Cycling: fitness, racing or leisure rides..

[am Bays]

I heard that Menglers is pretty similar to Willunga?

Well given that yesterday was my first time up Menglers and it came after 110 km of riding I reckon it is harder than Willunga. Its longer (from the turn off onto it) 4 km compared to 3.2 Km and with the gradient changes it is harder to get into a rhythm to get up it. I find Willunga Hill much easier.

[Hopeful Jelly]

It was only the second year I've done the full TDU course and was pretty much same time with am Bays - 6:02 from the starter's gun to when I stopped at Tanunda Oval, but 5:21 of actual bike riding from when I crossed the start line at Norwood to finish line at Tanunda.

Fairly happy with my time as it was more than 30mins better than last year with similar conditions and terrain, and I probably hadn't prepared as much for the ride this year compared to last year.

I had originally planned to only stop at Mt Pleasant and Bethany and was happy to keep to the plan and not stop elsewhere - I've personally found that it's better to ride as long as you can before stopping for the first time. I hit a bit of a wall just after going through Lyndoch with 40km to go, so I couldn't wait to get to Bethany to refresh and regroup before Menglers.

I didn't find Menglers too horrible ... there was a section where I was only doing 5-6km/hr, but I was passing a lot more people than people going past me. I normally just get passed on the downhill sections when my bike/fear means 55-60km/hr is my maximum speed . I definitely prefer to have the long steady incline than that short steep K.O.M. we had last year, and am keen to eventually try Willunga Hill.

[Hopeful Jelly]

Did anyone get to ride next to any of the celebrities, politicians, and sportspeople on the ride?

I started near David Pittman and rode on his tail down the Parade and turning onto Glynburn Road, but then didn't see him again until the top of the first KOM. Either he must have struggled up the hill, or more likely was waiting for his mates to catch up .

[am Bays]

Well, what a surprise one week after the TDU, barely a cyclist to be seen on the road. Certainly no groups of cyclists all over the road training furiously

[Dutchy]

Rode up the SE Veloway this morning and ran over a baby brown snake, only saw it just before it went under the wheel, scared the shit outta me!

[mickey]

Did you stop and help the little fella?

[gadj1976]

I reckon I saw a dead body on the way to work yesterday morning (bike path, hence the relevance in this topic). There were a number of people walking dogs, gathered around a hooded "body" near the river torrens, between Klemzig and town (I think).

Interesting to see if it was actually a fatality or not.

[dedja]

I guess we'll never know ...

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/lan ... 6262548745

SEVEN-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong has welcomed the decision by US prosecutors to drop their doping investigation without bringing criminal charges.

A statement on Friday by US attorney Andre Birotte jnr said Birotte's office "is closing an investigation into allegations of federal criminal conduct by members and associates of a professional bicycle racing team owned in part by Lance Armstrong."

The probe has reportedly included a grand jury sitting in Los Angeles hearing testimony from former Armstrong teammates and associates.

Although such grand jury proceedings are supposed to remain secret, the investigation has been widely reported on, prompting Birotte's office to take the step of announcing it had ended.

"The United States Attorney determined that a public announcement concerning the closing of the investigation was warranted by numerous reports about the investigation in media outlets around the world," the statement said.

[dedja]

Well I've had a frustrating month or so since deciding the dust the cobwebs off the bike.

The back's been playing up for nearly 2 months and I had to wait for a broken big toe to heal for most of January.

Therefore have only done a few short rides ... about 40Km last week.

The good news is that I've lost about 8 kilos in that time through some (hopefully) sensible diet changes, so fairly happy with that considering I've hardly been able to get on the bike.

Looking forward to doing Amy's ride later this year and the TDU next year, but I'm sure it will take a little while to get my 'legs'.

[Dutchy]

Nice one Dedj, look forward to seeing you out there!

[dedja]

Wow!

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/alb ... 6264163075

SPANISH cyclist Alberto Contador has been suspended for two years and stripped of his 2010 Tour de France title.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) issued the ruling today, finding Contador guilty of doping after testing positive for clenbuterol while winning his third Tour title.

Contador had claimed the positive test was a result of eating contaminated meat and a Spanish cycling tribunal exonerated the rider.

However, the World Anti-Doping Agency and cycling governing body UCI appealed to CAS over the decision.

He has continued racing and stands to lose all of his results if banned for more than a year, including winning the Giro d'Italia last season.

Contador has become only the second Tour de France champion to be disqualified and stripped of victory for doping.

The first was Floyd Landis, the American, who lost his 2006 title after testing positive for testosterone.
Andy Schleck of Luxembourg, who finished second at the 2010 Tour, would be awarded the victory after Contador was stripped of the title.

