Double Down!

Yeah, that's what I'm talkin' bout! Gimme some a that KFC, yo!



Fresh off that news.....

Obese People Have 'Severe Brain Denegration'

A new study finds obese people have 8 percent less brain tissue than normal-weight individuals. Their brains look 16 years older than the brains of lean individuals, researchers said today.

Those classified as overweight have 4 percent less brain tissue and their brains appear to have aged prematurely by 8 years.

The results, based on brain scans of 94 people in their 70s, represent "severe brain degeneration," said Paul Thompson, senior author of the study and a UCLA professor of neurology.

"That's a big loss of tissue and it depletes your cognitive reserves, putting you at much greater risk of Alzheimer's and other diseases that attack the brain," said Thompson. "But you can greatly reduce your risk for Alzheimer's, if you can eat healthily and keep your weight under control."

Maybe that explains why someone would actually eat a sandwich made of two pieces of deep fried chicken hugging bacon and melted cheese food.

Crazy food ideas that'll make you fat aren't new. 80 years ago some dude filed a patent for a banana ice cream injector.



Yeah, that's a banana.

If you have any doubt that Americans are nuts when it comes to their health, take a gander at how the crack-pots act at those Heath Care Town Hall Meetings. Even John McCain feels their anti health wrath.



There's nothing like watching a bunch of fat AARP members, who are probably on Medicare and Social Security, scream like maniacs that they don't want the government instituting "socialism."

Saturday Night Video Fun

I figured all the gun nuts showing up at Health Care Town Hall Meetings with firearms would like this video.

She's the Man

There's a ruckus brewin' in the world of international track & field.

"A female runner accused of being a man tonight took gold in the 800m World Athletics Championship.
South African Caster Semenya, 18, had to take a gender test after doubts were raised about her sex.
But despite the furore, she easily took gold in the final in Berlin.

The teenage sensation has sparked controversy over her strikingly muscular physique.
Today officials at the world athletics body, the IAAF, revealed that it ordered her to take a gender test three weeks ago.
IAAF spokesman Nick Davies confirmed the tests were taking place, though he said the results would not be confirmed for several weeks."

I don't even know what to say about this brew-ha-ha. It's like the past 100 years of anti-feminism dumped on this poor 18 year old all in one massive media disaster. She's too fast, therefore she mustn't be a she. She's too "muscular," therefore she must be a he.

She doesn't fit everyone's stereotype of what a woman should be, so she's gotta be......must be a guy.

The sad part of this is she just won Worlds and instead of being celebrated she's being turned into a joke. And how will the world apologize when, after blood tests, psychiatric tests and a gynecological exam it turns out that all the haters were just stupid men thinking with their.....



This is nothing new, women upsetting society's idea of what they're supposed to be. Society abhors a standout that isn't also a man. What kind of message does that send to kids? Don't step out of line girls, or the world governing body of sport will send you to a shrink and inspect your genitalia.

Rebecca Rusch wins Leadville, gets 6 sentences at Velonews

Velonews has an article online this weekend covering the much hyped Leadville 100 race, which took place August 15. Of course, the focus of the article was on Lance Armstrong, Dave Wiens and a handful of the other top male finishers in the race. Armstrong's decision to target Leadville this year brought a lot of attention to the race. That's good for the Leadville 100 and it's good for mountain biking. The media shines it's bright lights on Mountain Biking rarely, and even more rarely (even in cycling circles) is there any substantial coverage of ultra distance racing.

So, don't get me wrong. I would never get may boxers up in a bunch and go online and diss Lance Armstrong like a lot of weekend warriors have been doing all summer on the intertubes. And as far as the Velonews piece that was posted on their website this weekend I don't want anybody to think I'm even criticizing the author. Like I said, any coverage is good coverage.

What irks me is the fact that the woman's race got barely even a mention. Following the typical cycling media report format, the article (as of today) contains 734 word and 22 paragraphs. 5 brief sentences AT THE BOTTOM of the story are dedicated to the fact that Rebecca Rusch won the women's race.

"Rebecca Rusch (Redbull-Specialized) won the women's race in about 8:15. It was the first Leadville for the two-time 24-hour solo world champion, and her win didn't come easy.

