was finally riding like I did when I was in Austin, I wasn't having GI issues for the first time in 5 years, and lastly while riding in my new aggressive bike position, my saddle wasn't trying to cause a costume malfunction... all was good in the world!

The run:

I came into transition 2 in third position. I hoped off my speed machine, and I immediately knew that I had definitely used my legs on the bike ride. My legs were a bit tight. I started the run, which goes straight uphill through the "peninsula". I felt like I was going SO SLOW. I saw my friend, Renata, and exclaimed "OMG...this is HARD"!!! She cheered me on and I could not believe how badly I felt. I thought to myself that this run could not end soon enough for me. Again, I started to think about why I was there...And as I crested the mountain, I saw the famous Pucon Volcano. And I could not stop smiling...

At a little out and back on the first loop, I saw Heather Gollnick and cheered for her. At the end of the out and back I realized how close I was to her... I could not believe it. I had just started to settle into a nice rhythm. I had just started feeling good. Sometime after the first loop of the three loop course, I passed her. After passing Heather, we got a 3:40 split from Tereza. I thought to myself that 3:40 was too much time to make up. I didn't really know how many more miles I had left, but I just kept running my pace. Somewhere in the second loop, I passed Tereza. I though to myself...OMG...I am winning!!

Immediately, I stopped thinking about it..."winning". Again, I reminded myself why Michael and I were in Pucon. I reminded myself how beautiful this race was. I realized that I had not had one GI episode during this race. I was exstatic! I cheered for my competitors and for the age groupers. I gave big fist pumps through the crowds as they enabled me to run even faster...I talked to the junior triathlete, Andrea, who was my lead biker. I reveled in the fact that I was in Pucon, racing, doing what I love the most. And when I finished, I won. I bested two great competitors with incredible resumes. While I have won other half ironmans, I have never won a 70.3. However, again, I reminded myself why I was in Pucon. I took in a deep breath to soak in the beauty of this race, the generosity of the race director, the memories that ML and I had made at this event. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life.

A special thank you to Pedro, the race director of Pucon. Pedro and Guillermo took special care that we professional were well taken care of and made sure that our experience was amazing...it was. Thank you TRAKKERS! You guys are awesome. With your help, I plan on making 2010 the best year of my career (so far;)). Thank you Steven of Kestrel for your belief in me and for the fastest bike on the planet. Thank you Saucony for my fast A3's...I plan on wearing socks next time ;)! Thank you Splish for my hot new suit. Thank you Brand Betty for helping me ditch the pink, but still make me look girly! Thank you Boulder Running Company for all of your support...you guys are like family to me! Thank you Blue 70. I promise to swim faster next time...:) Thank you Jack and Adam's Triathlon headquaters...YOU GUYS ROCK!!! Thank you Norma Tech for helping me recover during those 10 days of training hard. Thank you T3 recovery for helping me recover with a good nights sleep. Thank you Coach Cliff for nearly killing me, but making me fast ...

...And last, but not least, thank you to my sweet husband who encouraged me every day to eat at the dessert buffet...I think it really worked!
--
Posted By Amanda Lovato to Hear me Roar! at 1/28/2010 07:53:00 PM

Potts and Lavelle autographed saddles to be auctioned

2010-02-10T05:51:00.004-06:00

Ironman 70.3 World Champion Andy Potts and Olympian Matty Reed will be attending this year’s Gateway to the Bay Triathlon. Both athletes will captain their own relay teams and raise money for Jenny’s Light. Jenny's Light is a charity set up by Becky Lavelle (USA Triathlon’s 2008 Non-ITU Pro-Triathlete of the year) in memory of her sister. Jenny’s Light helps women with Postpartum Mood Disorders. Spots on Team Reed and Team Potts will be auctioned off via Ebay starting mid February. Team Reed will have Swim & Bike legs available and Team Potts will have Bike & Run legs available.

In addition, ISM Saddles will be donating an Adamo Racing saddle to be signed by Becky Lavelle and an Adamo Road saddle to be signed by Andy Potts for the auction. Afterall, these are the saddles of their choice when racing! www.ismseat.com

For more information on the weekend events, please visit www.gatewaytothebay.com
And for additional information on Jenny's Light, please visit www.jennyslight.org

Inside Triathlon shows ISM some love!

2010-02-08T11:02:00.005-06:00

Here are some images sent to me from the newest issue of Inside Triathlon. ISM had a nice spread in this month's issue, and we are stoked so many athletes are riding our performance saddles. As we've said all along, Comfort + Speed = VICTORY. Check them out at your favorite local dealer and find out why they are the choice of the World's best athletes.

Tri Expo San Diego

2010-02-01T18:19:00.006-06:00

New ISM coffee mugs make joe taste so much better!

Steve getting some Compex love from ISM athlete Mihcellie Jones
Dave at Speedfil's tricked out Kestrel Airfoil

ISM athlete Sarah Haskins interview.

Just another evening in SoCal.

Seals at La Jolla right by the TYR photoshoot.

Just got back from a whirlwind trip to San Diego for the Tri Expo. Steve and I had a blast meeting with old friends and meeting new ones. This was the first annual event and it was an excuse to escape from Texas and Florida for some Cali sun. Several athletes were there as the event was also the same weekend as the Endurance Sports awards. Everyone was giving interviews, doing photoshoots, and hanging out for booth signing. Fun to catch up with ISM athletes Sarah Haskins, Andy Potts, and Michellie Jones. It was also an opportunity to catch up with other athletes (pro and amatuer), and chat about our products.

We also wanted to take in a few discussion talks with Chris Carmichael (Carmichael Training Systems and coach to Lance Armstrong), and Dr. Allen Lim (Team Radio Shack's physiologist). Both interesting and down to Earth fellows and very passionate about their jobs.

It wasn't all fun and games. We stopped by several of our retailers to discuss our new 2010 product offering and find out if there was anything we could do better to improve our designs. Turns out we are doing pretty well. :) And we even had time to harrass my good bud, Cassidy Phillips of TP Therapy. That guy is blowing up and his products rock!! www.tptherapy.com

Big things to come!

Lucie Zelenkova 3rd at Ironman 70,3 South Africa

2010-01-19T09:55:00.004-06:00

I first met Lucie Zelenkova in Kona this year. She's a super talented athlete and a blast to talk with. Well, she placed 3rd in her first race of the year....Ironman 70.3 South Africa. Last year she won the event and PR'd this year for 3rd. Thanks for being so great Lucie and I'm glad you are still enjoying your Adamo Racing saddle.

Triathletes of the Year!

2010-01-14T15:50:00.003-06:00

ISM is proud to say we have two more Triathletes of The Year with Bec Wassner (non drafting), and Sarah Haskins (ITU). Both ladies compete with the Adamo Racing saddles.

Rebeccah Wassner has been named USA Triathlon’s Athlete of the Year in the non-drafting category. Wassner earned this award after a stellar 2009 season, which included wins at several high profile Olympic distance events, as well as breakthrough performances in the half iron distance.

Highlights of Wassner’s season included her thrilling come from behind victory at the St. Anthony’s Triathlon, a hometown win at the New York City Triathlon, and breaking the tape at the Philadelphia Triathlon for the third year in a row. Wassner also turned in a dominating performance with a win at the Columbia Triathlon. Consistently one of the top runners in the sport, Wassner posted the fastest 10K split by an American this year with a 34:36 on the hilly streets of Central Park.

In the longer distance races, Wassner proved that she is a force to be reckoned with by finishing 2nd in two very competitive half iron distance races. At June’s Rev3 triathlon in Middlebury, CT, she came in as a relative unknown and bravely took the lead on the bike, leaving a field of world champions to chase her. After slipping to 4th place during the run, Wassner fought back to finish second, just 50 seconds back of winner Mirinda Carfrae.

At the Muskoka 70.3, in Huntsville, Ontario, Wassner again showed her cycling prowess on the challenging bike course, leading the race until being passed during the run, again finishing 2nd to Carfrae.

“It is an honor to receive this award and to have all the hard work that went into this season recognized,” says Wassner. “Thank you to my family, friends, sponsors and fans for your support, and congratulations to my fellow athletes of the year: Sarah Haskins, Jarrod Shoemaker (ITU style racing) and Tim O’Donnell, (men’s non-ITU).”

Get ink'd

2010-01-11T15:38:00.007-06:00

Welcome to 2010 everyone. Big things are happening at ISM. We've recently moved in to a larger location. This move will allow us to continue to grow and continue to satisfy the increasing demand for ISM saddles around the world. We are partnering with several races over the year and hope to keep you notified of where to see us at the expos. Our pro contingent is growing and we hope to add many more victories this year (77 Pro podium finishes and 22 IM and IM70.3 wins in 2009!

ISM is also looking to make a huge leap into the road racing market. Stay tuned for the release of our new Adamo Breakaway and Adamo Podium saddles. Models due for public release later this month.

Above are some pics of Professional triathlete and ISM rider Heather Jackson. Seems she has fallen in with the wrong crowd (sorry Wattie), and decided to get a little ink. Heather is a badass triathlete and in all seriousness, I love the tat. Looks great on you girl. I did offer to pay for her to get an ISM tattoo.

Also, note the action shot of Police Officer, Troy Gielish. ISM supplies saddles to many Police Departments across the country. Troy prefers the ISM Adamo Typhoon saddle.

Jo Lawn wins first race of the year on ISM Racing

2010-01-06T07:54:00.001-06:00

Jo Lawn and Michael Poole victorious in Whangamata

3/01/2010 2:53:10 p.m.

LAWN LAYS DOWN MARKER FOR A GREAT 2010

Whangamata turned on a searing hot day for round two of the Contact Tri Series and it was a case of an athlete of the present and an athlete of the future standing out with Ironman legend Jo Lawn winning the women’s race and teenage rising star Michael Poole the men’s.

Lawn won from rising star and winner of round one of the Contact Series in Rotorua Maddy Brunton while Poole managed to hold out a fast finishing Ryan Sissons.

Lawn made a late decision to race Whangamata, treating it as a great lead in to next weekend’s Port of Tauranga Half Ironman. It turned out to be a great decision.

“I just went as hard as I possibly could today. I guess being an Ironman I knew I would have the endurance but certainly wasn’t sure about the speed against some of the younger girls, they are just fantastic.

“Once off the bike this run is so tough running on the sand, you have to be strong so that maybe suited me today. To be honest though training hasn’t been great for the past month with mum in hospital I’ve just had to be very positive and take each day as it comes.”

Lawn now focuses on the Port of Tauranga Half Ironman next week, a race she traditionally races well in.

“I’ll just keep ticking away this week and look to have a positive day in Tauranga next week, this has been a great hit out and a great start to the year.”

Brunton worked hard knowing she was up against a triathlon superstar.

“The heat was so hard out there today, the heat and the sand got to me, I’m absolutely exhausted and couldn’t have given any more today and that is all I can ask against someone like Jo and in these conditions.”

Rebecca Kingsford finished in third place.

Meanwhile 19 year old Poole is enjoying a stellar summer and has marked his name as one to watch for the future. For now though he is a comfortable leader in the Contact Tri Series with two wins from two races.

“I am really thrilled given I have been doing plenty of base and endurance work and not much speed so to win two from two is fantastic. I was more worried about Ryan chasing me down but Stephen was also racing well after suffering some injury problems and it wasn’t until halfway on the run that I caught him.”

Pre-race favourite Ryan Sissons was fast closing on Poole throughout the run but ran out of real estate as the heavy training mileage took a toll against the younger Poole.

“Got on to the bike and the legs were just flat, I couldn’t find a rhythm and tried to stay as close as I could to Mike and Stephen because I knew I was running really well. It came down to a close finish and maybe with another two hundred metres I might have had him but well done to Michael, he raced really well.”

Sheldrake held on for third, a great result for the 36 year old given he wasn’t sure if he would even finish today as he returns from major knee surgery and a busy schedule as Assistant National Coach with Tri NZ.

The day was a huge success for the sport with close to 500 competitors continuing the strong growth the sport experienced in 2009. Significantly on the day the Contact 1:2:1 for children proved extremely popular with close to 100 turning out to the cheers of mums and dads and family supporters and there were a great many participants in the Contact 3:9:3 for entry level triathletes.

Those children included Joshua and Braeden Brown with proud Dad Cameron amongst the family support crew cheering the boys to the finish line. Brown was unable to race due to a nagging calf injury but is on the road to recovery as he contemplates defending his Ironman NZ title in March.

Contact Tri Series
Whangamata

Contact Trophy – Female
1500m swim; 40km bike; 10km run

1 Jo Lawn Auckland 2:07:55
2 Maddy Brunton Waikato 2:10:56
3 Rebecca Kingsford Tirau 2:12:58
4 Janine Simpson Auckland 2:16:45
5 Teresa Adam Auckland 2:17:45

Contact Trophy – Male

1 Michael Poole Auckland 1:58:02
2 Ryan Sissons Auckland 1:58:12
3 Stephen Sheldrake Gisborne 1:59:09
4 Edward Rawles Inglewood 1:59:20
5 Cameron Goldsmid Wellington 2:02:03

ISM Pro Kirk Nelson Checks In

2009-12-27T11:25:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone!
I got my name in the paper! Pages 170-171 of January 2010 Triathlete Magazine.

Eric got 3rd! (woulda been 2nd had he not run an extra 1.5 miles by
accident.....)

Check my blog for my most recent updates: www.kdawgstriblog.com

From the Magic Mountain Man Triathlon Press Release:

"On Saturday October 10, 2009 Renegade Racing produced the inaugural long-distance triathlon in Los Angeles County. TheMagic MountainMan Triathlon (M3 Tri) started at Castaic Lake and finished in Santa Clarit a close to Six Flags Magic Mountain amusement park. Finishers covered 70.3 miles total between the swim, bike and run courses. Participants raved about the challenging, but scenic course that wound through the older roads of Santa Clarita. Following the 1.2 mile swim in calm Castaic Lake and the 56 miles of the bike course, the athletes were elated to find the 13.1 run course flat and fast.

Professional triathlete Kirk Nelson, of Boulder, Colorado, grabbed the first place title overall, with a time of 4:31:32. "Coming from Colorado, I've always hoped someone would put on a triathlon with a challenging, mountainous bike course, rather than the traditional rolling or flat bike courses most races offer -- the M3 Bike course was far and away the most challenging bike course I've ever raced!”, said Nelson of his experience of the
M3 Tri."

Happy Holidays!!

2009-12-22T11:38:00.006-06:00

Happy Holidays from ISM! Seems this is the time of year to take a little time off and stuff ourselves. I know it's happening to me. All I'm doing is running and eating. I'll take it.

Here's a copy of the latest ad we are placing in the print magazines. In case you haven't guessed, that's last years Triathlete of the Year Becky Lavelle. We are stoked to have her on our seat. Check out the wins for 2009 alone!

Here's a pic of the pride of Italy's Edith Niederfriniger bke in the racks at Ironman Cozumel. She loves her Adamo Racing saddle and placed 3rd in the event (behind fellow ISM athlete Bella Bayliss). Both are studs!

Living in Austin, I forget how spoiled we can be. It's gotten into the 30-40's here and that's trainer weather. So I've been loging a few miles in between my marathon training on the new Adamo Breakaway. It makes the trainer rides so much more tollerable. We'll have them ready to ship January 15th. I know we ahve a big list of dealers waiting for them. Soon, soon!

Here's a pic my buddy Cassidy from Trigger Point Therapy sent me. He got this out of a Continental Magazine and it's an ad for M.D. Anderson. Check out the dude's bike seat. Adamo Racing.

ISM Adamo Road Review

2009-12-15T13:09:00.003-06:00

Gear Review: ISM Adamo Road Saddle
by Mike Bernico
Full Article here http://iron-path.blogspot.com/2009/12/gear-review-ism-adamo-road-saddle.html

If you'll recall, one of my goals for this off season was to get a bike fit. Before I did that however, I wanted to find a saddle I liked. I definitely did NOT like the saddle that came on my Cervelo P1 and knew that my relationship with that painful little piece of plastic was going to be short lived.

I did some research and talked to a few people and came to the conclusion that the ISM Adamo was worth a very serious look. While there are many fine high end saddles out there, in my opinion the concept behind the Adamo saddles was the best. It also came highly recommended by some other Tri-Sharks and Beginner Triathlete members.

There are two models of Adamo for TT bikes, the Adamo Race and the Adamo Road. They seem to be essentially the same, with the Road weighing a bit more and having a bit more gel/padding than the race. Light is good, but so is comfortable, so which one should I choose? In trying to answer that question I discovered one of the things that separates ISM Adamo products from their competition. Fantastic customer service. After explaining my goals and needs to Dave at Adamo, discussing my weight loss history, and my Ironman aspirations, Dave recommended the Road over the Race for me. Thanks for all the help Dave!

The Adamo is an unconventional saddle. It doesn't have a nose like a traditional saddle, but rather is built to support your sit bones while relieving the pressure from your perineal nerve, which prevents all sorts of medical badness that I'll just reference here rather than try to explain.

At first I was skeptical about comfort. I mean, who wouldn't be. I very carefully read the Adamo instructions and watched their installation video though. After that it was time for a road test.

I took my bike out and immediately felt pretty comfortable. I only road for about 20 miles that day but I enjoyed the ride. The next day the tissue over my sit bones was a little sore, but I knew that might happen based on Dave's warning and the products documentation.

After a few more rides I was enjoying the Adamo without any pain, and alot more comfort than I've ever experienced on a saddle. The Adamo put everything else I had ever ridden to shame, including my pricey Fizik Airone.

Then, about 5 rides in, something surprising happened. While the Adamo was always very good, I stopped for a tweak to how the saddle lined up laterally and finally just got it exactly right and it was like I snapped into the saddle. Things went from good to glorious and I couldn't be happier.

A few days after that ride I took my bike over to a much more experienced triathlete's house and he helped me get the bike tuned in even more while spinning on his computrainer. Things just kept getting better.

Not only am I more comfortable on my Adamo Road than I ever have been on any other saddle, but I'm faster too. I know what you're thinking...faster? really? Yes, faster. It's very true. I can stay aero longer, and I'm much more comfortable. A more aero, more comfortable triathlete is a faster triathlete.

I highly recommend the ISM Adamo Road, it's great equipment from a great company that makes me fast and makes me want to ride.

IMAZ winner Sam McGlone checks in.

2009-12-15T13:03:00.003-06:00

Sam proudly competes on her ISM Adamo Racing saddle.

HI!
I am thrilled to cap off the 2009 season with my first Ironman win and a new course record at Ironman Arizona last weekend. At the beginning of the year I was unsure if I would be making it back to racing after a serious injury kept me sidelined all winter, so to end with a win was the icing on the cake.
It was cold and dark as 2400 athletes took to Tempe Town lake at 7am. Was I the only one that found it odd swimming through the desert in November ? The swim was the low point of my race – I can’t make excuses; everyone was swimming in the same frigid water, but I just felt like my arms never warmed up. Usually I like to hang on the feet of faster swimmers but when I saw nothing but open water in front of me I knew it was bad news because it meant I was not in the lead, but so far back I couldn’t even see the lead!
Exiting the water 8 minutes down from Leanda Cave, I had my work cut out for me on the bike. The 3 loop course was flat and windy – with a slight rise up to the turn-around then a screaming fast “descent” back to town, just made for my Argon E-114 TT bike. I rode hard and took back a few minutes per loop on the leaders, ending with a 4:56 bike split – the fastest of the day.
Coming into T2 I had taken over 2nd place and was closing in on Leanda. I took the lead at the end of the first loop and stayed there for the rest of the day. The run course was awesome – tons of spectators and the three loop format meant we were never far from the next cheering section, a far cry from the loneliness of Kona’s Queen K highway. A big shout out to Zoot for my custom race flats they made with only a few weeks turnaround time – I know the matching kit was good for a few minutes on the run course.
Finishing in 9:09, I set a new course record with the fastest bike split and 2nd fastest run of the day. This was the highlight of the season which had started with injury and ended in my first Ironman win. It was even more special to win at “home” in my newly adopted state of Arizona.
Thanks to everyone who stuck it out through the injury and for all the support this season!
Sam

New Seats, New Gear, and more WINS.