Contador tested positive on the July 21 rest day. The positive results were not confirmed publicly until September 2010, when the UCI announced it had provisionally suspended him pending an investigation by Spain's cycling body.

The 29-year-old Contador blamed steak bought from a Basque producer for his high reading of clenbuterol, which is sometimes used by farmers to fatten up their livestock.

Contador was originally cleared last February by the Spanish cycling federation's tribunal, which rejected a recommendation to impose a one-year ban. Days earlier, then Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said on Twitter that there was no reason to punish the rider, who is a sports icon in his home country.

After the UCI and WADA appealed the Spanish verdict, a twice-postponed hearing was eventually heard by CAS in November.

The four-day session almost ended in chaos as lawyers for the UCI and WADA considered walking out when the panel chairman, Israeli lawyer Efraim Barak, prevented one of their expert witnesses from being questioned about the science of blood doping and transfusions.

The complex 18-month legal case has also raised questions about the status of clenbuterol in anti-doping rules and the honesty of Spanish farmers.

The drug is banned in Europe.

Contador is one of only five cyclists to win the three Grand Tours the Tour de France, the Giro and the Spanish Vuelta. He also won the Tour de France in 2007 and 2009.

[pels]

About time, its only taken 18 mths. He has been dodgy for a while
The ban means Contador will lose race results dating back to and including the 2010 Tour de France.
His ban ends on August 5th 2012 What a joke.
I would rather he miss 2 years of racing

[Q.]

It's difficult to understand why he was using (was he really?) Clenbuterol. It's not a steroid and for a high performance athlete like himself, there just doesn't seem to be any benefit in using it.

[am Bays]

It's difficult to understand why he was using (was he really?) Clenbuterol. It's not a steroid and for a high performance athlete like himself, there just doesn't seem to be any benefit in using it.

It aids recovery, like all steroids, taken on the rest day of Le Tour to help him be better able to perform in the last week. Not by much but every little 0.0001% helps in eltie sport, especially if it makes you feel you're better recovered an able to tackle those mountains.

Just admit it Alberto...

[heater31]

Just admit it Alberto...

It took Mr Landis years to admit it......

[Q.]

It's difficult to understand why he was using (was he really?) Clenbuterol. It's not a steroid and for a high performance athlete like himself, there just doesn't seem to be any benefit in using it.

It aids recovery, like all steroids, taken on the rest day of Le Tour to help him be better able to perform in the last week. Not by much but every little 0.0001% helps in eltie sport, especially if it makes you feel you're better recovered an able to tackle those mountains.

Just admit it Alberto...

Clenbuterol is not a steroid and I can't fathom how it would ever aid recovery.

[Booney]

It's difficult to understand why he was using (was he really?) Clenbuterol. It's not a steroid and for a high performance athlete like himself, there just doesn't seem to be any benefit in using it.

It aids recovery, like all steroids, taken on the rest day of Le Tour to help him be better able to perform in the last week. Not by much but every little 0.0001% helps in eltie sport, especially if it makes you feel you're better recovered an able to tackle those mountains.

Just admit it Alberto...

Clenbuterol is not a steroid and I can't fathom how it would ever aid recovery.

Clenbuterol is a β2 agonist with some structural and pharmacological similarities to epinephrine and salbutamol, but its effects are more potent and longer-lasting as a stimulant and thermogenic drug.

It causes an increase in aerobic capacity, central nervous system stimulation, and an increase in blood pressure and oxygen transportation. It increases the rate at which body fat is metabolized while increasing the body's BMR.[1] It is commonly used for smooth muscle relaxant properties. This means that it is a bronchodilator and tocolytic.

Clenbuterol is usually used in dosages anywhere from 20-60 micrograms (mcg) a day when prescribed. A dose of about 120 mcg (women) or 140 mcg (men) should never be exceeded in a day.

Clenbuterol is also prescribed for treatment of horses; however, equine use is usually the liquid form of clenbuterol.

[Q.]

Clen has also been shown to reduce cardiovascular performance and comes with a myriad of negative side effects, including causing heart problems. Would think the last thing a cyclist needs is cardiac hypertrophy.

[Booney]

Clen has also been shown to reduce cardiovascular performance and comes with a myriad of negative side effects, including causing heart problems. Would think the last thing a cyclist needs is cardiac hypertrophy.

Would an elite cyclist risk such a condition to win Le Tour? Seems he did.

[Q.]

Clen has also been shown to reduce cardiovascular performance and comes with a myriad of negative side effects, including causing heart problems. Would think the last thing a cyclist needs is cardiac hypertrophy.

Would an elite cyclist risk such a condition to win Le Tour? Seems he did.

Maybe, or maybe he really did just eat contaminated meat. It's such a crappy quasi-anabolic.