While the men's leaders got over the Columbine climb without too much bad weather, Rusch was stuck in a stingy sleet storm above treeline. Returning to lower elevations, she faced a stiff headwind much of the way back to Leadville.

Still, the Sun Valley, Idaho, resident praised the Leadville race for its friendly community and fellow racers.

"The whole vibe was great," she said. Having never raced or ridden the Leadville course, Rusch rode with a self-drawn map taped to her top tube, showing the major climbs.

She was not getting time splits on her position relative to the other women.

"I was pretending the guys were women and I got a scare near the end when I came up on a guy wearing pink," she said.

The headline in large red font at the top of the article reads "Armstrong Wins Leadville 100." In black much smaller font below the headline a second line reads "Rusch wins women's title." Shouldn't the headline be one line (all the same font size) that reads: "Armstrong and Rusch Win Leadville Titles!" Or better yet, how about "Rusch and Armstrong win Leadville Titles."

I have to give Rebecca some major props for that win. Rebecca is an ultra power house. She's won some huge races, including 24 Nationals and multiple 24 Hour world championships. She's raced all over the world. And she's a cool as hell person on top of all that. Plus, Rebecca had to beat Amanda Carey. Prior to the race I would have called it in favor of Amanda. Amanda had done Leadville before, and had been training on the Leadville course this summer. Unfortunately, anybody checking out the Velonews article wouldn't know any of that. Amanda's name doesn't even appear in the article.

Luckily, mtbracenews.com has a couple of paragraphs mentioning both women at the bottom of their Leadville Article:

"In the women’s race it was 2-time 24 Hour World Champion Rebecca Rusch (Specialized/Red Bull) taking the lead early. Unlike the men, Rusch opened up a gap early and held on throughout the 100-mile event.

Her chief rival, Amanda Carey (Kenda/Tomac/Hayes) suffered a flat tire in the opening miles of the race and she never fully recovered from the mechanical. Carey held the time gap steady at 14 minutes over the first 50 miles and even took some time back on the Columbine climb but that was the closest she would get to the leader.

The endurance specialist Rusch clearly had something left in the tank as she hammered her way back to the finish, eventually crossing the line at 8.14.53. Carey held onto the runner-up spot 26 minutes behind Rusch."

With all the media attention focused on Armstrong, it would be nice to introduce the thousands of people who might not have otherwise followed the goings on at Leadville to the fact that some very accomplished women also threw down on that infamous course yesterday. If all the coverage does is mention a guy we already know and admire, what good is all that attention for the other half of the pros at the race, the women who ride as hard and sacrifice just as much to be there? It seems like such a huge opportunity to introduce them with more than a few token words about the women's race.

When I run across the women's full results I'll post them below. In the mean time, good job Rebecca, Amanda and all the rest of the women who started the race yesterday. Some of us were checking the results all afternoon yesterday just to see how YOU did!

Ore To Shore....And Back Again!

I'm reposting my Ore To Shore race report, which I originally put up last week the Twin Six site:

Last week we loaded up the truck and pointed it North for the seven hour drive to Marquette, Michigan for this year’s running of the Ore To Shore. I hadn’t competed at Ore to Shore for four years. The last two times to Marquette I did hand-ups and support for my wife and sister-in-law. This time I was back in the mix.

Unfortunately for me, my three top 25 finishes were old news for the promoter. Since I’d been away so long I wasn’t awarded a preferred start. “Come on,” I argued at Friday’s registration, “I used to be fast!” But the promoter wasn’t having any of it.

Race day arrived, cool and wet. Grey skys covered the area following overnight rain. We arrived at the line one and a half hours early, only to find that the start area in Negaunee was already filling up with bikes. I wedged mine between the dozens of others and attempted to keep warm, while my wife enjoyed the fruits of being a legit pro with a preferred start. She got to warm up on her bike, her preferred start was secure.

