EverymanTri.com

Specialized builds battery powered bike for Fabian Cancellara for the Tour de France

Who says the boys at Specialized don't have a sense of humor?

Not us!

At a recent presentation in Keystone, Colorado Resort, Specialized made light of recent cheating allegations against their sponsored rider Fabian Cancellara, and unveiled a new Specialized Roubaix 2011 complete with 430 watt Duracell battery.

For those that don’t know, rumors that professional riders had used an electric motor to help them turn the pedals and so save  energy, first appeared in the Italian press during the Giro d’Italia.

The Il Giornale newspaper said that a small motor and battery that helps turn the cranks could be hidden in the seat tube of a frame, giving a boost of 50 watts of power.

Then , a carefully edited video appeared on YouTube noting unusual hand movements by Cancellara before he attacked and won the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix in April, fueling  the conspiracy theories.

Europe's fastest ITU triathlete to battle it out for Continental Championship this weekend in Ireland

Vancouver, 30 June 2010 - Europe's top triathletes are headed to Athlone, Ireland this weekend to compete for the title of 2010 European Champion. Athlone, located on the River Shannon in Central Ireland, has hosted an ETU Continental Cup for the past two seasons, alongside Ireland's biggest age-group race. The event will feature a 1.5-km swim in the River Shannon, followed by a flat, fast and technical 40-km ride and a 10-km run through the medieval city.

Marathon swimmer Diana Nyad to try to swim from Florida to Cuba again at age 60

You may recall that during the seventies marathon swimmer Diana Nyad was the greatest long distance swimmer in the world, and one of the most popular endurance athletes in America.

She swam so much and so fast that she broke numerous records including the 50-year-old mark for circling Manhattan  island.

In case your wondering she swam around the island (7 hrs, 57 min) in 1975.

But perhaps her most famous (if unsuccessful) swim was when she tried twice to swim the 103-miles from Florida to Cuba.

Both times she did not make it and almost died trying to overcome the current, waves and sharks.

And now the 60-year-old marathon swimmer intends to try it again.

Two new triathlons debut in sunny and hot locations in 2011

This new 70.3 IM triathlon is bound to be popular with the Brits...at least those Brits that like going long when they race.

Ironman recently announced the inaugural Thomas Cook Ironman 70.3 Mallorca to be held on May 14, 2011.

Lance Armstrong tweets 2010 Tour de France will be the last...make that his last

Say it ain't so Lance.

But alas Lance Armstrong, the seven time Tour de France winner, tweeted his retirement from the TdF, and in either a simple slip of a word, or perhaps an expression of his ego, or expression of his contempt for the race organizers, or a Freudian slip he tweeted;

"And yes, this will be final Tour de France. It's been a great ride. Looking forward to 3 great weeks."

Video: Summer sunset on the still pristine beaches of the Gulf of Mexico

Editor's Note: Our Managing Editor, Roman Mica, recently returned from a summer vacation on Marco Island, Florida where he tells us that he ran on the beach every night at sunset. Marco Island is located in Southern Florida on the Gulf coast. Roman goes on to report:

Auckland to host 2012 ITU World Championship Series Grand Final

Vancouver, 28 June 2010 - The International Triathlon Union (ITU) announced today that Auckland, New Zealand will host the 2012 ITU World Championship Series Grand Final. The news was made official by members of Triathlon New Zealand at a press conference on the Auckland Waterfront this afternoon. Auckland was awarded the bid over cities from Asia, the Middle East and Europe.

If God swam masters...this would undoubtedly be his workout pool

Here are some numbers that might give you an idea of just how crazy this infinite pool's architect was when he or she conceived it.

55...that's the number of floors up in the air that you'll be swimming should you be lucky enough to stay and swim at the Marina Bay Sands Skypark Hotel in Singapore...which recently opened for business.

Potts and Corbin take the win at Ironman Coeur d’Alene in Idaho

So how does it feel to win an Ironman?

Linsey Corbin, today's winner of the female division of Ironman Coeur d’Alen probably summed it up best when she twitted, "Wahooo! Ironman Champion! It feels awesome. Thanks for all the cheers! All I can say is follow your dreams! Time to celebrate!!"

Amateur triathlete dies during swim at Phlytri: Olympic distance race held as a duathlon while police search for body

Tragedy struck this weekend at the Philadelphia Insurance Triathlon as a 40-year old amatuer athlete lost his life during the swim portion of the amatuer sprint distance race on Saturday.

According to published reports Derek Valentino failed to exit the swim portion of the race from the Schuylkill River on Saturday as his family waited for him on the shore.

