The Thrill of the Climb

........................................(view from atop flagstaff)

Road cycling is considered quite possibly the best overall aerobic workout for the body. It is great because of the variety of workouts you can do. You can do anything from a long distance endurance ride to a full out sprint. But nothing is as rewarding as the climb.

When I first started cycling, I never wanted to climb. I asked why anyone would want to put their body through so much pain and aguish when instead you could go faster on the flats. It wasn’t until I got to college that I realized the awesome reward of completing a climb.

I live in Randall Scott’s hometown of Boulder, Colorado. This is a climber’s dream town. One of the most famous and grueling climbs in the nearby area is Flagstaff Mountain. This climb is a seven mile switchback road with grades as steep as 15%. The ride starts off with a steep 2.5 miles full of incredible views over the city of Boulder and of course, the University of Colorado. The next two miles continue to get steeper until you reach the calmer finishing miles. This allows you to regain your strength for the push to the summit.

Once at the top of Flagstaff Mountain, just like any other climb, is a feeling like none other. Although your body is exhausted, you feel a burning need for more. That is why climbing is the heart and soul of road cycling. It is the purest moment of any sport, a moment where your mind overcomes the limits of the body in order to achieve something great.

Big C

Randall Scott Crew Spotted Training for Halloween

(Training for the big night)

There are not many holidays that require you be in great shape, Halloween is an exception – especially when you have an itinerary like that of the Randall Scott Crew. If you’ve been following the blog, you’d know my roommate (who was letting his fitness slide a little) began the Carmichael Training System a few months ago. Eight weeks ago taking a bath was too much cardio for him – now, as the above picture shows, he’s leading Randall’s Rebels on a grueling pre-Hallow’s Eve training regimen. Is he a Drill Sergeant with a heart of stone and an ego that rivals Clay Aiken’s? Yes. Is that the kind of leadership we need to successfully execute our Halloween plans? Yes.

The day will be spent at the office, catering to our customers' every need, whether that be answering a few questions over the phone or driving to Tulsa and back just to help a patron who got a pinch flat. When we have a few free minutes from customer demands, we rip out the big red Sharpies and start slashing prices on anything we can find in the warehouse. Usually before lunch we’ll give some cash to people walking by our shop - if they look like honest, hard-working folk. During lunch we head up to the Humane Society and make sure there are no dogs on death row – if there are, we adopt them. Finally, we wrap up our day by making sure every customer was 100% satisfied - if they weren’t, we don’t sleep till they are. Then comes the night……

Evening Itinerary (and where our training comes in):

First, we scour the city and kick the tar out of all 200 dudes dressed as Captain Jack Sparrow.

Second, we scour the city and try to make out with all girls dressed as vampires.

Third, we get drunk enough that we think the Ouija Board is really working.

Fourth, we scour the city and try to make out with all girls dressed as nurses.

Fifth, we realize that just because girls are dressed up doesn’t mean they’ll make out with us.

Sixth, we take shots of Rumplemintz and talk about how all the girls, “really loved us”.

Seventh, we order Crunch Wrap Supremes on the way home to ensure an episode or two of nausea before falling asleep.

Mac

CU Cycling Earns 2nd at National Championship

Randall Scott Cycle Company would like to congratulate University of Colorado’s Cycling team for earning a second place overall standing at the 2006 USA Cycling Collegiate Mountain Bike National Championships. The University of Colorado came in a close second to Colorado’s own Fort Lewis College. It was a close battle, but an outstanding performance by down-hiller Chris Heath of Fort Lewis secured the victory for the Skyhawks. This is Fort Lewis’ third championship in four years. Fort Lewis College earned a total of 698 points to edge defending champion University of Colorado by 25 points. The results of the third and final day are broken down as follows:

Men’s Division I Downhill
1. Chris Heath (Fort Lewis College)
2. Philip Wheeler (University of Colorado)
3. Jason Codding (University of Florida)
4. Tim Sharp (University of Colorado)
5. Anthony Diaz (Fort Lewis College)

Women’s Division I Downhill
1. Leana Gerrard (Western Washington University)
2. Jessica Vogt (University of Colorado)
3. Sarah Elworthy (Fort Lewis College)
4. Karin Hanzi (Cal Poly Wheelman)
5. Danae York (University of Colorado)

Men’s Division I Overall Omnium
1. Alex Hagman (Ft. Lewis College) 340
2. Andy Schultz (Montana State University) 300
3. Eric Ransom (Fort Lewis College) 280
4. Noah Singer (Fort Lewis College) 278
5. Bryan Alders (University of Colorado) 268

Women’s Division I Overall Omnium
1. Caroline Jarolimek (University of Colorado) 458
2. Sabrina Kraushaar (Fort Lewis College) 400
3. Chloe Forsman (University of Arizona) 395
4. Danae York (University of Colorado) 353
5. Maureen Kunz (UC-Berkeley) 334

Overall Division I Standings
1. Fort Lewis College 698
2. University of Colorado 673
3. Lees-McRae College 573
4. Colorado State University 547
5. Lindsey Wilson College 473

Once again, Randall Scott Cycle Company congratulates The CU Cycling Team for an outstanding performance at the National Championships - well done guys - and girls.