2009-12-02T11:04:00.006-06:00

ISM celebrates another win by Track superstar Wendy Houvenaghel. She checks in, "I have been competing recently in Manchester and Melbourne during the Track World Cup Classics series, where I've been successful in the Women's Individual and Women's Team Pursuits! The competitions were held on 31st Oct, 1st Nov, 19th Nov and 21st Nov 09 and have been documented on the Cycling News.com website along with photos.
I've attached one of the photos from our World Record breaking ride at Manchester and a podium photo from Melbourne."

I had some new custom ISM kits arrive. We highlighted the new Performance Logo across the chest and on the thigh. They look slick and really stand out while on the road. Super comfy too. Might have to order some more as they all sold out!

As most know by now, the new Adamo Podium and Adamo Breakaway saddles are hitting dealers next month. These saddles have undergone several versions over the last year of testing. All who have tested them are thrilled. Longer and narrower. Get one! Your crotch will thank you.

Ironman AZ and Lance?

2009-11-24T08:53:00.005-06:00

Had a nice relaxing weekend. Woke up early Saturday for my run. I've decided to sign up for the Austin Marathon in Feb. It's a race I've always wanted to do, but haven't been able to for a number of reasons. Either I have a work related event the same weekend or it conflicts with another event I'm training for. Well, it's on this Valentine's Day. Bring it.

Sunday was Ironman Arizona. Our girl Sam McGlone won the event and set a new bike split record and course record for the day (beating former record holder and fellow ISM rider, Michellie Jones). Sam is a former World Champion at the 70.3 distance and finished 5th in Kona. Well done Sam. Eric Bean finished 6th in the men's event and Josef Major, Hektor Llanos, and Raynard Tissink also raced......all using the Adamo Racing saddle.

Meanwhile back in the ATX, Melissa and I drove out to Juan Pelota Ranch (Armstrong's ranch just outside of town). He was hosting a mountain bike event that sold out in a matter of hours. He brought in a number of atb stars as well as many industry leaders. Lance would eventually flat out of the race. No follow vehicles in mountain biking. While there I was approached by a Dutch Television crew for an interview on what Lance means to me as an American. Good thing I had my ISM jacket on! It was interesting as it seemed they were looking for someone to say something negative about the guy. Haters everywhere I suppose.

Also in the mix was triathlete star Chris Lieto. Chris is a fellow Trek athlete and came in for the event. Lieto finished 2nd in Kona this year after leading the bike and most of the run. He's a stud.

Clearwater 70.3 World Champs 2009

2009-11-20T09:32:00.009-06:00

Eric Limkemann all tatted out and ready to rock.
Michellie Jones in the finisher's chute for 6th!

Pablo chowing down some calories before the run.

Is MJ at a catalog shoot or racing? All matched up.

Olympian Laura Bennett on her way to 5th!

Sarah Groff pulls out 7th for the day!

MJ and Pablo getting the ISM VIP treatment at the airport.

ISM had several pros competing in Clearwater for 70.3 World's this year. It's a long season and many other pros opted not to compete in the event. Even two previous World Champs and ISM athletes (Sam McGlone and Andy Potts). Steve and Laura were thrilled Michellie Jones and boyfriend Pablo were home staying with them. I hear they even swam and rode together while leading up to the big event. Maybe some of that talent will rub off on them?

Steve took some great shots while the event was going on. It was a beautiful day in FL for racing and ISM pulled out a 5th, 6th, 7th, and 10th in the Pro Overall Division. We are thrilled for our athletes and all those competing this year.

I also just received word from fellow ISM pro, Laurel Wassner on her work with the Livestrong Campaign. Check it out and read about her amazing story:

Just wanted to let you know that latest Nike/Livestrong campaign has hit the internet and will be running in several magazines hitting the 'stands soon. It was fun for me (and my bike!) to be on the other side of the camera and take part in sending such an inspirational message. My sister Bec and I are very excited to be representing Team Livestrong in our 2010 triathlon season.

The campaign was created by Wieden + Kennedy and photographed by Kevin Lynch. I think they did an amazing job.

Check out the ad and the collection online at http://www.nike.com/ and www.nike.com/livestrong.

Michellie Jones' 70.3 World's RR

2009-11-17T07:32:00.004-06:00

Ironman 70.3 World ChampionshipsThe DNF Monkey is off my back!

In a perfect world my plan was to have a great race in Hawaii and finish the season. Knowing that a null racing can throw many obstacles in your path I had a back up plan to race 4 weeks later the null 70.3 world Championships if things did not unfold they way I had planned. So after a null at Mile 8 on the run and after a few days of R&R I decided to see how the body was recovering.I decided to race the week after null at the local edition of the Women's Triathlon in San Diego. Along with 1200 other women I sprinted away all of my disappointment demons my null the week before. Plus it was also lots of fun going from racing null to a flat out sprint.I knew I would need a lot more speed going in to the 70.3 Worlds as I had done plenty of distance so that was training focus. Race day could not have been more than perfect a little wind and the temperature ideal. Especially considering the area was hit with the aftermath of a down graded hurricane.At 6.45am all my nerves disappeared as the cannon was fired. I exited the swim in the second pack and quickly got into my rhythm on the bike. Usually the Pro Men lead the way but the organizers decided to change it up and have us go first which did play a little havoc on us during the bike when the eventually caught us. Once the train of male Pro's passed me it was back to grinding out the gears.My legs were feeling pretty good as I exited the transition in the top 10 along two other athlete's Magali and Laura. I was not quite as speedie as these two girls over the first Mile but with some patience I caught and passed Magali. At Mile 5 I was back up to Laura but so was Magali. Once again they kicked in a little more speed and bridged me once again on the run. Within a few miles I was up to 6th position and saw Laura being to fade. But she did not fade quite enough for me to make up a top 5 position. No complaints here for a 6th place at a World Championships. A really nice way to end the season especially after Hawaii. The Monkey is gone!

Results
1 3:59:33 103 Dibens, Julie Boulder CO GBR
2 4:03:49 4:16 101 Ellis, Mary Beth Boulder CO USA
3 4:05:27 5:54 118 Tisseyre, Magali St-Sauveur QC CAN
4 4:05:33 6:01 124 Steffen, Caroline Cham CHE
5 4:07:39 8:07 149 Bennett, Laura North Palm Beac FL USA ISM ATHLETE
6 4:08:17 8:44 136 Jones, Michellie Carlsbad CA AUS ISM ATHLETE
7 4:09:34 10:01 119 Groff, Sarah Colorado Spring CO USA ISM ATHLETE
8 4:13:16 13:43 109 Stevens, Amanda Colorado Spring CO USA
9 4:15:04 15:31 127 Thuerig, Karin Retschwil CHE
10 4:17:57 18:25 143 Gianinni, Vanessa Campinas BRA

Pro Kirk Nelson checks in

2009-11-16T08:08:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone,
After a failed attempt (they wouldn't take my $550, can you believe it???) to race a late season full IM (my first since 2006), my 2009 triathlon racing season is officially over!

2009 started out very dismal for me as my marriage fell apart at the seams, which made triathlon training and racing a complete after-thought for the first 7 months of the year.
For me, this year was very painful, sorrowful, humbling, and yet a season of very positive spiritual and emotional growth in my life.

During the first 6 months I was doing all I could to fix and patch-up my marriage, and was greatly humbled by the suffering and growing that occurred within me during this period. Throughout the last 4 months I have been adjusting to a new life and have continued to grow with the new challenges I face as a single guy pursuing my dream of triathlon excellence.

I was extremely blessed (and just in time!) earlier this year as my coaching business grew in several ways:
1. increased clientele from 6 to 14 athletes
2. Hired Associate coach, Eric Dorsch
3. Put on two Triathlon camps, two transition clinics, and one open-water swim clinic

Racing-wise, the year started out very humbling: 20th at Wildflower when I had been 10th in 2008, 12th at Kansas 70.3 when I had been 5th in 2008.

I was not upset with the results as it was everything I could do with everything else going on at the time.

Beginning in July, things began to improve: 9th at Boulder Peak including a great 10k run off the bike and a win at the Castaic Lake Sprint Triathlon in CA.

Training was now more consistent, and following a great training block in CA, I managed my best finish to date in a major IM 70.3 race -- 4th Overall, just missing the podium by 15 seconds!! To read more, check my blog post:
http://www.kdawgstriblog.com/2009/08/calgary-703-result.html
and
http://www.kdawgstriblog.com/2009/08/covering-71509-80509-incudes-calgary.html

Following Calgary, I raced Lake Stevens 70.3 and unfortunately had to pull out during the run due to a major nutritional mistake that led to severe dehydration.

In September I headed North across the border again to race Muskoka IM 70.3. Another great run and overall finish of 7th place. Read my blog post here:
http://www.kdawgstriblog.com/2009/09/bike-crash-and-muskoka-703-7th-place.html

The week following Muskoka I jumped in a local sprint race, Oktoberfest Sprint Triathlon, put on by my good friends (including my swim coach Lance Panigutti) of Without Limits Productions. I had a great race and set a new course record of 55:14 to take the win, with Eric coming in second, and Steve Richard (a TriKirk Coaching athlete) coming in 4th overall.
http://www.kdawgstriblog.com/2009/10/92009-oktoberfest-fun.html

In early October, Eric and I headed out to California to put on a series of triathlon clinics, race the Magic Mountain Man Half Iron Triathlon (M3 Triathlon) and get in my last training stint prior to Longhorn IM 70.3. I earned a win on a brutally hard M3, that featured 6,000 feet of climbing on the bike and 5 "no aerobar descent" sections due to insanely rough roads.
http://www.kdawgstriblog.com/2009/10/magic-mountain-man-1010.html

The season finished MUCH better than it began. After leaving CA on October 21, I drove to Austin, TX for my last race of the year, Longhorn IM 70.3, where I set a new 70.3 PR of 3:53:23, and earned 7th place in an ultra-competitive men's field. I could not have been more thrilled with this finish as it was the result of some very hard work and training I put in during the latter part of the season:
http://www.kdawgstriblog.com/2009/11/longhorn-703-new-pr-and-born-to-run-on.html

Sponsors: Thank you so much for your dedicated support and for getting through the season with me. I appreciate everything you each have done to help me pursue my dream of becoming one of the top long course racers in the sport. With your continued help, I am very hopeful about my future to become one!

Ending 2009 on the highest of notes, I am excited about my potential to climb my way onto the podium of one or more major races in 2010. I have a very solid level of fitness in all three disciplines that I am motivated to grow on during the upcoming off-season. I am committed to working very hard on my swim and making it a priority to get within striking range of the lead pack of swimmers by 2010. My cycling power and running fitness is at an all-time high that will only continue to improve now that I have found my training rhythm and consistent training groups to challenge and better myself.

Tentative 2010 Race Schedule:

California 70.3 -- March
IM St. George (as in the full thing.....) -- May
Rev 3 Tri Quassy Half Rev Tri -- June
Buffalo Springs 70.3 -- June
Rhode Island 70.3 -- July
Calgary 70.3 -- August
Lake Stevens 70.3 -- August
Muskoka 70.3 -- September
October/November: IM or IM 70.3 World Championships (or both?), TBA

Thanks to friends and family for being there when I needed you most!

I wish everyone a great off-season look forward to being there with you again in 2010!

Running for HIM,

Kirk Nelson
Professional Triathlete
kirk@trikirk.com
www.trikirk.com

A Review from Bike Diva

2009-11-12T11:06:00.001-06:00

ISM Triathlon Specific Racing Saddle

I recently purchased my first triathlon bike, a Cervelo P2C. You can read all about my experience in getting fit/setup for the new bike in a previous post to the Bike Diva blog: Bike Diva's Getting a Triathlon Bike. Although the seat that came with the bike, A Fizik Arione Tri 2, is a very highly rated, triathlon specific saddle, it just didn't work for me.

Here's a picture of the seat that came with my tri bike. It's a Arione Tri 2 by Fizik.
I was having a lot of problems with being pinched in my lady parts, and was experiencing quite a bit of discomfort, even on my shorter rides. I did quite a bit of research on triathlon specific seats, and decided that I wanted to try the ISM Adamo racing saddle.
Using the ISM Adamo Saddle
The ISM Adamo saddle looks a bit strange at first glance. It looks like the front inch or two of the saddle has been chopped off, then split down the middle. But it's wider width, compared to a traditional, pointy nose saddle, makes a perfect platform for your front sit bones. So now, instead of being supported on your soft private parts, you are being supported on the front of your pelvic bone.

ISM racing saddle in red. Some of my friends think it looks like the cross section of a salmon fillet.
I purchased my tri bike from Racer's Edge, in Boca Raton. They are an authorized ISM saddle dealer, so I took my bike to them so they could put the seat on for me. I could have put the seat on myself, but the ISM Adamo racing saddle geometry is a bit different from a typical bike seat, so I wanted to make sure I had it setup correctly. I was getting ready to race in my first 1/2 Ironman duathlon at Miami Man on November 8, so I wanted to have my bike perfectly setup.

ISM racing saddle on the Bike Diva's Cervelo P2C triathlon bike.
After my first ride on the new saddle I was in heaven. No more pinching or squashing of the tender lady bits. Most of the reviews of the ISM Adamo racing saddle were written by men, but this saddle is perfect for women triathletes too. I did have a problem with elbow and forearm pain after putting the new saddle on, so I went in for a bike fit readjustment the next day. Again, Miami Man was coming up so I wanted everything dialed in perfectly.
The saddle is working great. I competed in Miami Man on November 8th, and came in 3rd place Female Masters in the 1/2 Ironman duathlon. Not too bad considering it was a horribly windy day - winds averaged 18-21 MPH, with gusts up to 30 MPH, for the entire 56 mile bike portion of the race. My butt and lady parts were happy the entire time on the bike.

Side view of ISM Adamo racing saddle.
About ISM Saddles
ISM stands for Ideal Seat Modification. I visited their website to find out more information on their saddles. They offer a variety of saddle designs, including the racing saddle, road saddle, and touring saddle. I decided that since most of my duathlon races are sprint distance, that I wanted to try out the ISM racing saddle. The saddle is also available in a road saddle, which has a bit more padding. The racing saddle is designed for triathletes and time trialers that like to ride in an aggressive forward position.
The ISM Adamo racing saddle retails for $199.95, and is available in black, gray, white, red and blue. I went with the red model, which has gray accents, to match my red and gray Cervelo P2C frame.
Tampa Bay Recreation LLC
PO Box 271531
Tampa, FL 33688
Website: www.ismseat.com

Another view of the ISM Adamo racing saddle.
Bike Diva's Final Words
Since the ISM Adamo racing saddle is radically different from a traditional triathlon seat, I highly suggest testing one out before plunking down the money to buy one. Most bike stores in my area let you test out the bike seats they sell before buying one. You may have to give them a credit card number, or a cash deposit to test out the seats, but the cash deposit is refunded once you bring the seat back, or credited towards the purchase of a new seat. Check your local bike store to find out if they are a ISM Adamo saddle dealer.
Although the ISM Adamo saddles are also available for road bike racers and century bike riders, I wouldn't suggest this saddle geometry for road biking. Your position on a road bike is much further back on the saddle compared to the forward position of a triathlete. I think the ISM Adamo racing saddle is the perfect bike seat for anyone doing time trials, triathlons or duathlons.

Lynn (Bike Diva)
http://www.bikediva.net/2009/11/ism-triathlon-specific-racing-saddle.html

Pro Eric Limkemann checks in

2009-11-11T09:07:00.001-06:00

Ironman 70.3 World Championships Preview

This weekend I will be racing in Clearwater, Florida in my first World Championship race as a professional. After 8 months of racing, this will be my last race of 2009 and hopefully I have saved the best for last! I will be one of 85 pro men who have qualified for the race through various events throughout the world. Given that this will be only my third race at the 70.3 distance, I’m still not sure what to expect, but my goal is to break the 4 hour mark and put together a complete race. Based on the past results of this race, it will be the most competitive race that I have ever attended and I am looking forward to the challenge!
In preparation for the race, I’ve had a lot of help from some great people and companies. Without your support throughout the season, I would not have been able to get to this point. From Trizilla and CSE Corporation helping me get started racing professionally to my current support from Great Clips Salons and friends in the Dayton community, I have been tremendously lucky in building strong relationships. Thank You! As for the race itself…
In the water, I’ve had the privilege to train with and work for the Dayton Raiders over the past two months. As a result of their willingness to accommodate my schedule and provide me with structured training, I am finally getting back to the swim form I had when I was winning big swim primes back 2007. My goal for this race is to mix it up at the front of the pack and come out near or at the front. As always, I’ll be wearing BlueSeventy to maximize my advantage. On a good day, I’d like to be south of 23 minutes coming into T1. If I am in a good position heading into shore, I may push a bit to get out first…
Once on the bike, I will be riding a new HED Jet Disk and Hawk Racing bottom bracket on the Veritas. These upgrades, along with my trusty ISM Saddle and awesome training help from Bob at Bob Duncan Racing should help me in breaking this seasons’ biking slump and maintaining my strong position on the swim. I have put in a tremendous amount of work over the past two months on improving my bike and I believe a 2:10 split is well within my reach if the conditions are right. Regardless of the split, you can look forward to even stronger cycling next season!
Ever since I started racing Triathlon, I’ve been working on not “running like a swimmer”. While I’m still trying to find my 10k speed, I have seen the hard work pay off at the 70.3 distance. I have connected with Newton Running and improved my technique while putting in endless miles under Corey Baxter’s careful guidance. I have been pacing very consistently over the past month and would like to finish the race with a 1:15 split. My goal is to be able to finish the race strong and be prepared to sprint to the line if needed!
Throughout the race, I’ll be wearing a Kiwami Amphibian singlet which s my suit of choice for every race this year. The lightness and comfort of the suit should help in the hot Florida weather. I’ve also recently begun using First Endurance nutrition products and will be using Pre-Race and the EFS Shot during the race to stay fueled and ready to go. I’ve been using Ultragen to recover from my key workouts and it has helped me to feel sharp and fresh day in and day out. I’m now tapered and ready to go!

If you are interested in following the race, check out the official website:
http://ironman.com/events/ironman70.3/worldchampionship70.3

I believe an Athlete Tracker will be available and there may be other places on the web where you can follow along. I’ll send out an update after the race. Wish me luck!

Eric Limkemann

http://www.ericlimkemanntriathlon.com/
www.twitter.com/ericlimkemann

Pro Angela Naeth's ISM Saddle Review

2009-10-29T09:22:00.003-05:00

Got this from TBB Pro athlete and ISM rider, Angela Naeth's blog. http://blogs.teamtbb.com/angelanaeth/

ISM Saddle…THE BEST SEAT IN THE WORLDOctober 21st, 2009 by angelanaeth
When I was first introduced to the ISM Saddle, I was skeptic. This was at the first training camp for Team TBB. Along with a new coach, and a new training venue, I was a bit hesitant to try something new. And as intimate as one gets to their saddle, I didn’t want to change something so drastic.
But thank-god I did! As soon as Brett saw me ride, he suggested I try the saddle. He said at that point, we’re not sponsored by them this year and you’ll have to purchase one, but I think you’ll like it. He must have seen my wiggles while riding. I could never get that perfect position on my previous seat because of the chafing, sore spots and overall pain I would suffer while riding! Every ride left me raw!
So, off I went to the Bike Boutique and purchased my new saddle. White, to match the painted ‘Avia’ Cervelo. I never looked back.
I loved my new ISM saddle the first time I sat on it. After riding it for a few days and others purchasing their own…the team was hooked! Everyone was riding them and TEAM TBB was sponsored by this awesome company once again!
It’s a weird looking seat that is for sure. But it’s the best seat in the world! Looks can be decieving! I’m able to get down low and I haven’t had any chafing problems. I’m comfortable 100% of the time. No joke.
And now that I’m riding indoors a lot while in Canada, I have to give praise to ISM once again. Riding on a turbo is a bit different than riding outside. You’re stuck in position with continued pedaling (no easy downhills, uphills and change). Prior to having an ISM saddle, indoor riding was not fun! I’d get off the bike in pain and I would stay away from the shower because of it!
ISM Saddles… if you haven’t tried one, you’re missing out!

