EverymanTri.com

Lance Armstrong's new Astana team role: comedian

It was another hot and very windy stage yesterday in Australia as Lance Armstrong and his team stayed out of trouble to finish Stage 4 of the Tour Down Under.

But about 85 kilometers into the 136-kilometer stage, Armstrong used some of his considerable star power to back off a low-flying helicopter with a camera crew that was swirling up dust and wind.

Feature: World's 10 most Interesting & Unusual races

On Friday we feature the World's 10 Interesting & Unusual Marathons:

Our goal is to travel the world with you, from Peoria to Peking, in search of the most unusual, fun, and interesting races.

Today we travel to Kenya Africa for the Safaricom Marathon on Lewa Wildlife Conservancy. What Makes this race so special is that you get to run and race through the the African Bush and wildlife park.

Just think of it as the world's only running safari. And while the notion of combining running and a safari may seem strange and odd to some, it was a way of life for many of humanities  ancient ancestors.

Denver marathon: a bit country & more "Rock 'N' Roll"

From the "we should have seen this one coming from a mile away" file, the newly acquired Denver Marathon will soon be the Denver "Rock 'N' Roll" marathon.

It was just about two weeks ago that the Competitor Group announced the acquisition of the Denver Marathon and now they plan to transform it into the Denver Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in 2010.

Press Release: Chicago Marathon Registration Opens Feb 1

CHICAGO, Jan. 22 registration for the 2009 Bank of America Chicago Marathon will open to the public beginning at midnight (CST) on February 1 at chicagomarathon.com. The 32-year-old 26.2-mile race will be held on Sunday, October 11, beginning and ending in Chicago's historic Grant Park. Registration is open to the first 45,000 registered participants.

One break away, two hours, and 340 Watts

For any cyclist who has a power meter on their bike you'll know just how difficult it is to average 200 watts on a typical training ride or race.

On stage 3 of the Tour Down Under today Lance Armstrong joined 13 riders in a 90-kilometer long break away with his teammates as well as Stuart O'Grady (Saxo Bank) and Michael Rogers (Columbia).

According to Cycling News after the day's stage Armstrong said:

"I think it's the kind of stuff I need to do, I need to get in the race and work that top end. Like I've said 100 times here, I can't get that in training so the more I can be out there...

Everyman Endurance Podcast: The science of swimming fast

A grand total of 108 new world swim records were set in 2008. There's little disagreement in the swimming community that these new records were set (to a large extent) with the aid of new swimsuit technology.

Next month you'll be able to purchase this new super-stretchy Rocket Skin swim suit which has just entered the skirmish into this raging technology battle and controversy.

The new suite is the brainchild of triathlete Marcin Sochacki, who says the suite is faster than Speedo's LZR swimsuit worn by the fastest swimmers at the Beijing Olympics this year.

Click HERE to listen, or download, or subscribe to the podcast now.

Good news & bad news for American endurance athletes

A new study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine  of 51 U.S. cities had some good news for many Americans. Life expectancy increased by an average of two years and eight months since the early 1980s. Research attribute about five months of that increase due to cleaner air in the 51 U.S. cities looked at in the study.

But for endurance athletes even small amounts of pollution can be very harmful.

Race Report: Chillin' in Chile by Ben Greenfield

Editor's Note: Our newest personal training and coaching partner, Ben Greenfield, just qualified for the 70.3 Ironman World Championships with a blazing fast half Ironman race in Pucon, Chile.

Ben filed this report, and we're happy to report that dad is not strange, but just really really fast. Check out Ben's blog for after race reports from Chile.

Having raced what is supposedly one of the hardest Half-Ironman triathlons in the States (Wildflower), I can confidently say that this race makes the Wildflower run course look like child's play.

I'm going to make this quick, because I'm exhausted and I need to nap (post race party will go until 4am en la manana).

Jessa snapped a pic of me as I headed out to pump up the bike in transition...got to sleep in for this race with a 9am "late" start.