Big C

Just In: 2006 Ultimate Supergroup

Well, as we anticipated it was a knock-down-drag-out fight for Super Group 06’ – Huey Lewis actually demanded a recount. In some cases there was a changing of the guard, and in some cases nostalgia reigned supreme. However, one thing’s for sure, this line up has enough talent to kill a small horse.

The Results:

Lead Singer: Huey’s demand for a recount turned out to be just, as he and Will Read (although we suspect Read voted for himself an upwards of 50 times) ended up deadlocked at number one. Given Huey’s extensive duet experience (Gweneth Paltrow) and Will Read’s humility, we felt a tie-breaker was unnecessary, and that Will’s falsetto would be a melodious compliment to Huey’s snarling baritone.















Drums: This was a close one too, with Tommy Lee and John Bonham coming in a close second to……………….THE THUNDER GOD. This was kind of a no-brainer – with the versatility to seamlessly move from Hysteria into Pour Some Sugar On Me, there’s not much Rick Allen has left to prove.
















Guitar: Gussy Hayes and his cult-like following from the Midwest emerged victorious over Hendrix and Walsh. We were tempted to add a rhythm guitar, but the people have spoken - and stoic leader of Deep North brings his Treyesque style to the fray. If he can keep his drinking under control and avoid his tendency to go Marty Mcfly from the first Back To The Future, he should be a dynamic addition.













Bass: With a landslide victory, Rich Mishkin of Velvet Underground takes the cake. Known for magic fingers and a mojo that won’t quit, he’s not only a stellar musical talent, but an unbelievable locker room guy.















Keys: Whew!!! This one was hotly contested, with a number of votes for almost everyone on our list. Keith Emerson, Page McConnell, and Steve Winwood proved to the cream of the crop. A last second vote gave the edge to Page. I love Page, and have been more Phish shows than I can remember, literally (yeah, you saw that coming), but I have to say I was pulling for Emerson – I mean, Tiger in a Spotlight – c’mon.

Let's End This Endless Debate

The debate has been burning for years: which ingredients would yield the Ultimate Super Group?

Faces, Traveling Wilburys, Cream, Oysterhead, Temple of the Dog, Damn Yankees, 4 Non Blondes, NWA, and many other bands have attained the status of SUPERGROUP. According to Wikipedia, “the term supergroup was coined to describe music groups composed of members who had already achieved fame or respect in other groups or as individual artists.”

So we know the Super Groups that happened, but - in a perfect world - who would be the Ultimate Super Group? We have comprised a list of the most able musicians for our instrumental criteria, and now you vote to create a Rock and Roll band for the ages. All you have to do is look at our lists, pick your favorites, and post them via our comments link at the bottom of the blog.

The results will be posted on Monday.

Lead Singer:
Jagger .................................(Will Read with his best Seger impression, Java 02')
Axle Rose (G&R)
Huey Lewis (Huey Lewis and the News)
Brian Johnson (AC/DC)
Neil Young (Buffalo Springfield)
David Bowie
Bob Seger (Silver Bullet Band)
Clay Aiken
Don Henley (Eagles)
Chrissie Hynde (The Pretenders)
Michael McDonald (Doobie Brothers)
Lou Reed (Lou Reed)
Coconut Pete (Sea Shanties and Wet Panties)
Joan Jett
Robert Palmer (Robert Palmer)
Eddie Money (Eddie Money)
Will Read (Casual Fiasco)
Kenny Loggins (Hit machine with the soul of rocker)
Stevie Nicks (Fleetwood Mac)



Drummer: ..................(Thunder God enjoying the eye of the storm)
Tommy Lee (Motley Crew)
Neil Peart (Rush)
Mitch Mitchel (Band of Gypsies)
John Bonham (Zepplin)
Rick Allen aka: The Thunder God (Def Leopard)
Mick Fleetwood (Fleetwood Mac)
Keith Moon (Who)
Danny Seraphine (Chicago)