Heather Jackson's Longhorn 70.3 recap

2009-10-28T09:16:00.002-05:00

October 27th, 2009

American Uber Biker and first year professional, Heather Jackson scores big against a star studded field at this weekends Longhorn 70.3 Ironman Event in Austin Texas.American Zeiger exited the warm waters of Decker Lake first in a speedy time of 23:47, followed closely by Canadian Tereza Macel. Despite a slower 32-minute swim, young pro Heather Jackson proved her bike skills will make her one to watch by posting a smoking new course record time of 2:16:33 on the bike, by far the fastest female bike split of the day. Zeiger continued her lead, finishing in 4:14:53, while Jackson ran her way to second place posting the second fastest run of the day @ 1:24:08 and finished in a total time of 4:17:14. Heather proudly raced using her Adamo Road saddle.

Also noteworthy was Brian Fleischmann's 2nd, Tereza Macel's 5th place, and Kirk Nelson's 7th. These three athletes use the Adamo Racing saddle.

TT Bike Fit's Lisbeth Kenyon's Kona Ride

2009-10-24T09:12:00.005-05:00

Here's an article posted by TT Bike Fit's, Todd Kenyon. http://www.ttbikefit.com/ His wife Lisbeth is a stud triathlete and this was her Kona 09 ride. Also note the bike in front of her. That's Fuel Belt's head honcho Vinu's ride. ISM BABY!!

It was Lis' bike split that put her out of reach of the other competitors in her age group (which is typical for her - at IM FL she went sub 5hrs WITHOUT drafting), and out of reach of all but 7 other amateurs (all under 35). This while forcing herself to be conservative and save something for the run. I count six AG women with faster bike splits, which for Lis is "mediocre". But it was obviously still quite good and combined with a decent swim and run, it was good enough for a 10min margin in the AG. Her run was better than it looked as there were several bathroom stops and every aid station was walked. So her running pace averaged well under 8min/mile net in blazing heat. While the crosswinds coming back from Hawi were not very bad this year, the riders endured a wicked and strengthening cross-headwind heading back to town from Kawaihae to the airport - about 25-30 miles. It was essential to be aero, comfortable, and relaxed to make the most of these conditions.

Lis has been riding Kestrels since 1993, and airfoils for about the past six years. This year she was lucky enough to get an Airfoil SL Special Edition. This is a pricey bike (although the Ultegra-equipped SL gets you the same frame for half as much), but it is race ready right out of the box. You get custom matching Zipp 404 clinchers and a Zipp Vuka integrated bar setup. So she has been riding this bike bone-stock all season to smoking bike splits. The Airfoil has been around in various iterations of its unique seat-tube-less design for a while. Recent wind tunnel tests (by Kestrel) show it to be comparable to the P3c. The one question I always had was its lateral stiffness. For 2009, Kestrel massively beefed up the lower portion of the down tube and the bottom bracket cluster. I finally had the opportunity to ride one when I built up a 59cm for a friend. I didn't ride it very many miles, but I was able to switch back and forth between my P3c and the Airfoil several times - and I had each set up identically fit-wise. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the Airfoil felt at least as laterally stiff as my P3 - maybe even stiffer, which really surprised me. Training-bud Vinu also switched to an Airfoil this year from a P3c, with some reservations at first. He no longer misses the P3.Although Lis' bike is mostly stock, we did add a few goodies.

She ran a Speedfil unit for hydration, and was lucky enough to receive a prototype silver "Speed Sok" from Mr. Speedfil himself, David Dietterle. I will have a separate writeup on the Speedfil, but in general we have been very happy with them. They are a good alternative to an aerobar bottle, holding more fluid (40 oz) while centering the weight over the BB instead of out on your bars. They also don't splash sticky stuff all over you. They are certainly more aero than a round bottle, they are easy to fill and easy to drink out of, and the Sok is a neoprene insulator which helps keep the fluid cool. The reflective silver Sok seems to work even better, and it will be available soon. Most athletes configure their Speedfil drinking tubes to stick straight up, like the straw of an aerobar bottle. Lis and I prefer to keeps our tubes between the bars, out of the wind most of the time. We can easily flip it up for a drink. The tube sleeve has a bendable wire which holds the tube in the last position and keeps it from flapping in the wind. And seeing as the MIT boys found a short section of vertical straw could cause as much drag as your front aero wheel saves, we'll keep our tubes hidden.

For rear hydration she used an ISM Quick Draw. Unfortunately some of these have had durability issues so they are in redesign right now. Durability aside, they work very well and appear to hide the bottles better since the cages are angled and the bottles overlap each other in a "V". On the top tube she has a Fuel Belt aero fuel box. Is it really more aero? Not sure. But I am certain it is more aero than no box at all, and the new Trek Speed Concept TT bike uses a similar shape to blend the top tube into the stem complex. The Fuel box has enough room for a tube, CO2, a pill flask, tire irons, and a couple gels.

Her bike has the stock full SRAM Red grupo which works impeccably. Pedals are Keywin CRM Ti which are very light yet have large platforms. I set her up with -3mm axles (narrows her stance by 6mm vs regular pedals) which fit her close-to-the-frame pedaling style better than standard width. Up top she used a Rudy Project Syton open aero helmet. Maybe not the most aero helmet out there, but she felt it was far cooler than her Giro Advantage II, and maybe the best compromise for Kona's heat. Shoes were Specialized tri shoes, which I have also used for a few years now. These work very well for folks with wider forefeet, and they have a small amount of varus wedging built in which works well for most riders. Tires were Vittoria Open Corsa CX 20mm inflated to about 120 psi. It is tough to beat the ride quality of these tires with 320 tpi. Neither of us use power meters or HRMs. We do believe in the value of PM's, but have had had other priorities for the ~$4k it would cost to equip both of us with them!

We both use ISM Adamo race saddles, and have for over two years. We have them on our indoor trainer bikes too. Once you switch, there is no going back, at least for aero position. I have been amazed at how many folks have taken to these saddles on our team, even old-school types. If they are set up properly, they are tough to beat for all-day aero comfort.

That's about it - I must be forgetting something... oh yeah her FIT! We set Lis' current bike up exactly like her prior Airfoil (which she rode last year in Kona). Her old one was a 52cm with 650c wheels, and her new one a 54cm with 700c, but the contact points are identical. Lis takes to a very aggressive aero position quite naturally, so the low stack-long reach Airfoil is perfect for her. She is about 5' 8", but uses an aggressive-for-her-size 14cm of drop. We did shorten the stock stem by 1cm - the Airfoil is very reachy and the 54's reach required a 90mm stem to work for her. Needless to say she uses about a 79 degree effective seat angle to facilitate power production with this fairly hefty drop. Certainly Lis' high power-to-weight ratio is key to her great bike splits, but the fit and equipment have to be there too, and her current setup fits the bill quite well. Look for my thoughts on the new Kestrel 4000 here soon - I promise.

(full disclosure - Lis is a Kestrel team rider and TTBikeFit is an authorized dealer. We also sell Speedfils, Keywins, and ISM products. But in each case the egg came before the chicken - we tested all these products in race conditions, some for years, before agreeing to sell them!)

Kona 2009 Trip

2009-10-20T17:29:00.007-05:00

Those who know me hear me say "livin the dream" often. Well it's true, I DO live the dream. After Eurobike and Interbike, it was time for a trip to the promiseland, Kona, HI. It's hot, windy, and muggy there, but I'm not complaining Kona is beautiful and it's the mecca for those in the sport of triathlon. We had over 20 professional athletes racing the event on our saddles and went in support of them and to show off our 2010 goods. Special thanks to Steve Harad of Kestrel Bicycles and Brad and Mac of Quintana Roo for allowing us some real estate at the expo. Both killer bike companies and pioneers in the sport. Check them out.

It was a ton of fun meeting with our pros over the week and talking with amateurs. We passed out 150 limited edition Kona 2009 tees and my back is still sore from hauling all those tees around the island. At the Triathlete Magazine bike count (a staple in the sport), ISM had 119 saddles counted. That's 54% more than 2008 and 7% of the entire field. HUGE deal for an aftermarket seat company. Thanks to all our dealers and customers!!

It was an incredibly hot day for racing and ISM is proud of all competitors, but we want to give special props to our top ten finishers Tereza Macel for 4th, Sam McGlone for 5th, Jo Lawn for 7th, and Andy Potts for 9th. Way to go!!

Steve and I took a ton of pics. It's time to sort them all out and then post more on the blog and the site. So stay tuned. Here are a few I took on my dated Blackberry. It's time for an upgrade. Oh yeah, I flew to Kauai after the event and eloped with my special lady. Sorry gals, I'm off the market. LOL!

So next it's Longhorn 70.3 and then 70.3 World's in Clearwater. Stay tuned!!

-Dave

Pro Eric Limkemann Checks In

2009-10-20T10:32:00.000-05:00

Augusta 70.3/Los Angeles Triathlon Race Reports

Last weekend I was down south at the inaugural Augusta 70.3 race. I added this race at the last minute after qualifying for World Championships at Lake Stevens last month. I was excited not only to be racing the distance again, but also to compete against a very strong field looking to secure the last few spots for Worlds in November. I drove down Friday with Ashley and spent the night in Blairsville with Jim and Claudia at their amazing lake house. It would have been much easier to stay all weekend, but we packed up and drove the rest of the way Saturday and I got ready to race.

Sunday morning, I was happy to hear that it would be a non-wetsuit swim since I’ve been swimming fast, but unfortunately we would be swimming downstream with a very strong current. I lead for about half of the swim then tucked in behind Brian Fleishman for the rest. We came out of the water in under 20 minutes thanks to the current and I came out of transition in the lead and feeling great! My first few miles on the bike felt a bit sluggish and it went downhill from there. I struggled through the bike with a woeful 2:24 bike split and was worried that I wouldn’t be able to pull off a strong run that I’ve been working on for so long. Luckily, my legs came around and I was able to run a respectable 1:17 split to finish in 17th place with a 4:04. This is my fastest time to date, but the swim current may have helped a bit! The bike split needs to come down a lot over the next month or so if I’m going to be competitive in Clearwater!

After the race, we drove back to Blairsville and had a great time recovering and relaxing on the lake. My down time didn’t last too long though as I packed up the bike and headed out to LA first thing Friday morning…

I arrived in Los Angeles Friday morning and met up with my host for the weekend, Roger Nurnberger. Still a bit fatigued from the previous weekend, I went for a quick swim and bike on the beach to loosen up and get used to the California surf. I was in bed nice and early thanks to the three hour time change. Saturday was a great day of race prep and relaxation capped off a picture perfect pre-race meal and early bed.

Race day came and I was treated to yet another non-wetsuit swim. This week, instead of a current, I was treated to man-eating waves! Given my poor showings in rough water, I was a bit nervous, but managed to have a good swim and come out of the water in the lead pack! (Slowtwitch had a picture of me citing me as first out of the water, but my split time doesn’t have it that way… I definitely wasn’t first to the timing mat at the entrance to transition!). I jumped on the bike with about a pound of sand in my suit and took off on the bike. I felt better this time on the bike, but still had a less than stellar split time to put me 14th and exhausted heading into the run.

Fortunately, my running has been consistent lately and I was able to hold 5:42 miles which are my goal for the half marathon down in Clearwater. I have no top end speed coming off the bike, I was passed my Simon Thompson and another racer to end up 16th. Definitely not the result I was looking for, but I know what I need to do between now and November.

Thank you to everyone who has been a part of my racing over the last two weeks. Thank you to Jim, Claudia, Roger, and Diane for sharing their wonderful homes with me. Also thank you to Brendon of Utopian Coffee for coming out and supporting me in LA. As always, thank you to my sponsors who make it possible for me to race: Newton Running, Kiwami Triathlon, BlueSeventy Wetsuits, ISM Saddles, HED Wheels, Veritas Bikes, and Great Clips Salons. I’m back to training in preparation for 70.3 world championships and getting very well acquainted with my bike trainer. The website will be updated shortly. Until next time, enjoy the warm weather while it lasts!

Eric Limkemann

Hillary Biscay's Challenge Barcelona RR

2009-10-12T00:45:00.002-05:00

Last weekend I had the pleasure of taking part in the newest iron-distance race in the Challenge Series: Challenge Barcelona. I’ve now experienced all three of the iron-distance Challenge races in three different countries, and am looking forward to adding Challenge Copenhagen to the list next August. These events are consistently top-notch, and thus in spite of Challenge Barcelona’s falling just one week before the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii, this reputation and the $50,000 EURO professional prize purse (nearly 1.5x that of a standard ironman ) brought a strong pro field. There were about 70 in total, with 4x ironman champions, including myself, on the pro women’s start list. I knew I had my work cut out for me, but three weeks after Ironman Wisconsin, I was feeling ready for it!
The race actually took place in a little town on the coast, called Calella, which is actually about 50 kilometers away from Barcelona. I was able to arrive 10 days ahead of the event in order to have time to recover from jetlag, and by race day, the locals seemed to have adopted me as one of their own. Their support and encouragement were just incredible.
Challenge Barcelona began with a beautiful, one-loop, 3.8-kilometer ocean swim. In order to ensure fairness on the three-loop, relatively flat bike course, the 1900 participants were divided into hours of wave starts. The pro women even had our own start, two minutes after the pro men! But although it was a nice and friendly swim start, it was not without event for me. As I was walking down to the start area, about 15 minutes before my start, ostensibly, to do a warm-up swim, I felt a hole in the zipper in the back of my wetsuit. Luckily, Felix, the owner of Challenge and a dear friend, was on hand, and I asked him to re-zip my suit for me. “Umm, the zipper is totally broken . . .” he concluded. This was a slight issue, as I didn’t exactly have a spare wetsuit on hand. Freaking out wasn’t going to help, however, and one thing I have learned over the years is that Felix can pretty much make anything happen. He went into problem-solving mode, and I took a few deep breaths and trusted that we would have a remedy within 13 minutes.
Sure enough, just as the pro men were lining up, Felix was pinning my wetsuit closed with a line of safety pins. The swim began with a beach start so, for the first time since I had learned to know better, I started the race dry with no warm-up. However, I also know that a good day at ironman means dealing with just two minor catastrophes, and I can say that my little wetsuit drama was one of just about two such issues that day. Luck was on my side!
I had a sluggish start and thus had the company of many of the other women, except one who had shot off the front of the group. But soon after the first buoy, I was on my own in the deep, clear, blue-green water. I swam alone nearly the entire swim, making my way at first through individual pro male stragglers, and then later, a couple different big groups of them. I felt strong throughout the swim, and was a little disappointed as I popped my head up on the way in to shore and saw a blue cap—another woman—running up the beach. Nevertheless, she wasn’t far ahead and I knew we had over eight hours still remaining in the race.
I started the ride in second, about 40 seconds down, and although I wanted to get to the front straightaway, I kept myself in check with Coach’s instructions, which were to keep things in control for the first 60 kilometers. So I found a pace that was uncomfortable, but not on the rivet; at this rate, I was able to take over the lead of the race at about 10 kilometers. However, at the first turnaround, Katja Konschak, who had lead out of the swim, came back around me. We exchanged positions a couple more times over the next kilometers, at which point I realized that she was going to make me fight to stay in front of her; I didn’t need to be in “fight” mode til 60 kilometers, so I let her set the pace.
Conveniently enough, right about at the 60-kilometer mark, the Belgian freight train—a.k.a. Sofie Goos-- came past. I knew her arrival was imminent; I had a taste of her cycling prowess at the ITU long distance race I’d done in her hometown in July, which she had won, before also going on to beat a stellar field at the Antwerp 70.3 in August. This time I planned to go with her on the bike until my legs fell off. So when she came flying past, I went around Katja and pedaled for dear life. It was excruciating, and it took all of my strength to match this pace; I knew if I lost focus for a second, she would be out of sight. In the first few kilometers, I wondered just how long I would be able to maintain this pace; it didn’t feel like I’d be capable of it for very long! But I just told myself that every kilometer further would at the very least help to build my advantage over the other girls in the field, as after just a few kilometers, I looked back, and Katja had already disappeared.
However, after maybe 10 kilometers, I was able to settle in—to ride this pace and feel somewhat in control. There were a few surges that literally had me seeing nothing but spots, and then I would feel in control again. This was a very important lesson for me, as I have never been very good about letting someone else set the pace on the bike; my body wants to ride my steady uncomfortable pace all day, which is never exactly the same as anyone else’s. But I found that I can get more out of myself when I force myself to focus and push through those changes of pace that my body wants to resist.
My second minor catastrophe of the day came at the end of the first bike loop, at about 70 kilometers, when I missed my special needs bag with my second bottle of calories for the ride. My first was nearly gone, and I knew we wouldn’t be back to the special needs area until we had only 40 kilometers, or just over an hour, to go. Nevertheless, this was iron-distance race #39, and missing bike special needs was certainly not a first-time event for me. On the handful of occasions that this has occurred previously, I’ve been fine with the “just eat whatever they are serving” aid-station substitution plan. This has always worked out alright. However, my foolproof back-up plan was not as effective as usual, as one of the few telltale signs of this being a first-year race was some aid station issues. I only managed to grab 1.5 bananas and a bit of sports drink over the next 70 kilometers.
At the turnaround on the second loop, while I was attempting to convince a volunteer to give me some calories, the string broke. That is, Sofie took off like a bat out of hell and I frantically tried to catch back up, while trying to figure out what the heck to do with the banana I had just managed to get ahold of—I knew I couldn’t afford to lose it, but I certainly had no time for chewing at that point! So I went back into spot-seeing effort mode, while smushing my precious banana between my hand and aerobar. Eventually it became clear that I wasn’t going to get within 15 meters of Sofie again, so I went ahead and got some calories down—and managed to keep the media motorbikes next to Sofie in sight for most of the rest of the ride. I even got my special drink bottle before the last 40-kilometer loop of the bike, so I believe I was able to start the run well-fueled.
My bike ride was a big personal breakthrough. To come off of the bike just two minutes behind a cyclist like Sofie and to be able to ride a 4:57 bike split for the 180 kilometers definitely exceeded my previous best iron-distance bike rides.
I began the run in second place, just two minutes down. But that is where the fun ended. Well, to be more precise, it ended at about 6 kilometers, just after the turnaround on the first run lap, when I faced the headwind for the first time. I had begun the run feeling like the old run legs were, in fact, intact, but the 6 kilometer mark began about 36 kilometers of feeling as if I were running up and down on the spot. And judging by my 3:34 marathon split, I nearly was. Naturally I attempted numerous rounds of convincing myself that it was “just the headwind,” “just a short low point,” and various such theories, but ultimately what I dealt with was in fact 36 kilometers of real struggle. I just kept trying to turn my legs over as fast as they would go, and when they didn’t seem to want to listen to me, I focused on pumping my arms as fast as I could, to see if they’d make my legs go. At about 26 kilometers, I was passed for second place, and for the final lap and a half, I clung desperately to that final podium spot. My sense of entitlement has returned! And it got me across that finish line, very happily, in third place, with a time of 9:32. This was my seventh iron-distance finish in 2009, and I am looking forward to another ironman or two in November. Thanks so much to the Challenge Barcelona organization for having me to this fantastic event, and to all of my sponsors for their support: K-Swiss, PowerBar, Zipp, ORCA, ISM, and FuelBelt.

