Ironman Texas Announced

Round up your cattle and drive them doggies on down to H-town, partners! There's a new Ironman on the scene!  The Woodlands will host a 140.6 race on May 21st of 2011.

First off let's clear up some issues.  One press release said it's a "short distance" from downtown Houston.  If you consider 30 miles in urban gridlock "short", then Ironman racing is definitely the sport for you.  They also keep showing the same boat in the same canal over and over again for a reason:  That is all the open water they have there.  It will be interesting to see how they engineer the swim course.  Oh, and the entry fee is only a mere kidney $600.  

All of that aside, the Woodlands has a decent triathlete population.  The population of Houston is like a bazillion people, so they've been waiting for a race of this magnitude for quite a while.

The Woodlands is the closest part of Houston to where I live, so I train a lot on what will be the bike course.  It's awesome cycling out there.  The technical term for the lay of the land is "B.F.E.", which makes for a good jaunt.

Registration opens up today, but at least wait until I'm done.

Mellow Johnny's TDF Party!

Love the Tour De France?  Hate actually being in France?  Well, you're in luck!  Mellow Johnny's, Lance Armstrong's personal bike shop, is throwing a TDF kickoff party in Austin on July 3rd.

Not only will there be hourly giveaways, but there is a Radio Shack store inside the bike store.  That will bring to life your dream of being talked down to by electronics guys in the midst of being talked down to by bike shop guys.

Seriously, though, it's a cool party.  I was there for part of it last year and it was a blast.  Being that Armstrong has already retired once and only got 3rd last time, it seems to be more of a celebration of bike racing in general than ever before.

Podcast - Open Water Swimming and Danskin Tri

Hey, Tri-studs and studettes!  Join in for a listen as we talk some Zen, I give a short instructional on how to swim better in the open water, and I do support for @ZenTriNurse at the Danskin triathlon in Austin.

We've been working on some new sponsorships here at ZenTri.  The first one is Fluid Recovery.  Go to LiveFluid.com and use "ZenTri" at checkout to get 20% of everything on the site except for clothing.  Heck yeah!

The show includes some fun audio clips from the Adam Carolla Show and Life Regenerator.  We also discuss "Goldilocks Good" in detail.

Enjoy the show and support our sponsors!

Click here to listen

First Ever ZenTri Poll!

I'm going to add polls to the website and want to test out some formatting.  To do so, I am indulging you with the first ever ZenTri Poll of Bike Dedication.  Answer and believe.

 Do you like bikes?

• Yes.
• WTF?
• No.
• I don't have a brain.

view results
Free vote poll

I'm impressed that the results can be displayed as a bar graph both horizontally and vertically.  That's like eating ice cream from a cone or a cup.  Too much awesomeness to be believed.

USA Triathlon Adopts New Wetsuit Regulation

I got this email yesterday.  New changes are coming soon!

Beginning in 2013, wetsuits may not exceed five millimeters in thickness

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Following extensive research and consideration, USA Triathlon announced today that beginning in 2013 use of wetsuits exceeding five millimeters in thickness will not be permitted at USAT-sanctioned events.

 

The new regulation, which falls under Article 4.4 Wetsuits of the USA Triathlon Competitive Rules, states: "Effective January 1, 2013, any swimmer wearing a wetsuit with a thickness measured in any part greater than five millimeters shall be disqualified."

 

"Our board has been considering this issue and the impact it might have with our athletes for some time," said USA Triathlon CEO Skip Gilbert. "The overall feeling is that it makes perfect sense to align with the guidelines set by our international federation and multisport enthusiasts around the world. This is a standard that is good for the athlete community and our sport overall." 

 

By implementing this rule change, USA Triathlon falls in line with the international standard of five millimeters recognized by the International Triathlon Union (ITU) and other National Governing Bodies.

 

The adoption of this rule is designed to eliminate any competitive advantage gained by enhancements in wetsuit technology in recent years. Studies have shown there is a marked and measurable performance benefit to the use of certain wetsuits, specifically added buoyancy effectively reducing passive drag. These performance benefits have led to an increased, and artificially induced, reduction in physical demand required during the swim leg of a triathlon and an increase in speed.

 

USAT recognizes that there may be wetsuits currently available on the market that are greater than five millimeters in thickness. Consequently, the organization has implemented a phase-in period of the rule to allow the use of wetsuits that currently do not meet the thickness requirement. This announcement of the new regulation serves as notice that the rule change will come into effect in 2013.

 

USAT recently solicited feedback on the wetsuit thickness issue from its certified race directors via a comprehensive survey. The majority of those surveyed supported USA Triathlon's adoption of this rule.