“His wife and son were waiting at the end of the swim near where the bicycles were and he never exited the water,” said Philadelphia Police Lt. Joseph Walsh. “All the swimmers have electric timers they wear on their bodies. They know he entered the water because his microchip tripped the timer.”

Police and firefighters began an intensive search for Valentino after the race and continued to search the river on Sunday morning prompting race organizers to eliminate the swim portion of the Olympic distance race turning the race into a duathlon.

"We did it out of respect for the man's family," Richard Adler, race director, said. "The competitors were very understanding, he added.

Spanish rule the day on home soil at ITU European Long Distance Championships

Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain, 26 June 2010 - Spaniards Virginia Berasategui and Eneko Llanos were victorious on home soil at the 210 ETU Long Distance Triathlon European Championships in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain on Saturday.

It was the second European Long Distance title in a row for Berasategui, who started the day with a three-minute swim deficit to defending Long Distance world champ Jodie Swallow of Great Britain. The Spaniard was untouchable on the bike, however, covering the 120-kilometre bike course in 3:10:59-over ten minutes faster than Swallow. The Brit put on a surge on the run, but it wasn't enough to catch the leader, as Berasategui broke the finishing tape in 6:14:46, just over four minutes ahead of Swallow. Italy's Edith Niederfriniger rounded out the podium, finishing a distant third in 6:41:01.

Basweti, Eap capture top spots at Rock ‘n’ Roll Seattle Marathon

 Seattle, WA – June 26, 2010 – Cheerleaders and live bands lined the course Saturday morning as more than 27,000 participants ran from Tukwila to Seattle for the second annual Rock ‘n’ Roll Seattle Marathon & ½ Marathon benefiting the American Cancer Society.

With a fully-loaded elite field running the half-marathon, it was Jynocel Basweti of Kenya who broke away from the lead pack at the 35K mark in the marathon to claim victory in 2 hours, 18 minutes and 19 seconds. Basweti, who finished fourth in Seattle last year, claimed his fourth marathon title in 2010. He has been training in New Mexico with the AmeriKenyan Running Club and is coached by 2000 U.S. Olympic triathlete Ryan Bolton.

“Seattle is so fantastic, so green, the spectators and cheering was so nice,” said Basweti, who didn’t enter the race until Wednesday. “I ran here last year, it was my first time and I didn’t know the route. This year I had the knowledge about the course. At halfway, I thought this marathon was going to be between three guys, so when we got out of the tunnel (Battery Street) I knew I needed to make my move.”

Two easy steps to triathlon carbohydrate nirvana

When discussing triathlon carbohydrate intake and how carbs should be worked into your day-to-day nutrition routine, the following is the one single important aspect of human body science that you need to understand if they want your bodies to feel better, perform better and look better.

Question: Will Lance Armstrong race the newly announced Ironman Texas?

It can't be denied that Lance Armstrong has Ironman Triathlon on his mind....even as he gets ready for yet another Tour De France.

He recently posted this photo from the upcoming Ironman in France on Twitter with the caption: "Setting up the transition area for Ironman France this Sunday. Very cool"

And as you may recall from THIS story we broke last year Armstrong has already committed to racing an Ironman.

Significant changes proposed for professional triathletes qualifying for Kona & 70.3 Ironman Championships next year

In a draft letter to professional triathletes The World Triathlon Corporation is proposing significant changes to how pro's will qualify for the Ironman Kona World Championships in Hawaii. (A significant portion of the WTC letter pros recently received is below)

Perhaps the most interesting change we immediately noticed are that the WTC plans to:

a) introduce a new points system for qualification,

b) do away with the automatic lifetime qualification for the Kona World Championships,

c) award "wildcard" slots at the WTC's desertion and

d) do away with the controversial "8% Rule," for awarding prize money.

American runner Chris Solinsky is proving you don't have to be built like a Kenyan to break records

Here's something that you don't see on many world class distance runners:

- Broad shoulders

- Thick muscular legs

- 6-foot-1 and 165 pounds of solid strength.

But that's exactly the build and body that American distance runner Chris Solinsky from Steven Point Wisconsin has used to become one of the fastest runners in the world.

Here are just a few of his accomplishments:

- Solinsky's 5k time is 25 seconds faster than Steve Prefontaine ever ran

- His 10k is 46 seconds faster than Frank Shorter's best.

- On May 1 Solinsky ran 26:59.60 10K easily breaking Meb Keflezighi's U.S. record by a staggering 14.38 seconds. 

- 13 days later he ran a 12:56.56 5K which is just shy of Bernard Lagat's American record of 12:54.12.