Team Bayliss checks in with ISM

2009-10-06T10:10:00.001-05:00

For Immediate Release

Britain’s Ironcouple Check-in from Ironman Hawaii

Britain’s Ironcouple, and top ten favourites for this weekend’s Ironman World Championship in Hawaii, Stephen and Bella Bayliss checked in today with the following comment from Bella;

"Today Stephen and I left Team TBB's pre Hawaii training camp in Jeju, South Korea for Kona, Hawaii. We have had a great 4 weeks training and tapering here. The weather here in Jeju is perfect for our preparations for Hawaii.
We are both fit and strong and looking forward to race.

Speaking personally she comments; “It is amazing how quickly time goes! Already it is almost time for the Ironman World Championships again. I am still excited by my 7th place finish there last year.Since Hawaii 2008 I have had 5 Ironman wins so I feel good and strong going into Hawaii. I will play my game smart like I did last year. I will aim at top 10 again. If I do that I will be very, very happy. If I am near the top 10, of course I will be pushing for top 5. Right now I am concentrating on each session at a time to make it possible to have a very strong race. After Hawaii I am not finished, I will go on to race my favorite race, Ironman Florida, where I will race for the 8th year in a row! Having won 5 of them.

Stephen Bayliss comments " The world Ironman championships is my long term goal. I am working everyday to get to the very top there. It may well take a few more years hard work. After finishing in 18th place last year I am really looking to improve on this position, my aim for this year is to be in the top 10, if I do this I will be very satisfied. “

Stephen and Bella race this Saturday, October 10th, 2009 in Kona, Hawaii, USA for full coverage and race results visit www.ironman.com

Heather Jackson podiums on ISM!!

2009-10-04T09:53:00.004-05:00

2009 USA National Track Cycling Championships – October 2nd, 2009

First year Professional Triathlete Heather Jackson (Oceanside, Calif.) defeats 2008 pursuit national champion Kimberly Geist (Emmaus, Pa./Team Alliance Environmental).

In the women’s 3,000-meter individual pursuit, former world champion Sarah Hammer (Temecula, Calif./American Track Foundation) took her ninth national title catching training partner Dotsie Bausch (Irvine, Calif./ATF-Empower Coaching) after the same number of laps as Phinney caught his competitor, seven and a half. Also going head-to-head with Bausch in the qualifier, Hammer posted a Home Depot Center Velodrome record with a time of 3:31.831 with her second lap time even faster than Phinney’s.

In the race for the bronze medal, Heather Jackson (Oceanside, Calif.) defeated 2008 pursuit national champion Kimberly Geist (Emmaus, Pa./Team Alliance Environmental).

Women’s Pursuit
1. Sarah Hammer (Temecula, Calif./American Track Foundation)
2. Dotsie Bausch (Irvine, Calif./ATF-Empower Coaching)
3. Heather Jackson (Oceanside, Calf.)
4. *Kimberly Geist (Emmaus, Pa./Team Alliance Environmental)

Sean "Wattie" Watkins

ISM = WIN

2009-09-30T09:49:00.002-05:00

September 20, 2009 Ironman 70.3 Cancun. Michellie Jones Wins Ironman 70.3 Cancun! Michellie Jones added to her extensive list of Ironman wins with a impressive victory at the 2009 Ironman 70.3 Cancun. Jones led from start to finish to searing hot and humid conditions.
This year no one challenged Jones as she posted the fastest splits for the swim and the run. Three weeks out from the Hawaii Ironman World Championships it looks like Jones is ready to tackle the hardest one day endurance event in the world. Kat Baker 3rd on ISM.

September 27, 2009 Ironman 70.3 Augusta. Olympian Laura Bennett wins on her ISM Adamo Racing.

Cool Team TBB video of Kona Bound Athletes

2009-09-29T09:02:00.002-05:00

ISM has had a relationship with Singapore based Team TBB for 3 years. They have professional althletes from all over the world represented and are one of the strongest teams on the planet. They have garnered multiple Ironman wins, National Champs, and 70.3 wins. Here's an email I received this morning with a cool 4 minute video of the Kona bound racers. Enjoy.

Dear teamtbb sponsors,

We are of course pretty proud that some 10 days from now 12 of our teamtbb pro athletes have been qualified will therefore start the IM World Championships 2010 in Hawaii.

Our final teamtbb training camp is almost completing in Jeju Korea and our folks are ready to go full out in Hawaii.

One of our athletes has spent some time in between her training session to put a little video together called “That TBB Feeling”.

It’s been dedicated to our 12 qualified athletes and we hope you like it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yi7Pnjv6Psk

See you next week in Kona!

Spy shots of Jo Lawn's Kona Bike!!!

2009-09-27T11:54:00.005-05:00

Jo Lawn just sent me an email with soem shots of her Kona rig! It's pretty slick and seems Cervelo is finally outfitting several of their pros with the new P4 crotch rocket. We are stoked to have Jo on the Kona team. She did well in 2008 and I know wants to improve on her time last year. See ya in a week Jo!

-DB

Professional Athlete Ali Shanks checks in.....

2009-09-26T14:22:00.000-05:00

Hey Team

Just thought I would keep you up to date with what I've been up to this week. Below are links to two articles that featured in the ODT today.
One about Craig and I doing the Rail Trail 100 race this weekend and the second about a breakfast talk I did in Alexandra yesterday to 50 high school captains.
http://www.odt.co.nz/sport/cycling/75029/cycling-shanks-saddle-classic

http://www.odt.co.nz/your-town/alexandra/75030/shanks-offers-inspiration

It's a busy week with another talk tomorrow morning as part of the Dunedin version of the Otago Secondary Sport Association Captain breakfast (which I'm told there is 120 expected) and then I'll be on the Classic Hits Breakfast show on Friday morning,having a yarn and helping to promote the Rail Trail 100 adventure ride which is a major fundraiser for Cycling Otago and happening this Sunday. I'm just hoping the southerly blows through by then, apparently last year they had snow!!!!

Next week I'm heading up to Christchurch to do a breakfast talk with Rainbow Print. "Going for Gold with Rainbow Print and Ali Shanks". It will be great to see the Rainbow team again and I'm looking forward to sharing my story and photos with them all.

Next week finishes off with an engagement as dinner speaker at the Registered Electricians annual conference on next Thursday night in the Dunedin Town Hall.

Also, most importantly training is going really well, the weather has been great up until now today - where it is currently 6deg and I have the fire on! I'm starting to decrease the km's a bit now and increase the intensity (the hurt sessions) as I gear up for first National track camp of the season in two weeks time in Invercargill.
That's all for now. I've been using twitter lately as a communication tool so you can follow what's happening on a daily basis through that if you wish. It is linked to the front page of my website.

Regards

Ali

ISM signs Pro Jozsef Major

2009-09-22T05:17:00.003-05:00

ISM is pleased to announce our latest recruit, Jozsef Major. Jozsef has been using the Adamo Racing and Quick Draw unit for over a year. We decided to make things official. Jozsef is 5x Hungarian National Champion and ran away from the competition in the 2008 Ironman Arizona. Check out our site for more updates as he tears up the triathlon field. Jozsef's next event will be Ironman Hawaii.

I leave for Interbike in a few hours and will have much more to blog about as the week ends.

-Dave

Sarah Haskins' World Cup Race Report

2009-09-20T16:07:00.002-05:00

Gold Coast World Championship Series Finale:
On Sunday, September 13th, I competed in the world championships in Gold Coast, Australia. This was the final race of a five part race series, with the finale having a bit more weight (1/3 more points) in the overall standings. The race started later in the afternoon (2:45PM) and was perfect racing temperatures, with highs in the lower 70s. The wind did pick up quite a bit before our race start, which led to very choppy waters and turned into more of a strength bike/run (although the course was mostly flat).The swim conditions suited my strengths, as it was cold and choppy. I started out the swim in second position at the first turn buoy (250meters) and followed the athlete in front of me. I remember thinking we made a very sharp turn and I remember NOT making this sharp of a turn in the warm-up swim. After about 50 meters or so, I realized that we were swimming far off course and I turned back left to head to the right direction. I finished the first lap in front, winning the swim prime. The second lap, I knew I had a gap from the field, but just focused on staying within my limits and not pushing too hard. I ran out of the water with a 15 second lead into T1.Once I got on the bike I pushed it hard for the first 2k and then realized there was a pack of six behind me. I soft-pedaled until the group caught me and then we all worked very well together pace lining over the eight lap course. The course was very smooth and not too technical, so we had straight sections were could rotate through and work together. We ended up getting a 50 second lead on the chase pack and over a two minute lead over the third pack.One of my goals this weekend was to get off the bike in great position. I attacked just heading into the turns before transition and ended up exiting third, just behind Lisa Norden and Emma Moffett. Things were going great, but as I racked my bike, my bike fell over and my shoe flew over to another athlete’s transition. I had to re-rack my bike (to be sure I would not get DQ’d) and lost a precious six seconds. Instead of running out of the transition with Lisa, I was behind and had to work my way up. I quickly worked my way to fourth and after 1500meters I was in third and held that position most of the run. I was feeling great most of the run and keeping close distance behind Emma and Lisa; however, on the third lap I felt my foot beginning to fatigue and I lost some time to the leaders. On the last lap, Helen Tucker was coming on very strong and surged past me with about 600meters to go. I was not able to respond to her surge as my muscles would not push my body any farther. My dreams and goals of a podium finish were shot and I crossed the line in fourth. Although I was very disappointed with my fourth, I have to focus on all the positives of the race.Also, I thought that I would hold onto my fifth place in the series, since I finished in fourth. However, with Helen Jenkins finishing in third, I was bumped to sixth in the series. Danellia Ryf finished sixth in the race and fourth overall, Helen was third in the race and fifth overall and I finished forth in the race and was sixth overall. Although I finished sixth, it was almost a three way tie!I have two major races left this season…LA Triathlon and the Dallas Triathlon. My goal is to finish the series up on top, but each race will be very challenging because many international athletes are going to be in attendance.I will keep you posted!
Best Wishes--Sarah

Hillary Biscay's IMWI Race Report

2009-09-20T16:04:00.001-05:00

Last weekend I had the pleasure of racing Ironman Wisconsin for the fourth consecutive year. Although my “home” is in Arizona, and I have in fact never lived in Wisconsin, Madison has become my “hometown race.” I even have an adopted home, family, and dog thanks to Kari Myrland, a local ironwoman and dear friend, who has been my homestay since 2006.
2009 was to be a particularly special year for me in Madison because it provided my first opportunity to defend an ironman title, as I won my first ironman here last year—and the Biscay family was coming to see it! I’ve had some of the breakthrough events in my career here in Madison—not to mention some of my most enjoyable racing experiences—and my family was always back home in California, watching online. I really wanted to put on a good show for them and to maintain my streak of podium finishes in Madison (My record was: 2nd 2006, 2nd 2007, 1st 2008.).
While, as defending champion, one gets a lot of questions to the tune of, “Are you going to win again?!” I have learned the hard way over the years that, defending champion or not, expecting a win or even thinking too much about it can be a very dangerous thing over this long distance. And it doesn’t take a genius to see that I have had a rough twelve months since my win in Madison last year; my primary goal was to turn things around and simply put together a good swim-bike-run. The women’s start list for the race this year was impressive, and I figured that podium spots would be harder to come by than ever before; so I let everyone else talk about who would win and other such matters, and focused on smashing myself.
Automatic smashfest mode set in early, as I had my usual sluggish first 100 meters or so at the swim start and found myself seemingly behind every pro male in the field. I soon saw a group splitting off quite a bit up ahead, with Big Sexy (a.k.a. Chris McDonald)’s bright green cap in the midst. I needed to be there. It was urgent. I knew that I could not let this group get away. With great swim-bikers like Gina Ferguson, Amy Marsh, and Ali Fitch in the women’s field, I knew I could not risk having the front of the race swim away from me. And If I missed a beat, it just might. Hence the urgency. I swam like I was doing a 200-meter race, looking up every few strokes to see if I had made it to the group yet. Each time I checked, the caps hardly seemed closer. “Soon they will tire!” I told myself, and kept digging in. This process played on repeat until I had essentially red-lined it all the way to the first swim turnaround, or one quarter of the way through the 2.4-mile swim. There I grabbed onto the train, which felt like switching from a timed swim in the pool to warmdown….ahhh.
Still, it was a long train and I knew I could not just become complacent there at the back. Zoning out back there can often result in getting dropped if someone at the front gets ambitious and the group splits. So, once I recovered, I made my way around the train to get a view of the front and check things out. Eventually, it became clear that nothing crazy was likely to be happening amidst our group, and that these boys were ready to fight me for their respective sets of feet, so I settled back in at the back and saved my energy. Until the complete train-dismantling mayhem of the last quarter of the swim, that is…
Because Ironman Wisconsin has a two-loop swim, and the amateurs start the race ten minutes behind the pros, during our second loop, we lap a number of these athletes. Most of this occurs as we swim towards the finish on the second loop. It inevitably results in total chaos, as we try to navigate through masses of people swimming backstroke, sidestroke, treading water, and the like. So once our “group” hit the swim finish, we were a bit strung out, since the last few hundred meters of the swim were “every man for himself.”
The first transition in Madison is epic. We emerge from Lake Monona and then have to run up the four-story, helix-shaped ramp to the top level of the Monona Terrace to the change rooms and bikes. The spectators are allowed to line the sides of the Helix and are also packed onto the observation decks at the top of the Terrace. I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face as I made that seemingly-long and painful rush to the top because the noise from those crowds was truly deafening. I knew I had more of this to look forward to over the next nine hours and that it was going to be a great day.
While I was in the change tent grabbing my helmet and glasses, I asked the volunteers how many girls had been through already. They said none. This meant I had time to put on socks! But I was still dubious about how there could be no women in sight, and as I grabbed my bike, I stole a quick glance over at the rack to check that, in fact, all the women’s bikes were still there. It turns out that I had about a two minute advantage over the next woman, but I didn’t know that.
If I had the lead, I decided, I was going to make these front-running-type athletes have to work to get to where they wanted to be. So I set out on what some might call a sort of suicide mission on that bike. The race could have been 40 kilometers or 180 kilometers; my pace would have been pretty much the same. My legs felt fresh, and thus were cooperating with the “attack” mode that seems to take over my mind as soon as I hit my home course.
I took every minute at the front as a welcome bonus, but I felt sorry for the cameramen on motorbikes who were forced to watch my vomitfest, which was slowly building over the course of the first lap. I didn’t have a chance to worry it, however, as I was spurred on by lots of enthusiastic spectators who were camped out across the farmland, and by special handmade signs along the bike course. I caught a glimpse of a yellow sign that seemed to read, “Did you know that muskrats were once the size of bears?” and started to think that I was already hallucinating . . . Matty Lieto wasn’t in this race; surely there couldn’t be anyone else here who else could be obsessed with muskrats and beavers! Shortly thereafter, I recognized my name on another yellow sign “Muskrat Xing.” Now you see why I couldn’t help but smile all day! I immediately began to mentally give my little sis credit for being a much more hardcore spectator than I had imagined, thinking that she’d traveled all the way out into the bike course to plant a sign for me . . . It turns out that it wasn’t Cameron at all: a local supporter knew of my strange affinity for furry brown freshwater creatures. Like I’ve said many times over, the locals in Madison are incredible!
Much to my surprise, I didn’t meet another female pro until just before mile 50—right at what I always find to be the toughest part of the course: the short, steep hill that follows immediately after the longer climb up Old Sauk Pass. I always feel like I am crawling up that little one, and there are always so many spectators there, urging us on; if I had any wind in my lungs, I would tell them, “I can’t go any faster—I can’t feel my legs!” Anyways, just after I’d made it up that hill, I was feeling really special (sarcasm), and Amy Marsh passed me. So much for feeling fresh and ready to go with her when she came; I was going to have to try to go whether my legs wanted to or not. I went with her for a few miles, until the other longer climb on the course, the Midtown hill, where the elastic band snapped. Ouch. Next goal: keep her in sight! I managed to do this through Verona—where I got to see my family and give them the thumbs-up -- and onto the start of the second loop. Then I was on my own.
Ali Fitch passed me somewhere along the way on this second loop, and eventually disappeared out of sight for awhile also, but I honestly still cannot remember exactly when this happened; perhaps I acquired dehydration-induced amnesia. My second bike loop was consumed by my increasingly-frequent sickness. It was a vicious cycle because it was getting fairly warm outside and I kept feeling thirsty, but every time I would take in water or my sports drink (from which I get all of my calories on the bike), it would come right back up. This was all very strange for me, because although I often feel quite nauseous during and after races, in my 37 previous ironmans, I have never vomited before or after a race! Additionally, I hadn’t changed anything about my pre-race or race fuel on this day, so I couldn’t figure out what was making me sick. The only possible cause I can imagine is that something in that lake water did it; the locals tell me that the beaches had been closed a fair amount prior to the race because the water was dirty. Anyways, being new to this experience, I wasn’t entirely sure how to deal with it, so I opted to just keep trying to take in calories and tried to just sip on water, even though I was so thirsty that I wanted to guzzle gallons of it. Mentally, I convinced myself that I was only vomiting up half of what I was taking in, so I was still getting in some of the calories that I needed (Whether this was the reality, I am not sure, but I chose to believe it.) Second, I flashed back to some old Kona footage I’ve seen in which Natascha (Badmann, 6x Hawaii Ironman Champion), pukes while running her way to a World Championship win. Long story short, I didn’t let this strange illness worry me, but it was fairly unpleasant and I felt increasingly worse as the miles went on.
I did have a pleasant surprise in the second transition, however, when I met up with Ali Fitch again: I was happy to see that second place was within striking distance. I had a bit of trepidation, however, about those elusive run legs. They have been giving me a bit of grief this season, causing me to question whether they would choose to come to the party or not.
The Madison run course starts with a slight uphill, which never feels special, but straightaway, I breathed a sigh of relief, as I could feel that my run legs were in attendance. Game on. Ali was a block ahead and I wasn’t going to let her get away if I could help it. I didn’t have a watch on, but the pace was uncomfortable from the start. I just had to trust my training and go with it.
The Ironman Wisconsin run is the highlight of the race. It isn’t a fast run course, because we are continually turning and going back and forth in order to maximize our exposure to the spectators; so it’s not that the course is all that much more difficult than any other ironman run, but with this sort of design, it prevents us from getting into a nice steady rhythm. What we sacrifice in terms of marathon splits, however, we more than make up for through the experience of being spurred along by thousands of screaming supporters. Regardless of how I am feeling, I can never back down during the marathon here because the crowds simply wouldn’t allow it.
This year it meant that my family was amongst these thousands; mentally, I broke my run down into shorter segments, at the end of which I looked forward to each of the many times I would get to run past my family. I felt quite strong during the first loop of the run and eventually managed to pass Ali for second; I knew I couldn’t get too comfortable in this spot, however, as there were lots of strong girls still behind me.
Although I hardly let myself notice it, with about 9-10 miles to go--which is, on a good day, my best part of the race—my legs started not wanting to cooperate. In retrospect, I am guessing that all of the fuel and hydration I lost while sick on the bike was catching up with me. I didn’t think about that much while I was running, however; instead, I just told myself that maybe I would bounce back in a few miles. Unfortunately, the only thing that came back to me in a few miles was my competition! Irene Kinnegim had a great race and caught me with about 5 miles to go; despite my efforts, I couldn’t match her pace. I was in third and running scared, forcing my tight legs to turn over as fast as they would all the way to the finish line.
After a very tough twelve months, running down that finish chute for another podium finish in Madison was nearly as fulfilling as running in for my first win last year. I’ve learned a lot over the past year in the journey to get back to this place where I am racing well and thoroughly enjoying the sufferfest; perhaps it has made me appreciate being here even more. I am now back in the “When can I get out there again?!?!” mode and luckily for me, it won’t be long . . . Next up is the iron-distance Challenge Barcelona on October 4th. I want to thank all of my awesome sponsors for believing in me: K-Swiss (http://www.kswiss.com/), PowerBar (http://www.powerbar.com/), ORCA (http://www.orca.com/), Zipp (http://www.zipp.com/), ISM (http://www.ismseat.com/), and FuelBelt (http://www.fuelbelt.com/).

