Check out this little blast from the past, sent along by Gary David. It's a scanned article written by Ben Hewitt from Outside Magazine in March of 2003. It came out just as I was starting my first year as a pro, at 30 years old, with 14 or so years of bike racing (and one retirement) under my belt already. Funny how things go.

I managed to make it 2 or 3 more years as a vegan and a pro, before the pressure of always putting my teammates out, putting so much energy into planning meals on the road, and eating a lot of salad got the better of me. From there it devolved into being vegan at home, but just vegetarian when I was traveling, and then finally to just plain old vegetarian most of the time.

I still don't buy leather or milk or eggs, but when Janice is eating ice cream, it's been known to pass my lips here and there.

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Check out this article on Cycle-Smart client, and former NHL workman Eric Weinrich. Eric works with Alec Donahue, and it's very special for us to be able to work with a professional athlete and coach with Eric's athletic experience and success. 

http://www.pressherald.com/sports/hes-showing-his-mettle-with-the-pedal_2010-08-21.html 

Congrats to Eric and Al on his continued athletic career!

I mean, a box shows up every day now. The only thing better than Christmas for us growing up was Chanukah, and this feels a lot more like Chanukah.

UPS _and_ FedEx today!

Don't make me say this again this fall, ok?

Regarding dismount technique, it's ok to keep the left foot clipped in if, and ONLY if, you don't "step through" with the right foot. Swinging the right foot "around the back" means you're able to turn your hips to the right slightly as you dismount, making sure you clip out of the left as you do. Stepping through with the right while clipped in still on the left makes rotating the left heel out nearly impossible, and guarantees a mishap sooner or later. NEVER do this, ever. You may get away with it for a while, but all it takes is tired legs and a little mud in your pedal to end up smashing your face on a barrier.

There are 3 techniques I teach:

1. I advocate clipping out of the left first when you don't need to be on the gas all the way to the dismount point. It's much easier to step off a bike you're not still attached to. Then swing the right leg around the back of the bike and step off.

2. I advocate staying clipped in on the left when you have to pedal all the way up to the dismount point (uphill dismounts, deep mud, last minute dismounts), and when you're not stepping through with the right foot.

3. I advocate stepping through ONLY when clipped out of the left already, and when you have ample speed and coasting time to take the extra time needed to step through with the right.

 

The bottom line? Option 1 works every time, in every condition, and is what I consider the default dismount technique. Learn and master that one first, and you will be prepared for every situation you might find in a 'cross race.