The Specialized steed awaits...

Feature: World's 10 most Interesting & Unusual races

On Wednesday we feature the World's 10 Interesting & Unusual Bike races and/or rides:

Our goal is to travel the world with you in search of the most unusual, fun, and interesting races from Peoria to Peking.

Today we get high, very high, in California with the annual Death Ride (Tour of California Alps)

Just image 129 miles, 15,000 feet of climbing and 5 steep mountain passes, and you're on the way to getting a good feel for what it must be like to ride your bike up and down the California Mountains.

Feature Review: Danskin’s 2009 Women’s Triathlon Swimsuit by Tawnee Prazak

Website: www.danskin.com
EveryMan Latte Rating: 2.5
Retail price: $64

If there’s one piece of training attire that I’m overly picky about, it’s my training swimsuit. After all, swimming is my weakness, so the last thing I want to worry about is fumbling with my suit or feeling uncomfortable while doing laps.

So I was excited to try Danskin’s newly released triathlon swimsuit. The company’s expertise is creating functional sportswear for a woman’s body—they’ve been doing it for more than 100 years—and with their involvement in the tri-world, I anticipated a quality product.

Press Release: ironguides and TBB split company

La Jolla, California - ironguides, the leading lifestyle facilitation company for triathlon and outdoor living enthusiasts everywhere, announced today the dissolution of its partnership with professional triathlon team Team TBB announced in July 2008.

Everyman Endurance Podcast: The Lanterne Rouge Show

Wikipedia defines the cycling term "The Lanterne Rouge" as:  the competitor in last place in a cycling race such as the Tour de France. The phrase comes from the French "Red Lantern" and refers to the red lantern hung on the caboose of a railway train, which conductors would look for in order to make sure none of the couplings had become disconnected.

Sometimes it must be noted that the Lanterne Rouge has the best view of the entire bike race.

That's why we are very pleased and excited to introduce a new feature to this web site and to the Everyman Endurance Podcast: The Lanterne Rouge show.

Click HERE to listen, or download, or subscribe to the podcast now.

Barack Obama President-in-Southpaw

Not only is Barack Obama the first African American U.S. President, but he also becomes the third leftie United States President in a row,  and the fifth out of the last seven U.S. Presidents to take the oath as a Southpaw.

Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, and Gerald Fold were all left-handed presidents. Barack Obama and John McCain are also both left-handed.

Only about 10 percent of the world’s population is left-handed, and yet about 66 percent of American presidents in the last 30 years were left-handed men.

Press Release: Clif Bar announces voluntary recall due to possible Salmonella contaminated peanut butter

You may want to check those Clif and Luna bars in your backpack, cupboard, or gym bag---especially if they contain peanut butter.

The Clif Bar and Company now joins a long list of other companies that have been forced to voluntarily recall food items because of a salmonella outbreak that has killed at least six people and sickened more than 470 others in 43 states.

 "The Food and Drug Administration has traced the outbreak to a Georgia plant owned by Peanut Corporation of America, which manufactures peanut butter and peanut paste for distribution to institutions and food companies." according to the Associated Press.

The truth about HFCS in question

A recent advertising campaign called the "The Truth about HFCS" by the Corn Refiners Association has many nationalist calling foul.

In a series of television commercials, the Corn Refiners Association promotes the benefits of high fructose corn syrup, and directly questions the common thinking that HFCS is unhealthy and leads to obesity.

HFCS is found in many of today's most popular foods and drinks including, soda, sports drinks and salad dressing, crackers and even ketchup."

Feature: World's 10 most Interesting & Unusual races

On Tuesday we feature the World's 10 most Interesting & Unusual Swims:

Our goal is to travel the world with you in search of the most unusual, fun, and interesting races from Peoria to Peking.

Today we travel to New Zealand for the New Zealand Ocean Water Series. This weekend is your chance to race in Wellington, New Zealand if you are up for the challenge. But first read about the most well known race in the series of Down Under 2.8km races.