Becky Lavelle's Star Studded Nautica Tri RR

2009-09-17T18:48:00.003-05:00

Sept 12 . 2009
Malibu Triathlon

I had a great time in Malibu this past weekend… racing the Olympic Distance Pro race on Saturday and the swim on a Celebrity Relay on Sunday. I felt pretty good going into this race. I felt like I had some speed back after training for the 70.3 race in August and I was ready to race hard. I had a great swim, caught a couple of waves coming in, and exited in about third close to a few other women. It took me a little while to warm-up on the bike (seems to be a recurring thing!) but once I found my rhythm I felt strong and built up a 1:05 margin over second place coming off the bike. I was hoping this would be enough to hold off Olympian Laura Bennett with a solid run, but unfortunately she passed me with a mile to go and I couldn’t quite hold her pace. I finished in second, just 12 seconds back! I felt great all day and gave it everything I had… it’s nice to add another podium finish to my results this year. J

Sunday was a fun day mingling with the ‘stars’. I was put on a celebrity relay, Team LOST, that included Carlton Cuse (executive producer of LOST) and Mike Benson (top marketing/advertising guy for ABC)… both really nice guys AND they were fast. We won the coed relay division! It was also fun seeing Jeremy Piven, Teri Hatcher, Toby from The Office, Mario Lopez, Felicity Huffman and William Macy. I hope to go back next year to defend our title!

Back to training for a few weeks with my next race being LA Triathlon on October 4th. Thank you again for your support and I hope we can continue to work together in 2010. Let’s try to chat about that soon as I know it’s that time of year again.

All the best,
Becky

Chris McDonald's IMWI Race Report

2009-09-17T07:46:00.004-05:00

Hi Guys

Well another Ironman has come and gone and we now have 29 of them in the bank and I can tell you I am still learning something new every time.

I had travelled to Madison in with great preparation and was looking forward to defending the title . It is such a privilege to wear the #1 in an IM but also bring a BIG fat target with it .
We lined up Sunday morning in a very warm lake monona and I was ready to go . As the canon fired I felt like i was on some you tube clip with kimbo slice I had never been hit so many times in a swim start along with being pull and pushed under it was awesome;-)

A found myself in the second pack and was happy to stay there but I was still being absolutely hammered and there was only about 10 people in our pack now. Half way through the swim I did loose my bright green swim cap and then ....the beating stopped. so now my target on the side of my head was at the bottom of lake monona and I could go about the day ahead.

Having raced in Madison 3 time before i knew that just about everyone would take the bike out way to hard and was was just excited to get out on the course and chase down the leaders. we ended up catching the Raynard around half way through the bike and had everyone i wanted in check , Raynard did drop off the bike pack to start but managed to claw back on around 30 kms later. so now we were down from around 12 in the group to 4 as I rolled up the helix and into T2 with the fastest bike split of the day.

I had bike about as easy as I ever have in an IM and was excited to see what the run had in store for me , as we ran out onto the streets of Madison I took the lead but had a young German pretty keen on tracking me down , we did end up running shoulder to shoulder but I just knew the pace was to hot and let him go . a good 8 miles had rolled by now and i was holding 2nd place and gaining again on 1st . as we approached the 12 mile mark I regained the lead . So now my thought were about just trying to control the pace and hold of a resurgent Tisnink . I was very happy with how things were coming along and then mile 15 comes up and apparently the road had turned to quicksand except I was the only one who fell in. the next 4 miles were misery!

Iike I said you learn something new every time and I now know that running 2:50 pace on a course were the run course record in 2:56 in not a good idea :-) I contemplated calling it a day many times but just jogged it in after those 4 miles of walk/jog/walk and held onto 5th place.

you always learn something from the races were things go wrong .
Next up Kona.

www.chris-mcdonald.net
www.twitter.com/bigsexymcdonald

ISM saddles take State Champs and World Champs

2009-09-15T16:52:00.005-05:00

Just heard word from stud extraodinaire and National Sales Manager for Kuota Bicycles, Paul Thomas. He just won the Arizona TT State Champs. Here he is on his Kuota Kueen K and Adamo Racing saddle. Congrats Paul. See ya next week.

I also found out that the Masters World TT Championships in Europe was won by a guy racing an Adamo Racing saddle. Stoked to hear ISM is making an impact in the Roadie scene.

Things have been busy here since our return from Eurobike. We picked up 4 new distributors and they are all placing opening orders. Big props to Comet Distribution in Spain for stepping up! It's great to have more exposure in Europe. Next week is Interbike and we'll have our booth. In fact, Steve just finalized the shipment of the booth today. Come on by and introduce yourself. We're at Booth 5371. ISM is all about comfort so come on over and take a load off on our couch.

I've been able to put some more miles on the 2010 Adamo Podium. It's our new road racer saddle and man is it slick. We had some help with the design from some Tour riders and I'm sure it's gonna be a hit. We have another model we are debuting at Interbike so stay tuned.

ISM Athletes in the news:

August 9, Ironman 70.3 Bracebridge Tyler Lord WINS
August 15, EnbrunMan Ironman Bella Bayliss WINS just a week after winning IMUK.
August 16, Ironman 70.3 Lake Stephens Washington Becky Lavelle WINS, Michellie Jones 3rd, and Eric Limkemann 4th.
August 16, Hulaman half ironman triathlon Brandon Marsh 3rd
August 22, ITU World Cup Yokohama Japan Sarah Haskins finishes a strong 9th
August 23 Ironman 70.3 Timberman Andy Potts WINS

August 30 Sarah Haskins WINS, Sarah Groff 2nd, Becky Lavelle 3rd, Rebeccah Wassner 4th, and Laurel Wassner 6th at Chicago Triathlon
August 30 Kat Baker 7th at Ironman Canada
August 30 Nina Kraft WINS and Lisbeth Kristensen 2nd at Ironman Kentucky
September 6 Heather Jackson 5th at Ironman 70.3 Monaco
September 12 Sarah Haskins 4th at ITU Worlds Gold Coast
September 13 Tyler Lord 3rd at Ironman 70.3 Montreal
September 13 Hillary Biscay 3rd, Chris McDonald 5th, Mac Brown 8th, and Brandon Marsh 10th at Ironman Wisconsin
September 13 Laura Bennett WINS and Becky Lavelle 2nd at Malibu Triathlon

Till next time.

Kat Baker's Ironman Canada Race Report

2009-09-09T06:23:00.005-05:00

Ironman Canada August 30 2009

Well, Ironman #2 and i was so ready to take it on again. I wasn’t as nervous as before Busselton because i knew i could do it- however this course was going to be hard, riding over 2 passes and numerous hills to get there. Plus the run was over something similar. Preparation had been pretty good. I had done 6 solid weeks of training, with a race 3 weeks out- boulder half ironman which went well i managed to pick up 5th in a field of 3 world champions! The drive to Canada was very eventful however, with 2x car tyre changes, 1x emergency accom when we couldn’t find the house, 1x car being impounded (at least it wasn’t stolen!) and 1x ran out of petrol in the middle of a busy hwy. All that in 2 lots of 13+ hour days and one5 hour driving days- oh and we were pulled over by cops once and almost towed again when the neighbours didn’t like the look of our car and called the cops. After all that we were fired up and ready to race. Race day Everything went smoothly until somehow i managed to loose the valve from my tyre. Dont ask me where it went because i have no idea. Anyway with a few runs from the portaloo (where i didn’t loose any keys) and the bike tent i was off to the start with a reassurance that i would have a front wheel by the time i got on my bike. My swim was good. I knocked off 5min from my previous swim time and i have to admit it was the easiest triathlon swim i have ever done- i contemplated doing some backstroke while i was sitting in the pack- so in the end i wish i had have been in the pack infront but second female out of the water, i cant complain. Transition also went very smoothly. Wetsuit off and onto the bike, no trouble there. Until bam. The cramps hit. I started getting very nervous. I had trained all year for this one event and the cramps had to hit me right then and there. I decided i was not going to pull out no matter how bad they got. And they got bad. I was coasting- out of the saddle with straight legs. Gently i tried to ease into sitting without much luck so i peddled a little bit out of the saddle, sat down and coasted. I did this for 22mins! As i was doing this people were passing me- numerous guys and 7-8 girls. There went my swim lead. Finally after the 22 mins, they started easing off. YES! They had eased in a race before so i knew it was possible. After 25min they were gone completely. I started smashing it, i had a lot of ground to make up. At about the 1hr mark they came back a little- but nowhere near as bad- so i stretched a bit and after about 10min they were gone and never to return again. In the end i think this contributed to a less than average bike time. But i was off in 4th place so i had done some pretty good catching up. Transition 2 was also good and quick. My run started well on the out and back course. I held a great pace and the 5 girls that were right behind me didn’t pass me despite me telling myself to prepare because here they come. They did eventually get me. All just before half way. I started loosing time when my left foot went completely numb. I couldn’t feel a thing and all i could hear was a thud thud thud as i ran. I just hoped i wouldn’t roll it. Anyway i eventually stopped and loosened my shoe laces. I also put my timing chip over the top of the compression socks (took it out from under)- that may have contributed. The return run was the typical death march. The course was so hilly both out and back and a grimaced every time i saw another hill coming...But i kept running and after a few girls passed me i was in 7th. I managed to pick my pace up to 4.30k/h for the last couple of k- which went on forever! Down the finish chute and i had ended up in 7th place in 10.05. I wanted under 10hours and possibly a podium but i did struggle out there a bit so i am stoked i was able to pull that off. Next Ironman will be Ironman WA again, in December. This time i have a podium to chase! Now we’re off to mexico for Cancun 70.3 and more importantly a well deserved holiday on the beach. I just want to thank everyone who had helped me out this year. Bike Shed for looking after me with bikes. Thank you for trusting me and making sure i always have a ride. ISM for the awesome saddle, it performed just as good as i could have hoped and the 180k ride was as comfortable as ever, Velocity for the training wheels- i even get an advantage in training they are so light! Sailfish for an unbelievable fast and comfortable wetsuit- it fits like a glove- fastest swim time for me! CEP for the compression socks- i know they kept my legs from blowing up and the entire 11000miles of travel in an old car has been that much more do-able with those socks! Also to Fuelbelt for all those little things that make racing that much easier.

Kat

Eurobike 2009

2009-09-09T05:47:00.013-05:00

Another successful trip completed. In all my years in the bike industry, this was my first Eurobike. And it was a blast. It's a far easier flight to deal with after working the Taipei show. Steve and I decided to fly into Zurich and drive to the show in Friedrichshaffen, Germany. I met Steve in Atlanta and we headed to the crown room for a few cocktails as we both are uncomfortable with flying. Once we arrived in Zurich we met Duncan who runs and is one of our ISM Europe guys. Got the car, made the ferry to Germany and set up at the show. You wouldn't expect a show of this size to be in a relatively small town in Southern Germany, but turns out it was a great place to host a bike show. Friedrichshaffen is an industry town and is famous for manufacturing blimps, car transmissions, and assorted airplane parts. Again, it's not very big so exhibitors typically stayed within a 50k radius of the show. The countryside was beautiful and we enjoyed some wonderful dinners and tasty German Beer (Brad from Triathlete would surely approve).

It's always fun attending these shows. You get to meet your dealers, distributors, and old industry friends. It's also an opportunity to show off our next year's product line and brag about how well our pros have done this year and how our seat is better and why. :) We met several dealers interested in bringing in the ISM product line at the show and solidified distribution in four new countries! All in all, it was a great Eurobike for ISM. Big things are happening for 2010. Stay tuned.

After the show, Duncan left us and Steve and I got a cab, to catch a ferry, to ride a train back to Zurich. We spent a day and a half in Switzerland's finest city. It was a great way to wind down the trip.

My home away from home in Meersburg, Germany. Great stay and had free wifi!

Kestrel's new badass UCI legal TT Machine. The 4000 sporting the 2010 Adamo Racing saddle. Thanks Harad!

Here I am in Zurich trying to get cozy with a local.

On the ferry leaving Friedrichshaffen, Germany heading to Switzerland. It was a great day for sailing.

ISM's new road racer model, the Adamo Podium. Longer, narrower, lighter.

My phone sucks, but here I am with Tour champ Contador.

Steve enjoying some of Germany's finest while showing off the 2010 Adamo Racing seat.

These are just a couple of cool shots my good friend Cassidy Phillips of Trigger Point Therapy took of his son. Seems the kid loves his Adamo!! http://www.tptherapy.com/

The ISM Team goes Bowling?????

2009-09-08T15:50:00.005-05:00

No, we have not changed occupations, nor are we going out on tour (except maybe Steve Gordon), but today was quite an event. With family and friends, we wore our new ISM bowling shirts and participated in the second annual Jason Ackerman Memorial Bowl-A-Thon with the proceeds going to the Children's Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida.

Along with enjoying each other's company, we had two celebrities bowl with us, Tyrone Timmons, from the Tampa Bay Storm and Stylez White, from the Tampa Bay Bucaneers. I have to say, Tyrone is quite the bowler and was trying to teach many of us, though, I don't know that he succeeded. Stylez needs to stay playing football-but he was a great team player.

We had 2 teams--which we dubbed the A Team and the B Team (B for bumpers). Due to the great bowling by the A team, the ISM team won the event with the highest score. But, most of all, we supported the Ackermans and the Children's Cancer Center. That was what it was all about.

Enjoy the pictures- Laura

One more reason to use Adamo Peak saddles

2009-09-08T08:19:00.000-05:00

US Findings in the Scrotum of Extreme Mountain Bikers1
Ferdinand Frauscher, MD,
Andrea Klauser, MD,
Arnulf Stenzl, MD,
Gernot Helweg, MD,
Birgit Amort, MD and
Dieter zur Nedden, MD
+ Author Affiliations

1From the Departments of Radiology II (F.F., A.K., G.H., B.A., D.z.N.) and Urology (A.S.), University Hospital Innsbruck, Austria. From the 1999 RSNA scientific assembly. Received June 21, 2000; revision requested July 28; revision received September 5; accepted October 2. Address correspondence to F.F., Department of Radiology, Division of Diagnostic Ultrasound, Thomas Jefferson University, 132 S 10th St, Main Bldg, Seventh Fl, Philadelphia, PA 19107-5244 (e-mail: ferdinand.frauscher@uibk.ac.at).
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Abstract
PURPOSE: To sonographically investigate whether mountain bikers have a higher prevalence of scrotal abnormalities compared with that in nonbikers.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty-five male mountain bikers (mean age, 25 years; age range, 17–45 years) and 31 healthy nonbikers (mean age, 24 years; age range, 15–37 years) were examined for scrotal findings at ultrasonography (US). Only male subjects with a history of extensive off-road biking (≥2 h/d 6 d/wk; covered distance, >5,000 km/y) were assigned to the group of mountain bikers, whereas the control group did not engage in bicycling. In addition to clinical evaluation, US examination of the scrotum was performed by using a linear-array transducer operating at a frequency of 8.0 MHz.
RESULTS: Eighty (94%) mountain bikers had abnormal findings at scrotal US. Thirty-nine (46%) had a history of intermittent scrotal tenderness or discomfort but no severe scrotal trauma. Abnormal findings at US included scrotal calculi in 69 (81%), epididymal cysts in 39 (46%), epididymal calcifications in 34 (40%), testicular calcifications in 27 (32%), hydroceles in 24 (28%), varicoceles in nine (11%), and testicular microlithiasis in one (1%). In the control group, abnormal findings were noted in five (16%), all of whom had epididymal cysts. The overall difference in the number of scrotal abnormalities in bikers compared with the number in nonbikers was significant (P < .0001, χ2 test).
CONCLUSION: US shows a significantly higher prevalence of extratesticular and testicular disorders in these mountain bikers compared with nonbikers.
Athletic injuries, 847.43
Epididymis, 847.311, 847.81
Scrotum, abnormalities, 847.43
Scrotum, calculi, 847.81
Scrotum, US, 847.1298, 847.12983, 847.12989
Testis, calculi, 847.81
Since their introduction in the late 1970s, off-road bicycles—commonly known as mountain bikes—have become increasingly popular worldwide (1). There are currently an estimated 10 million mountain bikers in the United States. As the popularity of off-road cycling has increased, so have the interest in and level of participation in the competitive aspects of the sport (2).
Bicycle injuries are an important cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States and account for about 500,000 visits per year to emergency departments, with estimated annual economic costs of more than $1 billion (3). Cyclists are in contact with their bicycles at the pedals, seats, and handlebars, each being associated with particular injuries (4,5). Comparisons between on- and off-road cycling events indicate that more off-road cyclists sustain fractures, dislocations, and concussions than their on-road counterparts (6). It is, above all, off-road biking that causes repeated, chronic microtrauma of the perineum secondary to shocks and vibration of the saddle from the rough terrain (2).
Perineal trauma, such as chafing, perineal folliculitis and furuncles, subcutaneous perineal nodules, and traumatic urethritis, are related to the bikers’ contact with the saddle (7,8). Problems of this kind can be minimized by adjusting the seat height, angle, and fore and aft positions, in addition to using a different saddle (1). Furthermore, male impotence, probably developing as a complication of pudendal neuropathy, has been documented (9–13) as an occasional problem. Use of padding in both saddles and shorts may prevent these problems.
So far, no association between biking and alterations of the scrotal contents has been reported, to our knowledge. Yet, microtrauma may cause pathologic changes in the scrotum.
Ultrasonography (US) is the method of choice for imaging the scrotal contents (14). This imaging modality allows for accurate differentiation between the testicular and the extratesticular space and excellent depiction of the testis, the epididymis, and the intrascrotal portion of the spermatic cord (15). At US, scrotal abnormalities have been found (16,17) in 29% of healthy individuals and in 40% of infertile men. The majority of these abnormalities were epididymal and testicular cysts. Calcifications were found (16) in 3% of healthy individuals.
In the present study, scrotal US with a high-frequency transducer was used to investigate whether mountain bikers have a higher prevalence of scrotal abnormalities compared with nonbikers.
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MATERIALS AND METHODS
Study Population
Between March and December 1999, 85 male amateur mountain bikers aged 17–45 years (mean age, 25 years ± 9.8 [SD]) volunteered to enter this study. All of them reported a minimum of 2 h/d 6 d/wk of off-road biking. Furthermore, they had all covered a distance of more than 5,000 km with their mountain bikes annually. Their biking experience varied from 7 to 26 years (mean, 11 years ± 5.6). An additional 31 healthy nonbiking volunteers aged 15–37 years of age (mean age, 24 years ± 8.3) were included as control subjects. The comparison between the age of the mountain bikers and that of the control subjects revealed no statistically significant difference (P > .05, Student t test). Approval for this study was obtained from the institutional review board, and written informed consent was obtained from both the bikers and the nonbikers.
At the Department of Urology, all bikers and nonbikers underwent clinical assessment, including evaluation of a history of pain, discomfort, and scrotal trauma or inflammation, as well as scrotal inspection and palpation for swelling, induration, tenderness, or other abnormalities (ie, a palpable mass or irregularity on the surface of the scrotal contents).
US Examination
US was performed together and findings were interpreted in consensus by two radiologists (F.F., A.K.) with extensive experience in genitourinary US.
For the investigations, a US unit (Sequoia 512; Acuson, Mountain View, Calif) equipped with a high-frequency (8.0-MHz) linear-array transducer was used. All bikers and nonbikers underwent a standard US examination of the scrotum. Gray-scale US images of the testicles were obtained in the transverse and longitudinal planes by using an anterior approach to measure the size of the testicles. In the epididymis, we measured the greatest length and the anteroposterior diameter on longitudinal scans and measured the width on transverse scans of the head of the epididymis. Furthermore, US was performed to identify abnormalities of the scrotal contents, such as epididymal cysts, hydroceles, scrotal calculi, testicular calcifications, epididymal calcifications, and testicular microlithiasis. Testicular microlithiasis was defined as the presence of more than five microliths per transducer field (18).
Color Doppler US was performed to identify varicoceles, which were diagnosed on the basis of a venous diameter of 3 mm or larger, with the diameter increasing during the Valsalva maneuver or during a change from the supine to the upright position. Increased venous retrograde flow in the pampiniform plexus when the subject was in the upright position or when the Valsalva maneuver was performed was used as supporting evidence of varicocele (19). The US findings were documented on videotapes and printouts.
Follow-up information was obtained if the findings at US resulted in further evaluation or therapy.
To compare the overall frequency of US abnormalities in bikers versus nonbikers, a 2 × 2 table was constructed to demonstrate the number of abnormalities in each group. A χ2 statistic (Epi-Info software; Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, Ga) was computed to determine whether there was a significant difference in the frequency of abnormalities between the two groups. We compared the difference in the size of the testicles and epididymides between the two groups by using a Student t test. In addition, we compared the prevalence of epididymal cysts in the two groups and the overall frequency of US findings with the presence of clinical symptoms in mountain bikers by using the Fisher exact test. A P value of less than .05 was considered to indicate a statistically significant difference.
To compare the presence of specific US findings with clinical symptoms in mountain bikers, multiple comparisons were performed for each US finding. The P value was adjusted for 16 multiple comparisons by using the Bonferroni method with an adjusted cutoff for the P value of .003 (20).
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RESULTS
Mountain Bikers
Eighty (94%) of 85 bikers had pathologic abnormalities of the scrotal contents. We found 127 scrotal calculi (Fig 1), with a mean size of 0.4 cm ± 0.3 (range, 0.2–1.4 cm) in 69 (81%) bikers; 52 epididymal cysts (Fig 2), with a mean size of 0.9 cm ± 0.7 (range, 0.3–3.1 cm) in 39 (46%) bikers; 71 epididymal calcifications (Fig 3), with a mean size of 0.2 cm ± 0.1 (range, 0.1–0.4 cm) in 34 (40%) bikers; 50 testicular calcifications (Fig 4), with a mean size of 0.3 cm ± 0.2 (range, 0.1–0.7 cm) in 27 (32%) bikers; 36 small and nine moderate hydroceles in 24 (28%) bikers; left-sided varicoceles in nine (11%) bikers; and testicular microlithiasis (both sided) (Fig 5) in one (1%) biker. Table 1 shows a comparison of the US findings obtained in mountain bikers and nonbikers.