Guitar: .....(Gussy "velvet eyes" Hayes taking a break from Deep North)
Hendrix (Jimi Hendrix Experience)
Slowhand (Eric Clapton)
Billy Squier
Gussy Hayes (Deep North)
C.C. Devil (Poison)
Joe Walsh (James Gang)
Bucket Head (BucketHead)
Lindsey Buckingham (Fleetwood Mac)
Peter Frampton (The Herd)




Buy Any Road or Mountain Bike at rscycle.com and Get 15% Off your entire order


Bass: .....................................(Tina Weymouth, Talking Heads)
Tina Weymouth (Talking Heads)
Les Claypool (Primus)
Victor Wooten (Bela Fleck)
Rich Mishkin (Velvet Underground)
Stuart Ham (Joe Satriani Band)
Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
Billy Sheehan (Mr. Big)
Tony Levin (King Krimson)








Keys:
Christine McVie (Fleetwood Mac) ........................(Page, Tickling the ivory)
Keith Emerson (ELP)
Page McConnell (Phish)
Neal Doughty (REO Speedwagon)
Steve Winwood (Traffic)
Pigpen (Grateful Dead)
Garth Hudson (The Band)
Ian Underwood (Frank Zappa)
Dennis De Young (Styx)

Former Middlebury Two-Sport Star Lost In Fruita.

It’s the same story that pops up in the papers every Spring: Meat Head Meets Mountain Bike – Mountain Bike Wins.

On the Middlebury campus Devon O’neil was omnipotent, able to control his environment with a strong jaw line, hulking lats, and a steady stream of testosterone. Females were utterly helpless in the presence of his animal sexuality. Other males quickly accepted their role of Omega to Devon’s Alpha. And his 4.4 forty accompanied by his majestic, Griffey-smooth, homerun swing earned him A’s for any course in which he chose to enroll. Yeah, things were good for Devon at Middlebury - and in his four years of dominance over this small Vermont institution, he never once felt out of place, lost, or even slightly confused.

In the Spring of 2006, like so many Division 3 athletes, Devon quickly learned that his mountain bike is no Louisville Slugger and Fruita, Colorado is not a quad serenely nestled among the rolling hills and scattered Oak trees of an East Coast elitist liberal arts campus. In Fruita, an .800% slugging percentage and 22 yards per catch average are about as useful as a five dollar bill in the beer line at Coors Field.

(Joe's Ridge Trail at Fruita, CO)

The Fateful Day:

The trip started out as you would expect, with Devon growling at his bike and giving his riding partners dead legs. One of Devon’s riding partners, Sam Mishkin (the ingenious and selfless Operations Director here at Randall Scott Cycle Company), has known him since childhood and remembers the pre-ride events, “Devon has physically and psychologically owned me since I can remember. But there was something sweet in the tears that ran down my face when he dead-legged me that day, for I knew he would shortly, for once, share in my anguish.”

Sam’s premonition came to fruition about 10 miles into the ride when a cavalier Devon took the road less traveled by – and that made all the difference. Devon’s divergence left him on the 30 mile Edge Ridge Loop. His Camelbak and water bottle were empty within twenty minutes (Little did Devon know that before his ride a Camelbak with a much larger reservoir was only a click away, at rscycle.com). The cloudless sky let the desert sun operate with impunity, and it sucked any moisture from Devon’s body at an exponential rate. Lactic acid seeped into every muscle fiber from his waste down (easily assuaged with the consumption of Cliff Shots), and cramping of the calves, quads and hamstrings slowly became perpetual and synchronized. Devon’s eyes frantically scoured the landscape for shade or water. Mud puddles appeared as mountain springs and diabolical visions of lush Maples teased his now fragile psyche.

Fruita had asserted its authority, and now Devon was left with only his resolve. Devon struggled to fight the daydreams and hallucinations of a 2002 homecoming (where he was unanimously crowned king) that threatened to completely rip him from the situations ominous reality.

And just when he was ready to succumb to nefarious Fruita……..he hit the down slope.

(Devon, Lost and tired)

No permanent mental or physical damage had been inflicted, but his riding partners remember a decidedly humble Devon when he finally emerged from the loop. Instead of dead legs and growls, Devon handed out hugs and soft kisses to his friends. Looking at Sam, Devon tucked Sam’s tumbling locks behind his ear and began to speak. Before he could breathe a word, Sam put a finger to Devon’s lips and said, “I know D, I know.” Silence reigned supreme for the remainder of the ride.

Fruita wins again.

2007 line of iron Horse Bikes A sample Tests Positive for Steroids.