The 600+ rider mass start came soon enough. Time flies when you’re standing around with hundreds of other damp cyclists on a cold U.P. morning. The flat, paved roll-out of Negaunee instantly became a big ring sprint. Memories of Ore To Shores past flittered through my mind as I sprinted and elbowed my way through the throng of riders. Time was running out, though. A mile and a half later the course turned to the dirt and soon after we were hitting the big grassy toboggan hill where the real race selection is made. Get to the top with the leaders and you’re in the game. Miss that selection and you’ll be chasing the next 46 miles downhill to Marquette. At the top of the massive hill a spectator was counting riders outloud. “54!” I heard him shout as I rode by.

A few miles later I was chasing the leaders. I hit a stretch of pavement rolling through Ishpeming. Up ahead I could see a large group of three or four dozen people. That was as close as I’d get to the front of the race.

The rest of the 2009 Ore To Shore became what felt like a long long time trial. Now and then I’d catch lone riders who’d been shelled off the back of that original lead pack. Near the midpoint at Missery Hill I shouldered my bike and put a huge gap on a large group of riders who’d been on my wheel. 6 miles later an infamous stretch of pavement they scooped me back up. 12 on the road roll a lot faster than one. I took a breather in that group, then hit the gas again when we reached the dirt for the last 18 or so miles.

The last third of the race was a blur. Head down and spinning away, I managed to hold off everyone behind me exept one. I blew past a few lonely straglers as I neared the finish line. When it was all over I’d crossed the line in 28th place overall (2:42), only a minute out of the money. It was my worst finish at Ore To Shore, but since this has been a rebuilding year for me (after 3 years of injury and rehab) I had to be happy with the result. My legs actually felt really good.

My wife came in not far behind for 3rd overall. Once we’d both caught our breath we made our way out to route 41 and spun our bikes for another hour for the ride back to Negaunee to pick up our car from the start line. Ore To Shore 2009 was history. Bring on 2010!

R.I.P.

Our hearts go out to Elden and the kids. Susan inspired so many people.

"Susan died tonight (August 5) at 7:25pm. It was a hard, long day, and Susan fought right to the end, for much longer than anyone would have thought she could.

My mom, my sisters Kellene and Jodi, and my Brother-in-Law Rocky were all here to support my family as Susan passed away.

I’ll have more to say soon, but consider this. Susan inspired me to expand the focus of my blog from nothing but bike-related jokes to a serious and pitched fight against cancer."

Adios Amigo!

Kirk O'Bee is out this time. Probably for good.

The Bissell Pro Cycling team issued a terse press release Friday noting that it had dismissed Kirk O’Bee for a contract breach that involved a violation of the team’s “zero-tolerance policy” regarding performance-enhancing drugs.

Short on specifics, the team’s statement referred to “actions (that) are an isolated incident that occurred independently and without the knowledge of both team management and his teammates.”

The team also noted that O’Bee is now cooperating with both the U.S. and World Anti-Doping Agencies to address an apparent doping violation.

O’Bee, too, issued a statement noting that he regrets “that a mistake I made as an individual will reflect poorly on the entire sport. I’d especially like to apologize to my teammates and to my sponsors, and hope that my actions will not damage their good names.”

If the case is pursued by USADA, O'Bee could face up to a life-time suspension for a second doping violation.

Kind of sad when half your Wiki Page is about your doping problem.

Kirk O'Bee (born April 9, 1977 in Ada, Michigan) is a professional road racing cyclist from the United States. O'Bee is a three-time United States national champion: in 1997, O'Bee captured the USPRO Championship in pursuit; followed in 2001 to become the USPRO Criterium Champion. In 2007, he again won the USPRO Criterium Championship in Downers Grove, IL, while finishing second overall in the race to Canadian Martin Gilbert. In 2002, Kirk O'Bee received a one-year suspension from professional cycling due to an elevated testosterone to epitestosterone ratio as a result of testing performed at the 2001 US Professional Cycling Championships. O'Bee declared that his positive drug test "resulted from a special training regimen recommended by his coach, which involved dietary supplements and exercise."
On July 31, 2009, O'Bee was fired by the Bissell Pro Cycling Team for an apparent doping violation

O'Bee is from the 616. His title sponsor, Bissell, is also here in my home town. I'd like to say he is a local hero. But you can't be a hero when you end your career like that.