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Figure 1.
Longitudinal ultrasonogram shows a free-floating calculus (between crosshairs) in the area of the lower part of the right scrotum, localized to the tail of the epididymis in a 28-year-old mountain biker.

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Figure 2.
Longitudinal ultrasonogram demonstrates an epididymal cyst (between crosshairs) in the area of the head of the right epididymis in a 33-year-old mountain biker.

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Figure 3.
Longitudinal ultrasonogram demonstrates an epididymal calcification (arrow) in the area of the head of the left epididymis in a 29-year-old mountain biker.

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Figure 4.
Longitudinal ultrasonogram shows calcifications (arrows) in the right testicle in a 34-year-old mountain biker.

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Figure 5.
Longitudinal ultrasonogram demonstrates echogenic foci of testicular microlithiasis (more than five microliths in one transducer field) of the right testicle in a 29-year-old mountain biker.
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TABLE 1. US Findings in Nonbikers and Mountain Bikers
The 4-cm width of the transducer field precluded exact size measurement of testicles larger than 4 cm. However, we were able to obtain the measurements of the testicles in 82 (96%) of 85 bikers. In these, mean testicle size was 3.9 × 3.1 × 2.8 cm (range, 3.3 × 2.9 × 2.6 to 4.0 × 3.4 × 3.1 cm). Measurement of epididymal heads was indeterminate in 24 (28%) of 85 bikers due to large epididymal cysts. Evaluation of the remaining epididymides in the 61 bikers demonstrated a mean size of 0.8 × 1.1 × 0.7 cm (range, 0.6 × 0.9 × 0.5 to 1.4 × 1.5 × 1.3 cm).
At physical examination, 39 (46%) bikers had scrotal tenderness, discomfort, or abnormal findings with palpation (ie, palpable mass or irregularity on the surface of the scrotal contents), but they gave no history of severe scrotal trauma or inflammation. All of these 39 symptomatic bikers had pathologic findings at US examination. Among mountain bikers, there was a marginally significant association between symptoms and overall frequency of US findings (P = .059, Fisher exact two-tailed test) (Table 2). However, 51% (41 of 80 bikers) of positive US findings were seen in the asymptomatic group. Table 3 presents the comparison on the basis of the presence or absence of symptoms for each US finding.
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TABLE 2. Comparison of Overall Frequency of US Findings with Clinical Symptoms in Mountain Bikers
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TABLE 3. Comparison of Each US Finding with Clinical Symptoms in Mountain Bikers
The biker who had testicular microlithiasis was suspected of having testicular cancer, and therefore, a testicular biopsy was performed. Yet, at histopathologic examination, there was no evidence of testicular cancer. One symptomatic biker whose diagnosis was an infected epididymal cyst received antibiotic treatment. In all other cases, no treatment was required.
Nonbikers
At US, five (16%) of 31 nonbikers showed pathologic changes in the scrotum. In all five cases, epididymal cysts, with a mean size of 0.5 cm ± 0.3 (range, 0.2–1.3 cm), were depicted. The prevalence of epididymal cysts was significantly lower in nonbikers compared with that of mountain bikers (P = .002, Fisher exact test). Among nonbikers, none were symptomatic at clinical examination. Furthermore, they also reported no history of severe scrotal trauma or inflammation.
Measurements of testicles were obtained in 29 (94%) of 31 subjects. The mean size of the testicles was 3.9 × 3.0 × 2.9 cm (range, 3.4 × 2.8 × 2.7 to 4.0 × 3.4 × 3.0 cm). Evaluation of the head of the epididymides was indeterminate in two (6%) of 31 nonbikers, due to epididymal cysts. The mean size in the remaining 29 control subjects was 0.9 × 1.0 × 0.7 cm (range, 0.6 × 1.0 × 0.5 to 1.3 × 1.5 × 1.2 cm). Comparison of testicle and epididymis head volume between bikers and nonbikers demonstrated no statistically significant difference (P > .05).
Results of a χ2 test are presented in Table 4, which demonstrates a significantly higher prevalence of testicular and extratesticular disorders in the mountain bikers than in the nonbikers (χ2 = 70.6; P < .0001).
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TABLE 4. Comparison of Overall Frequency of US Findings between Nonbikers and Mountain Bikers
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DISCUSSION
At scrotal US, the prevalence of scrotal abnormalities in mountain bikers was 94%, which is unexpectedly high. In asymptomatic nonbikers, we found a prevalence of only 16%. By comparison, scrotal abnormalities are found in 29% of asymptomatic young men and in 40% of infertile men undergoing routine scrotal US (16,17). In the group of mountain bikers, only 46% presented with symptoms at clinical examination.
The most common US findings were benign nonneoplastic scrotal masses, so-called scrotal calculi, which were seen in 81% of cases. Scrotal calculi may result from torsion of the appendix testis or the epididymis, from hematomas, or from inflammation of the tunica vaginalis testis (21). These benign calcifications may appear as painful (ie, after repeated palpation by the patient) free-floating or dependent scrotal masses (15). However, 39 of 69 bikers who had scrotal calculi were asymptomatic. Scrotal calculi may be detected with palpation by the bikers themselves and may raise concerns about testicular tumor, as the prevalence of this malignancy in the age group between 20 and 35 years is high (22). Furthermore, calcifications of the epididymis and testis were seen, respectively, in 40% and 32% of only bikers. Gerscovich (23) reported that scrotal calcifications may result from trauma. We also believe that these calcifications are related to previous trauma, inflammation, and/or degeneration.
Testicular microlithiasis has been reported (24) to be associated with testicular tumor in some cases. We found testicular microlithiasis in one (1%) biker, but testicular biopsy revealed no evidence of tumor. The reported (25) prevalence of testicular microlithiasis is approximately 2%. Hence, in this sample, mountain biking does not seem to increase the risk of development of testicular microlithiasis.
The high prevalence of extratesticular and testicular calcifications caused us to believe that these pathologic changes of the scrotal contents resulted primarily from chronic, repeated microtrauma. Vuong et al (7) reported perineal nodular indurations—also referred to as accessory testicles—in cyclists to result from microtrauma (ie, subclinical traumatization) to the perineum secondary to saddle vibration.
Our findings also included epididymal cysts, which were found in 46% of bikers and 16% of nonbikers. These scrotal abnormalities were symptomatic in 26 (31%) of 85 bikers, whereas in the control group, all epididymal cysts were asymptomatic. A higher prevalence (29%) was reported (16) in asymptomatic men than in our nonbikers. It may be speculated that the significantly higher rate (P < .001) of epididymal cysts in mountain bikers is also attributable to repeated microtrauma of the epididymis.
Hydroceles were observed in 28% of mountain bikers and varicoceles in 11%. Up to 50% of acquired hydroceles are the result of trauma (14). Only three of the nine bikers who had varicoceles at US had positive findings with palpation, which is the routine screening test for varicocele, the most common abnormality in infertile men. According to Pierik et al (26), nonpalpable scrotal abnormalities are frequently detected at scrotal US in infertile men. They concluded that the relatively high prevalence of testicular abnormalities emphasizes the importance of routine scrotal US.
Bilateral pudendal nerve injury secondary to excessive biking has been reported (9) to be a saddle-related condition, and if the blood supply to the penis is compromised, male erectile dysfunction may develop. We assume that the abnormalities of the scrotal contents that we detected are basically also a saddle-related problem. The mechanical component responsible for these scrotal changes may be reduced by improving the padding of the seat or shorts, adjusting the saddle angle to either horizontal or downward in front, adjusting the saddle height, using an ergonomically designed saddle, or taking frequent pauses during each ride. Furthermore, new shock-absorbent saddles and full-suspension bikes may help reduce saddle vibration and, thus, the amount of microtrauma.
The majority of our mountain bikers used the recommended saddle adjustment, and they wore padded shorts. However, none of our bikers used full-suspension bikes (they used only front-suspension systems) or padded seats, because these new seats have been available in Austria for only a few months. Therefore, future studies on mountain bikers who use these protective measures are necessary to evaluate the clinical outcome.
In summary, we found a significantly higher prevalence of abnormalities of the scrotal contents in mountain bikers compared with nonbikers (P < .0001). The most common findings were scrotal calcifications, which were seen in up to 81% of cases. However, only 46% of bikers presented with clinical symptoms. Such saddle-related problems may result from a high rate of microtrauma to the scrotal contents, and US allows for excellent detection of these scrotal abnormalities.
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Acknowledgments
The authors thank Ethan J. Halpern, MD, for his assistance with the preparation of the manuscript.
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Footnotes
Author contributions: Guarantors of integrity of entire study, F.F., A.K., D.z.N., G.H.; study concepts and design, F.F.; literature research, G.H.; clinical studies, F.F., A.K., A.S.; data acquisition, A.K.; data analysis/interpretation, B.A.; statistical analysis, A.K.; manuscript preparation, F.F.; manuscript definition of intellectual content, A.K.; manuscript editing, D.z.N.; manuscript revision/review, F.F., A.S.; manuscript final version approval, A.K., D.z.N., G.H.
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Michellie Jones 70.3 Lake Stephens Race Report

2009-09-06T14:00:00.000-05:00

gomichellie.com
70.3 Lake Stevens
Tuesday, September 01, 2009

Wow! What a great course and the spectators on the run were awesome. The course was a lot tougher that a lot of athletes expected. Two loops of a hilly bike followed by a rolling run added to the difficulty.Race morning we were greeted with chilly conditions and the Lake temperature being in the 70's created a pretty speculate fog. Any other race it would not have been possible to swim but this course was unique in the fact there was an under water cable that made navigation a breeze. Although it took a little while for me to find it on the way back. Luckily I swim straight...well I think I do anyway. I did have a few thoughts going through my head that this could be the longest 1.2mile swim ever if I did not find the cable or land at some point.I exited the swim in 3rd place and while I was enduring the morning crispness and my feet were pretty much number at least there were plenty of hills on the bike to warm me up a little. It took we a little while to get up to speed maybe from the cold or the slight fatigue I had in my legs from training pretty hard leading into this event. I caught one competitor and got passed by one so as I transition from the bike to the run I was still in 3rd.I found my legs pretty quickly on the run but my feet remained numb for a few miles before they actually thawed out. My main concern apart from catching the leaders was to see how much time Pablo had put on me during the bike as his wave started 10mins after mine. At around 8km I got to see the two leaders running side by side. Which actually spurred me on to try to pick up my pace. Then I was motivated even more when I saw Pablo at around the same point I had seen the leaders. Darn he had a great bike and made up a chunk of change on me. So now I was really motivated to push even harder. The next chance I saw the leader was with about 3km to go and we where around the same time gap but I had definitely closed the gap on 2nd. But I did not quite get the opportunity to catch 2nd as the finish line loomed a little too quickly.So all in all I was happy how I felt and very excited to be back on the Podium. Even though Pablo crushed me on the bike I did out swim and run him.:)

Becky Lavelle Chicago Tri Race Report

2009-09-02T23:10:00.001-05:00

august 30 . 2009Chicago Triathlon ~ 3rd

Whew, the last 10 days were a blast! I spent time in New Hampshire, Minnesota, and Chicago. I was in New Hampshire for 4 days doing a photo shoot/product review for TYR's 2010 line. I had so much fun hanging out with all of the great people that work for TYR as well as Andy Potts, Chrissie Wellington, TJ Tollakson and Magli Tisseyre. We stayed at a cabin on a beautiful lake in the middle of New Hampshire with no cell coverage, which was actually really nice. :) The days were filled with different photo shoots, testing out new TYR products, helping design future TYR products, going for swims in the lake and runs along the country roads, doing beach relay TYR Olympics (I was sore for 3 days after doing the wheel barrel race on sand!), picking fresh blueberries and eating great food. TYR took good care of us! JFrom there I went to my hometown of Minnetonka, MN to visit my family and friends. We also had a Jenny's Light board meeting and talked about our latest project... reviewing grant applications for postpartum depression awareness initiatives that we will be funding. Saturday morning I drove from Minneapolis to Chicago with my parents. What should have been a 6 hour drive turned into a 8+ hour drive…gotta love Chicago traffic! I made it just in time for the pro meeting. Chicago is definitely one of my favorite cities... if not my favorite city to visit! The weather was perfect all weekend (65-70 degrees & sunny and windy of course!) and I stayed with my parents and brother in an amazing condo right off Lakeshore Dr near Millennium Park. I believe this was my 12th time racing in Chicago and I've enjoy it each and every time. I got off to a pretty good start on the feet of the leaders during the swim. Unfortunately I lost contact about halfway through and came out of the water in 4th, about :20 down. The first lap of the bike was tough as I had a hard time finding my rhythm and the headwind was brutal. The second lap felt much better and I picked up the pace a bit. I came off the bike in 2nd, about :30 down from Sarah Haskins. I felt okay on the run but I seemed to be stuck in my half Ironman pace and couldn't go much faster. I think it's time to work on some more speed! Anyway, I was really happy to get on the podium again with a 3rd place finish. I am also currently leading the Toyota Cup Series.Next up is Malibu Triathlon on Sept 12th.

Thank you again for your support… I am proud to represent ISM!
All the best,
Becky

Weekend Events and Pottsy crash

2009-09-01T14:33:00.001-05:00

ISM kicked some major butt this past weekend. We finished 1,2 in Ironman Louisville, won Ironman Canada, and finished 1,2,3,4, and 6 at Chicago tri. Sweeping has never been so easy.

Tereza Macel wins IMCA on her Adamo Racing.
Nina Kraft wins IMKY on her Adamo Road and Lisbeth Kristensen 2nd
Sarah Haskins wins, Sarah Groff 2nd, Becky Lavelle 3rd, Rebeccah Wassner 4th, and Laurel Wassner 6th at Chicago Tri. Andy Potts crashed hard....sadly. Please read report below.

I jumped on a plane for Eurobike Monday morning. Made it to Zurich this morning, and drove to Germany for the show. Steve and I met up with Duncan from ISM Europe and set up and enjoyed the weather while we can (since we are about to be cooped up in an expo hall for 4 days straight. More to come on this. Good times!!

As most of you know, Andy went down hard at the Chicago Triathlon this weekend. I wanted to give everyone an update on the current situation and ask that you direct all questions to me. I know you are all very concerned for Andy but we are trying to limit the contact as he is getting overwhelmed with calls and emails. He just needs rest at this point...thanks for understanding.To recap what happened...at approximately mile 8 on the bike course, an age group athlete moved to the left and ran into Andy as he was passing. Andy was going about 35mph at the time with a tail wind and went down very, very hard. He slid 150-200 feet on the grooved pavement and received road rash on most of his body and stitches in his elbow. The crash was the equivalent of crashing on a motor cycle. Fortunately, the helmet only had minor scratches with no major injuries to the head.Initially he wanted to finish the race, but his bike frame broke and he could not continue. Andy returned to the medical tent where things got more serious very quickly. His vital signs dropped with a resting heart rate on 20 beats/minute and he lost consciousness. EMTs responded immediately and revived Andy and transported him to Northwestern Hospital. He received a CAT scan and X-Rays. Fortunately there are no broken bones or internal injuries. Andy traveled back home this morning and he will be following up with doctors in Colorado Springs. Although there are no serious injuries, Andy is extremely banged up and will be out indefinitely until injuries heal and doctors clear him for training and racing. I will continue to email you with updates and post things on the website. I promise as things happen we will keep you posted. Please avoid believing rumors and come straight to the source if you have any questions or concerns. Again, Andy truly appreciates all of your concerns and support.
Charles

Chris McDonald ramps up for Kona

2009-08-31T14:14:00.001-05:00

Hi Guys ,Well the lead up to Ironman Wisconsin has flown by but I could not be happier with how things have come along since Challenge Roth .I have been based back in boulder CO for the entire build towards the race in Madison and put in some great training. This past weekend I had my final hit out before the race at the Windsor Olympic distance triathlon . A cool rainy day greeted us race morning but nothing to miserable .I had a solid swim to come out of the water in 2nd place roughly 30 sec down . Once onto the bike I went about the job at hand and managed to take the lead at around the 15km and then push hard to build a lead of around 1 min on the chaser Eric bell , I took the extra time to put on a pair of socks in transition.... with IM only two weeks away I really didn't want any blisters .Onto the run now and I held the lead through about the 4-5km mark when eventual winner Eric came up on me. I even tried blocking the path with the wing span to stop the pass :-)I finished it up in 2nd place and was very happy with how the body felt after the last block of Ironman training .Now I look forward to a nice easy two weeks into Madison for the next Ironman.thanks for all your supportwww.twitter.com/bigsexymcdonald
http://www.trimacca.com/

Pro Athlete Edith Niederfriniger reviews her Adamo!