The whispers have been circulating for the past couple years with Iron Horse’s Bondsesque resurgence to the top of the racing world. Iron Horse Products were rarely spotted at the gym, but were getting lighter, stronger and faster at an uncanny rate. After the 2006 season, where Iron Horse Posted 12 podium finishes (including 4 World Cup Wins and 2 World Championship wins), the whispers turned to rumors, and the rumors to accusations. Although there is currently no ban on bicycles using performance enhancing drugs, many of cycling’s governing bodies decided to open an investigation regarding the allegations surrounding Iron Horse.

(2007 Iron Horse 6POINT8)

For months the Iron Horse Bikes, a very close-knit community, had their lips sealed, refusing to talk to authorities and claiming their success was a product of hard work, superior engineering, and a little old fashioned derailleur grease. Then, on September 2^nd, the levee broke: A 2005 Azure Comp (who can be spotted in his shame at Randall Scott Cycle Companies' Iron Horse page) cracked, admitting he had injected a 2006 Sunday Team with BGH (Bicycle Growth Hormone) on more than one occasion. BHG is said to greatly increase strength to weight ratio and make handling effortless, characteristics that have been painfully obvious in the Iron Horse line for some time now.

With the Azure’s deposition, authorities felt they were close to having enough evidence to hand down an indictment, but still needed more to build an airtight case. Wiretaps, around the clock surveillance, and sting operations yielded nothing. Then came the unveiling of the 2007 Line, and the proof was in the pudding. The sleek profiles, ripped physiques, and flawless geometry were too much – nobody had any doubts there was something unnatural behind the transformation, and carbon samples were procured immediately. Monday, several positive results were announced. The spokesman for the bikes, a 2006 MK111 Team, issued a statement saying, “We are confident all B samples will come back negative and vindicate our current position as the best bikes in the world.”

For more information on the juiced up Iron Horse 2007 line, as well The 2007 Iron Horse team (who are cleaner than Floyd Landis’ parents), check out www.ironhorsebikes.com. And don’t forget to watch the video of the 07’ team in action – it’s scary – literally, I was scared for them while I watched it.

Mac

No Rain, Snow, or Laziness Will Stop My Off Season Shape

I know, I know, summer is slowly coming to an end. The daylight is running away fast and warm weather is almost gone. But have no fear, there are still plenty of things one can do to stay in shape in the winter months so you can be feelin’ good on your bike come spring time.

There are many options to stay in shape during the cold part of the year. As much as I love riding my bike, I absolutely hate doing it when I can’t feel my fingers and toes due to extreme cold. A simple solution to riding outside is buying a trainer or a roller. This is great because I can stay in my warm house, watch T.V., and still get in a great workout. Not only that, but I can still utilize my bike and stay comfortable with its geometry.

But if any of you are like me, you would choose sitting on the couch at home over working out in your living room. Another great option is going to your gym and signing up for a spinning class. Not only do I get a great workout, but it also forces me to participate since I don’t want to waste money that I’ve already spent.

Another option is going to the gym and lifting weights. I see the best results when I use less weight at more reps - this focuses on your slow-twitch muscle fibers which are key for cycling, highlighting endurance as opposed to building mass. Try doing lifts which work several leg muscles at a time like squats, leg press, and lunges. And don’t forget to do several abdominal workouts to keep your core strength up to par.

These are a few simple things that can be done in the off season to keep a strong base. It is best if you alternate between all three, or participate in other sports like basketball or racquetball. I always find it rewarding when, at the beginning of the season, I’m ready to ride and not struggling to regain my fitness. Good luck this winter and remember the age old adage: when you cheat during a workout, the only person you’re cheating is yourself.

Product Review: Fox Epic Shorts

In my quest to find the most comfortable, best performing, baggy cycling short I have tried many different brands and some of them are clearly better than others. Fox Racing baggy shorts - such as the popular Base, Mid-Ranger, and High Frequency shorts, are all more comfortable and protect better than other brands I have tried.

However, Fox’s Epic shorts are a step above any other baggy cycling shorts. The Fox Epic shorts sport the same multi-density chamois as the Mid-Ranger and the High Frequency shorts, which is among the best I have worn, but because it is part of a detachable, moisture wicking liner it outperforms any other short I have used. The Epic’s detachable liner stays in place much better than shorts with an integrated liner making them less prone to cause chafing or other discomfort. In addition to the detachable liner, the Fox Epic shorts have an outer shell that is bit longer than Fox’s other shorts which prevents the shell from riding up your leg. The outer liner of the Fox Epic shorts also has a Velcro fly with drawstring and Velcro waist adjustments that combine to make the Epic far more adjustable than other shorts I have used. To top it off, Fox’s Epic shorts also have roomy side pockets and a 1 waterproof pocket with a zipper. Together all of these features come together to make the best short I have used and are well worth the price.