How Evans Won the Tour de France with Tactics YOU Can Use

Cycling great Robert Millar recently wrote this article about how Australian Cadel Evans came out on top in this year's Tour de France.  Of great interest is the mindset that Cadel had to take the overall victory.  Essentially, he went in looking for opportunities to take instead of defending against losses.

My best race results to date didn't have anything to do with "just surviving" or "just making it to the finish line", or "just" anything now that I think about it.  Instead, I attacked at every opportunity to shave time off my result.  I cut every corner on the bike and run as close as possible, squeezed into the draft zone behind the cyclist in front of me to slingshot past him, and used every runner as a marked target to catch, only to keep doing it to the very next one in my sights.  In the end, I won second place in my age group, qualified for Escape from Alcatraz and Age Group Nationals, all with a spread of only 19 seconds between first and third place.  It was a difference that was so tight, even the post-race announcer had to comment on it.

To this day, I still remember that day as real racing.  It was hyper-aggresive and there was a specific target in mind - qualify for Alcatraz.  Reading Millar's analysis of Cadel's performance made my great luck that day suddenly make a lot more sense.  I went into that race looking for opportunities to take, not defending against losses to others.

This isn't just a tactic for those that want to win.  Everybody can use this in any event, no matter how fast or slow they are.  There a dozens of ways to get a leg up on race day, this being just a few:

• Previewing and memorizing the hill profile.  Look for places to attack, not restrain.
• Checking out the course on Google Map's street view.  Analyze how fast you can go through the turns.
• Staying on top of the weather conditions.  Change your tire pressure based on how wet the roads are.
• Look at last year's results.  Don't see if you're fast enough to "make it."  Pick somebody else's time in one of the events, even if it's a transition, and see if you can beat it.
• The shorter the course, the faster your time.  Bike and run on the inside of turns as much as possible.

And a million more...  Look, don't go out there just defending yourself.  You already are what you are.  You want to improve, proactively empowering yourself with more and more velocity and moving up in the pack.

Good luck and race safe!

- Coach Brett 

Podcast - Interview with Conrad Stoltz

Click here to listen!

Conrad Stoltz has won the XTERRA World Championships a record four times.  We sit down and chat with him from his home in South Africa, discussing everything from 29er bikes to his gruesome foot injury (WARNING - Intense!).  Join in for a great talk and learn how one of the best makes it all happen!

Click here to download or listen.

ZenTri Epic Camp Belt Buckles Arrive, Do not Double as MP3 Players

The buckles are in, and so are the reviews.  They ROCK!  If you missed this camp, there will be more in the future, so stay tuned.

Toyota Creates Mind-Control Bike, Your Quads Become Jealous

"Yep, the black parts are squishy, just like we wanted."

In the never-ending march to make the world's simplist form of transportation more complex, Toyota has created a bike that can change gears just by you thinking about it.  The helmet contains nuerotransmitters that read your brain waves and then wirelessly tells the shifters to do their thing.  

It's actually very cool, but soon we will have to have a brain surgeon around just to adjust our tire pressure.

Full story in Wired

Getting Started

I was sending an email to a coaching client, addressing some questions, when I thought the content was great to share with those who might be interested.  The tone is casual and the caloric numbers are specific to him, but lots of this is loosely applicable to most triathletes that are just starting out.  Enjoy!

1.  Failures are all ok, and even better than ok, as long as you USE them to correct course, right?  Announce to your friends that you have to go to bed early because you're a panzy Ironman, fragile and delicate.  Making fun of yourself makes everybody laugh about it, but also brings it to light that you gotta do it.  Deep inside, they will be slightly envious that you are DOING something with your life, so it's all good.

2.  Go to google maps and type in either "pool" or "gym" and check out all the results.  It's the best way to find a pool in your area.  And not just A pool, but poolS.  You need backups.  I use three pools in my area to get my swimming done.  One is the most convenient, but it's outdoors and can be closed for weather.  Another is indoors, but the chlorine in the air bothers me for long periods.  The fanciest is also incredibly expensive, so I save it for loooooong swims.  At any time, I can pick the one that best suits my needs.  It's like having multiple biking or running routes.  Print out a list of their hours and put it on your fridge.

3.  You need 200 to 500 calories per hour for your workouts.  Hornet Juice provides protein.  The amount of calories, protein, and electrolytes you need will vary on how much you've already eaten during the hours leading up to your workout.  DOCUMENT how you feel vs. how much of what you ate.  This is your own personal guide on how fuel effects your performance.  And remember that fast-absorbing energy works like Nitrous vs. slow absorbing.  If I'm feeling a little low and I'm about to head out the door to run, it's time for simple sugars.  If I'm feeling full, I don't eat anything.  If it's hours away from a workout and I'm feeling low, I only eat complex carbs and other slow absorbing-foods (meats, veggies, fruits).  Hornet Juice is 1 serving per 1.5 hours.  Take it just before, during, or just after your workout if you take it at all.

4.  Sore is different than tired.  If you are sore, then a little exercise can be good for you.  The heightened blood flow will help restore your muscles and make you feel better.  In that case, we're talking about a light load, not heavy pushing.  If you are actually tired, then you are done for the day.  Take a nap.  You'll work out much better after a little rest.