2009-08-28T10:07:00.005-05:00

I received an e-mail from Edith Niederfriniger a few weeks ago. She was having some serious seat discomfort and had seen our Adamo saddles on several of her competitors bikes. She's an italian professional long distance triathlete and 2 x Ironman champion. I sent her a model and her are her initial thoughts:

Hello David,

yesterday I got the ISM saddles!
Today I did the set up (Adamo Racing) and before start my ride, I thought:".....strange thing this saddle...."
well, after a 2 hour ride I thought:"....good thing this saddle..." :-)

so, my first impressions were very good:
- in the upright position with hands on the handlebars I feel very comfortable in my lower back, really relaxed....my pelvis is kind of "fixed" in the right angle....
- in the aeroposition it doesn't hurt where it always hurts :-)
- when I get a hole on the street, it doesn't hurt :-)

Thank you very much for your help and I'm really looking forward to meet you in Kona :-)

ciao from Italy,
Edith

And Edith, I very much look forward to meeting you in Hawaii.

One retailer's perspective

2009-08-27T10:00:00.002-05:00

An entry from Paul @ Helo Velo in Canada. www.hellovelo.ca

A small (or any size) retailer has many tough decisions. When stocking things to sell, there is stuff that is a sure fire sell and others that represent a high value to you as a professional in your particular industry, but may not move very quickly. For me, in cycling, the former are bicycle tubes and the latter are saddles. The high-value items align with an element of my passionate philosophy but are not clear winners on the surface (due to investment cost). Here is an example:

The ISM saddle. To some this is an ungainly piece of bike equipment that looks very non-traditional. Those who ride it look like they have a problem with their groin. And for anyone who has read a little Middle-English, groin issues are not good. However, the discerning customer, who is passionately involved in their sport, believes that love (for their bicycle) does not need to hurt (in spite of whatever the rock band Nazareth has to say).

I know this is the highest performing saddle in existence. It allows you optimal positioning and deals with many of the comfort issues associated with bicycles. I can position someone on this saddle fore or aft, female or male. Float over the saddle or stick to it. Here is the dilemma for me as a small retailer:

They are expensive: 1) Because of design exclusivity and 2) Because they are still not as popular as other brands. But I tell ya, this is the best saddle in existence. We can put you at a virtual seat tube angle of 82 degrees in your aerobars or slack at 72, nose up on your track pursuit bike. This saddle works, and the other application specific iterations are solid as well. Sure, some of them look like inflatable donuts you buy to relieve back-door issues but they are purpose built. When I first started in cycling in Canada, I was the only retailer stocking these saddles. It cost me a lot to do this (as of August 2009 the ISM Race retails for $240), but I knew their value and so I invested in the brand. And now I can barely keep them in stock. This is not just because they are the best saddle out there, but because I will always do the positioning work with someone to dial it in right. And I guess, that was the next lesson for me: #2) Products support services (TBC).

http://www.ismseat.com/

Eric Limkemann Nationals Race Report

2009-08-24T15:53:00.000-05:00

USAT National Championships
8/22/2009
www.usatriathlon.org

You win some, you lose some! This weekend I drove down to Tuscaloosa, Alabama for my first triathlon national championship. I’ve never done the race as an amateur or a professional, so I was excited to participate and do another draft-legal race. Thunderstorms dominated the two days leading up to the race and I spent the time relaxing and recovering from a good 70.3 race less than a week ago. Race morning came and I drove to the race course to cheer on the age group athletes competing including Charlie Clark, Dennis Dale, and Beth Shutt. I helped pass out water at an aid station and was inspired by the tremendous athletes that came through that were well into their 60’s! I hope that I’m that healthy in 40 years! After a while, I headed back to the hotel to relax and prepare. After a light lunch, I headed down to transition for the 2:15 start. Due to the heavy rain, they had to open the flood gates in the river and the current was strong. Perfect for a strong swimmer! That is unless you make a bad decision to swim in the middle of the current instead of along the shore where the water is slower… To make a long, painful story short, I felt excellent in the water and came out well back of the leaders and with a pack of much weaker swimmers. Matt Reed and Cameron Dye made the same poor decision and I believe that this cost Matt the win and Cameron a chance of scoring ITU points. I guess we’re all the wiser for next time!
Heading onto the bike, I was in the third chase pack with 3 other guys. My legs were not prepared for the constant accelerations of draft legal racing and I had trouble keeping the pace up the hill each of the 6 laps. I made it into transition with the group, but we were 3-4 minutes behind the leaders and I was cooked! I took off on the run and gave it my all for the first of the 4 lap course. I honestly believe my first miles were slower than my half marathon last weekend. My body threw up the white flag and started to cramp. I knew I was out of the points and losing ground so I put it into cruise control and just worked to cross the finish line. I hate when pros drop out when they aren’t feeling good and I wasn’t about to stop given my experience in the morning watching the age groupers! I finished the race and felt like I had just been run over by a truck!
The race was painful, but I’m hoping it was a good speed workout for this weekend’s race in Chicago. I already feel better and hopefully a more predictable swim along with a steady effort on the bike will lead to a better race! After that, I’ll be focusing the next 11 weeks to preparing for 70.3 world championships. Thanks to everyone for their support and congratulations to everyone who competed this weekend.
Please support the sponsors: Kiwami Triathlon, ISM Saddles, BlueSeventy Wetsuits, Veritas Cycles, Hed Wheels, Newton Running, and Great Clips.

My remaining race schedule:
Sept. 27 Augusta 70.3
Oct. 4 LA Triathlon
Oct. 11 US Open Triathlon
Nov. 14 70.3 World Championships

Eric Limkemann

Thunder from Down Under and other racing news

2009-08-24T08:52:00.003-05:00

Here is a race report from Kat Baker. She and boyfriend Mick are professional triathletes from OZ living and training in Boulder for Ironman Canada. I haven't met them in person yet, but they seem like very nice folks on the phone. Both contacted ISM as they were having saddle woes. Well, not any more! Glad to help Kat and Mick. Rip it up in Canada! Hope to see you in Kona.

Boulder 5430- 9th August 2009
Finally, a race i was tapered for! I was getting very frustrated training through races and being just out of the money...
So after the 6week ironman block Mick and I had an easy week. I felt good and ready to race, unfortunately (or fortunately) it was a jam packed field and for once there were about 3x the amount of women in the race as men. There were 3x world champions in the women’s field alone.
The swim was excellent for me. Non wetsuit and we started with the men. I have decided i love starting with the guys because they are way easier to draft off- they kick more and they are bigger. Anyway i think it had to have been the easiest swim of my career. And i was out just over 1.30 behind the male leaders!! Finally the swim has come together.
The ride was a reasonably flat 2 lap course. I felt pretty good however i took awhile to warm up. Probably still a bit fatigued after the Ironman block. I was riding well however and was able to stick with Chrissie Wellington for awhile, when she came past me (i had beaten her out of the swim!). I especially loved the new saddle i had, ISM- Adamo racing, it pushed me right forward and Time Trialling had never been so comfortable! I guess i wasn’t used to being up with all the champions and i wasn’t quite sure what to do up the front end of the race...i guess a lot of people particularly the guys sit a legal distance behind each other, legally swapping off. I wasn’t quite ready for this and seemed to just drop away slowly. Anyway i was onto the run in 5th place.
The run seemed ok to me, not super fast but comfortable. I figured i was ready for ironman. I managed to hold my own and finish in 5th. It didn’t feel too bad and i was pleased to see that my run time is only 7min off 2x Hawaii world champ, Chrissie wellington. I am happy with that and can’t wait to assault my second ironman, Ironman Canada Aug 30. Bring it on! Julie Dibbons finished 1st, Chrissie Wellington 2nd ,Brooke Davidson, local hero 3rd and Amanda Stevens 4th.

-Kat

I also competed in the Austin XTERRA event on Sunday. All I can say is WOW. Mike, you should be shot for designing that course. :) Very extreme and I'm glad I walked away with no broken bones. Great support and great event. Definitely a tough day. I was intimidated by several of the rocky decents as my mountain bike skills have failed me (as I haven't ridden a real trail in YEARS). Fun day.

Also, our very own Laura Toll went to Age Group Nationals this past weekend and qualified for worlds. Budapest, here we come. Proud of you Laura.

And Andy Potts won ANOTHER race this weekend. Go Andy. Glad you enjoy that Adamo Road saddle my man. You are on fire. Save some of that spark for Kona baby.

Ironman 70.3 Lake Stephens, WA

2009-08-18T13:55:00.002-05:00

Here's a race report from ISM athlete and winner Becky Lavelle. ISM athletes took 1,3, and 4 overall.

Becky Lavelle 1st on Adamo Racing
Michellie Jones 3rd on Adamo Racing
Eric Limkemann 4th on Adamo Racing

august 16 . 2009Lake Stevens 70.3 ~ 1stComing into this racing season I wanted to do a few more half ironmans since I was stepping away from world cup racing. I had a few in mind for the year but wasn't able to squeeze one into my schedule until this month. Washington is one of my favorite states, the Seattle area in particular, so Lake Stevens seemed like a perfect first 70.3 race of the year. It was a chilly morning, low 50's and overcast, and they actually had to delay the start because of fog over the lake. Once we started I settled into the lead on the swim and thankfully the course was marked by a rowing line that we could follow underwater so we didn't have to sight too much. I exited the water a little over a minute up on the next woman.I have to say I was pretty 'numb' the first loop of the 2 loop bike course... I could barely feel my hands, my toes or my quads! I gradually warmed up and felt better as I went but my lead slipped away as I came into T2 about :15 down from the leader. I left T2 on her heels and took the lead back within the first mile of the run. She stayed right with me though for the next 6 miles or so. At around 7 miles I was feeling pretty good so I decided to start picking up the pace. In the past those last 3-4 miles in a half marathon have hurt pretty bad so I wasn't sure I'd be able to keep up my speed but I was amazed at how strong I felt as the race went on. I definitely didn't want a sprint finish so I just kept the pressure on and felt great all the way to the end, crossing in 1st, about 1:10 up from second place. I ended up running my fastest 13.1 miles in a half ironman, 1:24.29.What a fun race to win... the crowd support was great and the venue was beautiful!Next up is LTF- Chicago on August 30th.

Speedfil Hydration and ISM Saddles

2009-08-04T11:39:00.003-05:00

Owner of Inviscid Design, Dave Dietterle, has been a longtime fan of his Adamo Racing saddle. In fact, if you live in SoCal you've probably heard his ISM sales pitch. Thanks Dave!! Inviscid Design manufactures and sells the Speedfil Aero Hydration bottle. Here's a pic of Dave's pimped out Kestrel Airfoil (same bike I ride and choice of champions). Check out the product at http://www.speedfil.com/

More Results

2009-08-03T15:06:00.002-05:00

"I love riding my ISM Adamo Road saddle. Since I made the switch to ISM, I have no more numbness and a lot more comfort. I can stay down in my aero position longer and maintain intensity all because I'm more comfortable in my bike. Thanks to ISM I am riding better than ever!" -Andy Potts

Despite being in bed all weekend with Strep and not able to race, other ISM athletes kicked some major butt!! Check it:

August 1, 2009 Steelhead Ironman 70.3 Michigan Andy Potts WINS and Nina Kraft 3rd! Both athletes use ISM Adamo Road saddles.

August 1, 2009 Ironman UK Bella Bayliss WINS again on her Adamo Road saddle.

August 2, 2009 Danskin Philadelphia Sisters Rebeccah and Laurel Wassner give the 1-2 punch on their Adamo Racing saddles.

Checking in with Becky Lavelle

2009-07-30T13:36:00.001-05:00

MINNEAPOLIS – July 11th
It was fun to go 'home' again and race on familiar territory with my family & friends cheering me on. We lucked out with perfect weather this year... sunny, low humidity and a light breeze. I got off to a great start by staying on the feet of the 2 leaders on the swim so I was on the bike in third. I worked my way into second for most of the ride, but was passed toward the end so I went into T2 in third. I was hoping to feel a bit better on the bike and run but just found it hard to get into a comfortable rhythm. I pushed through and finished in third. I was still really happy to get on the podium and earn some valuable points for the Toyota Cup Series.

NYC – July 26th
New York City is a fun place to race, but logistically it can be a nightmare. I still don’t know how the race directors manage to pull it off! My mom joined me on this trip and it was really nice to have her there for support. We woke up to pouring rain but it managed to stop just before I had to ride the 2 miles or so from the middle of Times Square to transition by the Hudson River at 4:30am! The rain stayed at bay for the whole race but it made for very humid conditions and wet roads. The swim here is a point to point ‘with’ the current so my 13 minute 1.5k swim was not really a world record ;), but I did manage to come out of the swim first and after the long (almost ½ mile) run to T1 I was on the bike in a close second. I felt strong along the rolling hills of the West Side Hwy and I was able to take the lead about halfway through the ride entering T2 about :20 ahead of the next woman. I took the run out pretty fast and just tried to maintain my speed through the hilly Central Park loop. Unfortunately I was passed at mile 1, but I held on for 2nd place and was really pleased with it! I am now tied for first in the Life Time Fitness Series… next stop in the Series is Chicago on August 30th.

Before that I have a couple of other races planned… Folsom Pro Challenge on August 9th and Lake Stevens 70.3 on August 16th.

I also made an interesting discovery last week. After the race in Mpls I knew something just wasn’t right with the way my new bike was set up. I had never felt so tense and uncomfortable racing on both the bike and run leg of a race (I felt the same way at Alcatraz) . I just felt like I was having to put forth much more effort than I normally do and my legs ached the entire time. I’ve been trying all season to get my new bike set up to match my set up from last year and I finally found the problem… the saddle on my new bike is set an inch further back than my old bike! This makes a huge difference in terms of power output and the fatigue it can cause. I was amazed at how much better I felt in NYC racing on my old bike again (it was the first race this year on my old bike). I am going to get everything dialed in now the way it should be and hopefully be on my new custom painted frame in the right set up. J

Thank you again for your support!
All the best,
Becky

Ironman Lake Placid 1,2,3 SWEEP!

2009-07-27T07:33:00.006-05:00

Happy Monday Folks!

It was a busy weekend of training. Saturday started with getting con'd into a 3 hour ride. Thought that was doable for sure so I met up with the local Bagel Ride group. Sounds innocent enough. After 4:20 and a blowout (thanks for the Duct Tape boot Kuota Guy), I was cooked. I did have several riders comment on the metallic silver testAdamo Road saddle I was sporting. I might need to get some chrome'd out bar tape like Ted! On Sunday morning, I went for a 5 mile trail run with friends and followed it up with an afternoon mountain bike ride. Decided to take the mountain bike out since I have a couple of off road tris next month and I haven't been on a trail in over a year. I love my hardtail Merlin, but I've got to face the music.......I'm getting older. Might be time for me to consider a full suspension!!

Another busy week ahead. ISM is bringing a new seat to market and will debut it at Eurobike. It's gonna be a tricked out road racer model and we are finalizing some graphics. New shipments of saddles are arriving and we're finalizing some T-shirt designs. Might order some more cycling clothing as well.

This week I'll be at Jack's Generic Triathlon here in Austin, TX. Come by the shop on Saturday during registration and shoot the breeze. We'll also have the tent at the race course for athletes to cool down and drink some beers after the event. Jack and Adams and High Five Events put on such a great race. This is the 3rd race in the Texas Series. Great for beginners and studs.

ISM had some great exposure over the weekend. Here are a few photos from our pros at Ironman Lake Placid courtesy of Todd Kenyon of TT Bike Fit (http://www.ttbikefit.com/)

Professionals transition rack.

Women's overall winner Tereza Macel.

Check out our ATHLETES IN THE NEWS:

June 25 Olympian Sarah Haskins 6th at ITU World Cup Hamburg
June 26 Andy Potts 2nd, Rebeccah Wassner WINS, Becky Lavelle 2nd, and Laurel Wassner 6th at Nautica NYC Triathlon
June 26 Tereza Macel WINS Ironman Lake Placid (led entire race) on her Adamo Racing saddle and ISM finished 2nd and 3rd overall

Chris McDonald Ironman Roth Race Report

2009-07-17T19:01:00.004-05:00

Some of you may know that I made the trip to Germany this past weekend to race in challenge Roth for the third consecutive year . The skinny was

Swim - 50 :30
Bike - 4:22:xx
Run - 3:01:xx

8:17:xx

My trip to Germany had started with an upgrade to business class and a very comfortable travel day . I had left the travel late this year and arrived on Wednesday morning just 72 hours prior to the race . On Thursday we had a full day of activities starting out with a mandatory blood testing for every professional in the field , then followed by , briefing , press conference , athlete signing in the local shopping mall.

Race morning rolled around with a 3:20 am wake up call for the 6:20 am start . At Roth they do an amazing job of building the tension to the start of the race and this year was no exception , we all lined up in the Donar Canal and we were away right on time . The swim was largely uneventful and I exited with a big group of guys and gals in just over 50 min .

After a quick T1 I was one of the first of the group out onto the bike and pushing the pace , much to my dismay a BIG group had formed .
This is were I had some decisions to make…..so now it was essentially turning into a” bike race “ senario and the run was becoming the sprint at the finish so to speak . So you have a decision of “ chasing the break” or the front of the race in a triathlon , or take the gamble and sit in and hope that someone else will do it .

At 80 Km I had heard a split of 90 sec to the front group to this point it was down from 2:45 . I knew that there was a HUGE benefit of being in the front group going into the 2nd lap so this is were I made some bad decisions and just drove the pace as hard as I could and became the domestique for about 10 guys . We did make contact with the front group at 110km and I tried my best to recover from a very torrid pace in the early part of the bike .

I came into T2 with a group that was essential all in 3rd place . I had had several nutrition dilemmas on the bike with losing a bottle and having to make it up with a LOT of gels . And I was also not quite sure how my hamstring ( injured pre race ) was going to behave .

Still I set out at my goal pace of a 2:50 marathon and moved through the half marathon mark right on pace , this is were things started to go south , the pain killers I was taking for my hammy wore off and it went from the hamstring to glute then my back , and on top of this the total of 20 gels I took in on the bike was causing a few porto stops .

The last 10 k was almost comical watching my running as I just could not recover my right leg and I had the straight leg going . This result was a LONG way from my goals for this race after finishing in 4th last year .It has put a fire in my belly to return in 2010 .

thank you very much to my family friends and sponsors for there continued support .

Cheers Chris

Michellie Jones wins Ironman 70.3 Rhode Island!!

2009-07-16T15:22:00.004-05:00

gomichellie.com
Race Report 70.3 Rhode Island
Thursday, July 16, 2009

It had been quite a while since I had competed in a 70.3 Ironman distance so I was definetly looking forward to seeing how it would turn out. It would also be interesting to see if all the short course racing I had been doing over the last few months would help.Race morning the biggest challenge apart from having to get up at midnight California time for a 6am race start was that the swim course bouys had been blown all over the water because of the storm the night before. It also meant a very choppy swim was ahead. Also the prospect of getting up so early almost made me wish I was a coffee drinker...No not really.:) I always find it quite amusing to watch other athletes the morning of the race frantically looking for there morning coffee fix.The swim start was delayed a little as the life guards straightened out the course. Which just meant being nervous a little more longer.Once the start gun finally fired I pretty much did not see anyone until the first turn around on the run as I had a pretty decent swim in the choppy waters and lead out of the water. Once on the point to point 56mile bike I was passed by a few Pro Men early as I had past them in the swim even though they had a 2 minute head start on the women. I had "Eye of The Tiger" in my head entire bike route. I had absoluetly no idea where anyone else was during the bike. So as I transitioned from the bike to the run I had to wait another 7 miles on the run before I knew where anyone else was. Finally I got a split as the first turn around and I had over 3 minutes and was feeling strong. The run course was a pretty tough 2 lap course which had a 7% climb each lap. Navigating the 7% climb seemed a lot easier than the pounding your quads got on the way back down.With the steps of the Rocky movie as the back drop of the finish line I had grand thoughts of running straight through and up the stairs Rocky Balboa style but my legs had other ideas so I settled for just the finishline tape. As they say winner are grinners and I was v ery happy to take the victory. Desiree Flicker had a strong run to finish 2nd while Heather Jackson rounded out the podium.

Top five professional women’s results are as follows:

1. Michellie Jones, 4:23:56

2. Desiree Ficker, 4:27:21

3. Heather Jackson, 4:33:39

4. Kim Loeffler, 4:36:53

5. Suzanne Zelazo, 4:40:57

Sarah Haskins' Lifetime Fitness Race Report

2009-07-15T09:06:00.003-05:00

Lifetime Fitness Triathlon Race Report
This past Saturday, I competed in my third LTF triathlon in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The weather was perfect again this year, with temperatures in the sixties during race morning and just a slight breeze. The race began early, as the Pros were the first wave to begin the race. The women started 3 minutes behind the men at 7:03AM.
The swim was a beach start with a short run into the water. The swim was one loop with calm, lake water. The water temp. this year was a nice 74 degrees; usually it is closer to 80 degrees, so it is very nice starting off the race without getting your core body temperature up at all. I was in second position most of the swim, just behind Sarah Groff. I had a smooth and fast T1 and was the first to hop on my bike.
I had a goal heading into the race to really push the first 15k of the bike. When I got o n the bike, I was feeling good and had a great rhythm. I followed my goal plan and pushed the start and as I got into my ride eased back just a bit. I was expecting to see some other competitors come up on the bike (last year eight of us were riding “together”), but this year I was able to stay in front the entire ride. During the bike ride, you have to stay very mentally focused, but not just focused on pushing the pace, but paying attention to the road, looking out for turns, holes, people, etc. The course is pretty technical, with narrow roads, so you have to keep your head up. I was most pleased with my bike ride overall with the race.
I exited the bike about 20 seconds ahead of Julie Dibbons and about 30 seconds ahead of Becky Lavelle. Once I got onto the run course, I pushed the first mile and then settled in to pace. I was able to keep my lead and extend it to 1:23 once I crossed the finish line. It is a great feeling being able to break the tape and accomplish your goal. I was second last year, so it was nice to finish up on top this year.
This was the first race in the Race to the Toyota Cup Series, with the final race in Dallas, Texas in October. I will be racing in four out of the five races and will be eligible for the overall series standings.

Weekend Full of Events

2009-07-13T08:35:00.004-05:00

Rebekah Keat after beating course record by 6 minutes in Roth!

Happy Monday All! The weekend started out with ISM setting up our tent at one of our retailers, Jack and Adam's here in Austin, TX. It was a triathlon weekend and registration/packet pick up was at the store. So I brought Melissa along with me and we braved the 105 degree temps. It was so hot we removed the backdrop of the tent so we might have a chance of a breeze. It was great having folks come up and brag about their experiences on ISM saddles and of course nice talking to new customers. Thanks to all who purchased saddles and hydration systems!! Enjoy.

Yesterday, Mellow Johnny's (shop owned by a certain Lance Armstrong), was hosting an event. You see it was the 30th anniversary of the movie "Breaking Away". So in true fashion they held the event at a middle school track and had old school clunkers and retro outfits for the competitors for their version of the Little 500. It was fun to watch.

ISM athletes had some great finishes across the globe this weekend. Please have a look below for some of the weekend's results.

July 11, 2009 Lifetime Fitness Minneapolis Photo finish! Matt Reed, Andy Potts, and Greg Bennett would sprint to the very end. Eventually the results would have Reed 1st and Potts 2nd. We’ll take it Andy. Nice job. In the women’s event ISM would take top honors. Sarah Haskins 1st, Becky Lavelle 3rd, and Rebeccah Wassner 4th. Potts races with the Adamo Road and all three ladies use the Adamo Racing.

July 12, 2009 Quelle Challenge Roth Germany Frenchman Patrick Vernay 5th and Aussie Chris McDonald just missing the top ten with 11th. Rebekah Keat would break the course record and finish 2nd overall. Erika Csomor finished 4th. All ISM athletes competed using Adamo Racing saddles.

July 12, 2009 Ironman 70.3 Rhode Island, CT Living legend Michellie Jones wins!! Michellie has been plagued with injuries but still remains one of the best. Well she’s healthy now so watch out! Neopro and ISM rider, Heather Jackson finished 3rd. This was Heather’s first race as a professional and she set the fastest time on the bike of all the women and many men (2:23:56). This gal has a ton of potential. Both women raced on the Adamo Racing saddles.

July 12, 2009 Korea Triathlon ironman distance Jocelyn Wong wins on her ISM Adamo Racing saddle. Jocelyn just got her pro card and the very next week goes out and wins an ironman! Way to go Wongstar!!!

Michellie Jones IronGirl Race Report

2009-07-09T13:26:00.001-05:00

Pretty much Atlanta lived up to it's famous T-shirt inscription Hotlanta....103 degrees and extremely humid...yep it was hot enough to fry some bacon and eggs on the road. At least we got to start just before 7am so not quite that hot but almost.A small but very, very talented elite group of pro's toed the start line.Mirinda Carfrae, MJ, Kate Major, Pip Taylor and Sam McGloneAlfac thought we needed some extra incentive to race hard by putting up a swim, bike and run cash primes. Sure we do..:)Pip Taylor exited the water a few seconds up on Mirinda and I. But they both put the burners on the first part of the bike..my legs thought otherwise and my burners did not kick in until 15km in to the 30km bike. So as Pip and Mirinda battled it out on the run I was happy to get the second fastest run spilt of the day over one minute faster than my time in 2007 and 3rd overall. Mirinda won the battle on the run with Pip taking 2nd. Sam and Kate took 4th and 5th. I was most impressed with Kate's performance as she was coming off racing an Ironman less than a week ago.You can see us all ripping up the course on the 2nd of August on NBC.To me this is what Triathlon is all about.....it is why I have been competing for so many years...the grass roots of recruiting first timers into our sport. I absolutely love the atmosphere in the Transition and the anticipation at the Swim start. I met so many wonderful women over the course of the weekend. It was an honor to meet so many wonderful women and be given the opportunity for them to share a little of their lives with me. Since the race I have has so many great comments on my Facebook page.Thanks so much for the invitation to participate in such a fantastic event. The race was well organized and very safe and really challenging. The volunteers were so enthusiastic and extremely helpful. The awards were great especially the Iron Girl necklace. So for anyone thinking of doing a Iron Girl race I highly recommend one.Next adventure Sunday July 12th 70.3 Rhode Island Ironman.
1.
Mirinda Carfrae
1:13:55
2.
Pip Taylor
1:14:56
3.
Michellie Jones
1:18:06
4.
Sam McGlone
1:20:11
5.
Kate Major
1:21:41

Love Letter From Becky Lavelle!!

2009-07-08T08:55:00.002-05:00

Hi Steve,

I hope you had a nice 4th of July weekend. I just wanted to update you on my last string of 3 races in a row in June. it started with Escape from Alcatraz on the 14th… this was a race I had been focusing on and really looking forward to since it IS my favorite race and having won it in 2006 makes it extra special. I also love the fact that there are always a lot of friends and people I know racing… including my father-in-law, sister-in-law and aunt-in-law! Unfortunately Brian wasn’t there as he raced at Boise 70.3 the day prior (and finished a very respectable 6th!) It was a perfect San Francisco Day with clear skies and a light breeze, even the water was balmy at 59 degrees! I ended up having a great swim and was the lead woman exiting the water. I was able to keep my lead until about halfway through the bike. I felt okay riding, but was definitely conservative on the descents and probably lost a little time on those. I still came of the bike in second, third was close behind and passed me in transition. I kept her in sight for the first few miles but slowly lost contact. I was hoping to feel a bit better on the run, but I gave it everything I had on that day and finished in a satisfying 3rd place. I can’t complain about a podium finish! J

Just a week later I did another local race in San Jose, it was the return of the “Pro Challenge”. It’s a very unique and fun format that was last held here in 2002. I won that year and was really looking forward to doing it again! It starts with a 40K bike time trial (racers left 1:30 apart). Then we wait/rest until all the age-groupers finish (about 3-3.5 hours) and come back to do a 800swim/2.5mile run/800swim/2.5mile run continuously, starting in the order we finished the bike so that the first one across the line wins. I had a strong ride and ended up with about a 2 min lead starting the swim/run/swim/run. I was then able to build some more on that with a solid swim/run segment and came away with my first win of the season! I again had a lot of support at this race with many friends, family and athletes I coach there cheering me on. It also gave me some great confidence going into the Hy-Vee Elite Cup just 6 days later.

Hy-Vee was held in West Des Moines, IA. It’s the same race that served as our Olympic Trials last year where I qualified for the alternate spot, so I was really excited to go back! This was also my first world cup since this race last year. Of course it was very hot and humid in the low 90’s, windy, and it started at 12:30pm! I was stuffing my suit with ice, rubbing it on my neck and face, and also put a bunch in my swim cap right before the swim start, anything to try to keep my core body temp down as long as possible. The swim is always crazy at world cup races and unfortunately I wasn’t in the lead pack of about 8-10 exiting the water, but I found myself in the second pack about :30-:40 seconds down. I was hoping my group of about 8 (we dropped 3-4 women along the way) would work a little more to try to catch the lead group but that didn’t happen. There were about 4 of us doing most of the work and we stayed about the same distance back the whole time. I debating trying to break away but thought that probably wouldn’t be smart in the heat so I did what I could while still trying to conserve some for the run. I felt really strong on the run and the heat didn’t seem to bother me much. I just focused on staying steady and keeping my leg turnover high. I passed a few women and got out sprinted by another at the very end but still finished in 12th place and 2nd American. I was really happy with my performance! It was great seeing you there too.

It was especially rewarding because I knew this was going to be the last World Cup of my career. I have decided to focus solely on non-drafting Olympic distance and 70.3 races going forward. It was a tough decision to make since I’ve been on the US National team for 10 years and they have been a great support in my quest for the Olympics. Racing for the National Team has also allowed me to see so many amazing parts of the world, my favorites being New Zealand and Kitzbuhel, Austria. I will miss being a part of the team but I think my strength lies in non-drafting races and I need to make the most of this for the rest of my career.

I want to say a huge thank you again to you and ISM for your support and belief in me. Next up is Life Time Fitness Minneapolis this Saturday July 11th.

All the best,
Becky

A Weekend With Friends

2009-07-06T15:34:00.007-05:00

One of the most spectacular triathlons in the U.S. is the Hy Vee triathlon in West Des Moines, Iowa. The folks at Hy Vee and Bill Burke of PEM really know what they are doing with a stadium type course, fantastic expo and great competition with fantastic prize money for the athletes. Our friends, Ken and Anita, live in West Des Moines so it’s nice to visit them and take in a race to watch and photograph some of our athletes.

Laura Bennett, Sarah Haskins, Becky Lavelle and Sarah McLarty were all there for the race and it was nice to see them and visit a bit. Sarah M and Laura Bennett were 1 and 2 out of the water with Sarah picking up a nice swim prem. Sarah Haskins was 4th on the swim. The bike was great to watch with the girls using the same tactics the road racers use. In the end Emma Moffat was the winner and picked up the $200,000 check.

A great weekend of racing, friends and food.

Respecfully,
Steve Toll

What a killer shot above of Sarah Haskins, Laura Bennett, and Sarah McLarty with their Limited Edition USA Adamo Racing Saddles. We did these for the Olympic Games.

Olympian Sarah Haskins on the comeback from a serious leg injury that has kept her out of competition for the last 8 months.

Olympian Laura Bennett making it look easy!

2008 Triathlete of the year Becky Lavelle about to mount her bike!

Tyler Lord finishes 3rd at Peterborough 70.3

2009-07-06T15:12:00.000-05:00

After a week of rain, and I mean constant rain, the weather was perfect for race day. Wind was coming from east to west, which is ideal for a disc. I decided to use my HED Stingers with my powertap. The day before the race I had a talk with my coach and my training partner Dave and the goal was stick the pace. Not to be stupid and go with the leaders and blow up. That was the goal.The morning came quick and I was getting ready to start the swim. a 1km 2 loop with a beach run in the middle. My goal was to get on the front group feet and hang on. I did just that and came out of the first km in 14 minutes. Solid! Was feeling great and my Xterra Vendetta was feeling great and my shoulders were nice and loose. I came out of the 2nd lap in 28 minutes, which was awesome! Now onto the bike.I have been working a lot on nutrition and that was the main focus for this race. I have been tweaking it for the 90 km bike ride and finally dialed it in! I was feeling awesome, best I have ever felt and came away from the 90km bike ride in 2:14, 3rd fastest bike split of the day. I averaged 280 watts, which was perfect. Since I started using Cera Sport it has really kept my energy levels up on the bike and feeling awesome off the bike. Thanks Jennifer!The leader and I came into transition together and we were off. I took the lead and was feeling awesome. I held the lead for 12km before Bruno caught me but didn't really pull away from me. My goal was simple, stick 6:30 miles. Nothing slower, nothing faster! Bruno got ahead of me and then Mike Hay caught me around 16km. I stayed right on his feet but didn't want to blow up so didn't push it. The goal for today was time not the win. As my coach put it the win will come! The leader won by 90 seconds and I came in 3rd but felt awesome.Finishing time 4:13 Getting ready for Calgary! Off to Younique Cycles to get my bike pampered! She worked hard yesterday and love the fit Ian has got into on the bike. Also my bum feels great after a 90km bike ride on my ISM saddle.

Thanks also to: The Running Company, Sable water optics, Xterra wetsuits, 2XU, Guru bikes, Altitude tech, ISM Saddles, Cera Sport and Trigger Point

Tyler Lord
Hiperformance Group
Strength and Conditioning Specialist
(ADV-CPT), (SCS), (CPR/AED)

Man sets new 24 Hour Record on Adamo Racing Saddle

2009-06-29T09:18:00.005-05:00

New World Record for distance covered in 24 hours using ISM ADAMOR RACING seat.

June 16, 2009, Jean-Pascal Roux achieved 839 kilometers in 24 hours. Roux battle the elements for 24 hours including a rain storm and still bested the current record by 4k to set a new world record. Here's video of the journey.

http://www.velo101.com/actualite/default.asp?id=16832&Section=V%E9lo101.TV

-Dave

Washington DC ITU World Cup Race Report

2009-06-24T09:09:00.003-05:00

Here's a race report from our own Olympian Sarah Haskin's. It should be noted that both ISM athletes Sarah Haskins and Andy Potts finished 4th and were the first Americans!

Washington D.C. Race Report---June 21st, 2009: World Championship Series Race #3
This past Sunday, I competed in my second race of the season, which happened to also be my second WCS race. I finished in fourth position, just off the podium spot. The race was almost a duathlon, as race officials decided late afternoon on Saturday that the water quality in the Potomac River was clean enough to hold the event. I am very grateful of all the efforts of the race organizers and volunteers who helped to make this race happen and this race a success. It turned out to be a very nice day, as the temperatures were only in the upper 70s, as it could have been much warmer.
The race began with an unusual start, as the men went off first at 9:10AM and the women began at 11:45AM. The swim was a two-lap (750m. loop) with a pontoon dive start. I had a very good start, as I was first to hit the turn buoy, located 300meters from the start. I led the swim for the duration of the 1500 meters and was able to take home the swim prime. The swim was a little rough, with river currents and the windy day correlated to some chop on the water, but I do enjoy the rough and challenging swims as those types of swims are a strength for me.
Upon entering T1, I lost just a couple seconds as my helmet fell to the ground as I was trying to quickly grab it from my bike. The bike was mostly flat, with one hill (4% grade for 1k) and very technical course. Due to the wind, the bike was very tough. A group of about seven of us quickly made a move on the bike and worked very hard to stay away from the chase group behind us. We only had about 20-30 seconds on the chase group during the first four laps and half-way through the bike section of the course; we were reeled in despite our strong efforts. Towards the end of the bike with 1.5 laps to go, I was able to break away with a teammate of mine, Marybeth Ellis, and enter T2 with a 30 second lead!
It is a great feeling to start the run course with a lead and enter transition with just one other person instead of entering with 15 other people. I started the run with very heavy legs, as the bike was quite taxing. As I progressed over the run, I felt like I held my pace and was quickly caught by Australia’s Emma Moffat, halfway through the run, I was caught by Emma Snowsill and with about 3K to go; I was caught by Swiss, Danielle Riff. As each runner passed me by, I tried to stay with them and accelerate to their pace. I was not able to stick with Danielle’s surge with 2.5 K to go, but finished strong to keep my 4th position. So, far I have a 5th and a 4th, so I seem to be just missing that podium spot, but that is my goal for the next WCS race!
The men and the women performed well on Sunday as we each had four athletes in the top 14! Andy Potts was also fourth and the top US finisher on the men’s side. The race location was absolutely amazing in that we were riding and running down Pennsylvania Ave (directly in front on the Capitol building). After the race, a friend from college was able to give Nate and me a private tour of the White House West Wing. We got to see where our top government officials work daily, including the famous oval office (and I did see the swing set that was recently build just outside the oval office, so he could watch his daughter’s play). A new rule was just issued that no photographs were to be taken inside the west wing or the rose garden (to protect the girl’s privacy if they were to be outside playing). I thank Monte Hawkins for being so generous to spend Sunday evening with us and give us the opportunity of a lifetime! On a final note, we also got to bowl on Harry Truman’s personal bowling alley!
I have just five days until I compete in the Des Moines World Cup. So, it is all about recovery and getting ready for the race! I am headed to Minnesota to visit family and make the fairly short drive down to Iowa on Thursday.
Happy official start to summer!

Race Results

2009-06-15T11:01:00.002-05:00

Here are a few race results from ISM athletes from the weekend. Congrats to all!

June 7, 2009 Rockman Half Ironman Loves Park, IL Chris McDonald wins on his Adamo Racing saddle!!

June 7, 2009 Ironman 70.3 Switzerland Rapperswil, Switzerland Erika Csomor finishes 2nd on her Adamo Racing saddle.

June 7, 2009 Rev 3 Triathlon Half Ironman Middlebury, CT Rebeccah Wassner finishes 2nd and Joanna Lawn 8th. Both women competed using Adamo Racing saddles.

June 8, 2009 Challenge Niederbronn les Baines Half Ironman France Rebecca Keat wins!! Lucie Zelenkova 4th and Hillary Biscay 8th. Keat and Zelenkova use Adamo Racing saddles and Ms. Biscay on her trusty Adamo Road.

June 14, 2009 Ironman 70.3 Eagleman Cambridge, MD Laurel Wassner finishes 6th on her Adamo Racing saddle.

June 14, 2009 Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon San Francisco, CA Andy Potts wins!! Becky Lavelle 3rd and living legend, Michellie Jones 5th. Potts uses the Adamo Road saddle and Lavelle and Jones their Adamo Racing.

June 14, 2009 Ironman 70.3 Kansas Lawrence, KS The pride of Austin, TX Brandon Marsh 6th. Jo Lawn 3rd and Nina Kraft 5th. Marsh and Lawn use the Adamo Racing and Kraft the Adamo Road.

June 14, 2009 Ironman 70.3 UK United Kingdom Bella Bayliss finishes 2nd on her Adamo Road saddle.