Just 669.3 Miles to Go!

I’m rapidly closing in on having ridden 24,901.6 miles on my bicycles since my prostate cancer treatment in May 2003.

I ride for fitness, health, to keep the prostate cancer from coming back, and to make other guys aware of the prostate cancer risk and the need to test annually for prostate cancer and personally track the results.

In January, the PCAP (Prostate Cancer Awareness Project) Board created our “Ride Around the World for Prostate Cancer Awareness Program.” All you need to do is to ride – or have ridden – 24,901.6 miles and you can buy and proudly wear this unique jersey from Primal.

How much farther do you need to ride?

Allez!

How to Ride “Army Strong”

It’s been several months since I’ve had the opportunity to post here on MyBikeInfo.

As many of you know, I’m a prostate cancer survivor and the founder of the Prostate Cancer Awareness Project and the Prostate Cancer Pony Express. The pasty seven months were devoted almost entirely to orchestrating the 2012 Pony Express ride that finished in Washington, DC in September.

I’ve had a chance to catch my breath from that and I’m going to begin posting here again, because we have some really fun bicycling events that you might enjoy, so check back here or subscribe with your blog RSS tool.

Sunday was Veterans Day, and I would like to thank all of my Brothers in Arms, both living and passed, for their service to their country. Go Army

This is me, Robert Hess, riding last Sunday on Veterans Day. I climbed pretty well in my “Army Strong” jersey. There’s a free pair of Lin cycling socks for the first person to tell me where this picture was taken. Game On gals and guys!

Like to climb?  Check out these fun challenges:

http://bit.ly/2012PCAPMtBaldyKOMChallenge

http://bit.ly/2012PCAPReddishKnobKOMChallenge

http://bit.ly/2012SanPedroHillKOMChallenge

The One Big Mac I Can Live With

I recently received an email from a colleague asking me about the Mac Air I purchased last year. I zipped an email off to him and I thought I would share my comments with anyone that might be interested.

I had never used anything but a PC until about six years ago when my business partner convinced me to trade my Sony laptop for a MacBook Pro. I did and I must say that I’ve been very happy since then, although Macs do get that spinning wheel of death just like PCs.

This is my travel communications system. I use the iPad Mini when I’m on the motorcycle and my iPhone when I’m on Fast Freddy or one of my other human powered Black Tire machines! The screens are showing our TrakPointe task tracking system (shameless self promotion!)

But, the question on the table is about my MacAir – which I love. But first, here’s my entire package . .

I live in California but spend a fair amount of time working in Virginia where my family and grandchildren live. Since I’m a consultant, I can work from anywhere, so I would throw my 5 pound Macbook Pro into my briefcase and hit the road. But, no more!

A month ago, my old Macbook Pro hit retirement age (5.8 years) and I replaced it with with a 21.5″ iMac for work in the office.  I love it!  I use with another 21″ external monitor, so I have a dual screen setup.  It’s fantastic.

Two years ago I lost my iPad and I replaced that with a nice little 11″ MacAir for travel and out of the office.  I love it, too.  And I will never have anything larger for travel.

The MacAir’s small size is great, but the largest SSD available when I bought my machine was 128 GB, and I had to to replace it with an after market 250 GB solid state drive a few months ago. (Our firm has a ton of information that we store and share encrypted on Dropbox.  So, !’m careful not to pull all of the Dropbox data down on my MacAir).

The last piece of my Apple gear (not counting my two iPhones – yes two! Ask me and I’ll tell you why) is a brand spanking new iPad mini (16 GB wireless only) and I absolutely love it, also.

I clear email in the morning at home with it and then stick it in my bag (along with my Verizon MiFi hotspot) when I’m out and around on my motorcycle.

So, that’s my Apple story that I shared with my colleague!

Want to know what Mac programs I use to keep my business running?

Stay tuned!

How to beat gravity on your bike

I rode Stage 7 of the Amgen Tour of California again this year, and it was tougher because I had a lot fewer miles in my legs and much less climbing.

Here’s a good article I found on BikeRadar about winning the uphill battle: http://magazine.bikeradar.com/2010/07/23/technique-uphill-battle/

Allez!

Are thieves watching your bike rides?

I just recently received an email describing how thieving are locating and stealing expensive bicycles by tracking the start and end points bicycle rides on Garmin Connect.

I actually use Strava.com, so I did a quick vulnerability check.

What I found has me giving huge kudos to the Strava gang, because it’s easy to protect your start and end points.

Just do this on your Strava account:

1. Go to “settings”
2. Then “privacy”
3. Then enter your home or work address and Strava will anonymize your start and end points out to a maximum of one mile. [And you can enter multiple locations.]

Way to go Strava!
 

Strava iPhone App

I’ve been using my Gamin Forerunner 305 to track my training rides, but I’ve just downloaded the Strava iPhone app and I’m going to give it a try.

http://support.strava.com/kb/iphone-app/strava-iphone-app-overview

Given the rapid battery drain with the GPS running, I’m going to begin with a short ride (about 75 minutes) and see how that works.

I’ll do a data comparison between the Forerunner and the iPhone App early next week.

Are any of you using this App? What’s the longest ride – time-wise – you’ve been able to use it on?

It’s all about Power to Weight

Train to Gain?

Power, that is.

I just received an email about Matt Fitzgerald’s book, and I must say that I’m a believer.

I actually have the complete book, Racing Weight, and am working my way through it. I’m taking Matt’s advice a bit farther, though, because I am eliminating all meat and all dairy products from my eating plan, in accordance with the recommendations in Colin Campbell’s book, The China Study.

As of 1/5/2012, I am 5’ 10” tall, weight 147.4 pounds, and I am 20.4% fat, with a BMI index of 21.2. It’s somehow unbelievable that at 147 pounds I have at least 10 pounds of excess fat on me. I guess it just goes to show how little food we actually need to perform at our peak.

As I said in an earlier post, my goal is 15% body fat in time for California state track championships in June. And, hopefully, a lot more muscle and endurance.

Post Your Numbers Here

Feel like having some fun? Post your weight, body fat %, and BMI index here and let’s see how optimal we can get.

Best regards,

Robert and the MyBikeInfo team

Stretching the Legs of my Elite T-Class Time Trial Bike

How to win a free pair of Sock Guy cycling socks

Today was my first ride of 2012 on Zonker, my time trial bike. I posted this morning on my Strava.com profile [http://strava.com/athletes/robertwhess] that I’ll send a free pair of Sock Guy cycling socks to the first person who can tell me why I named this bike “Zonker.” Just post your answer here or on my ride profile at Strava.com.

Why I bicycle

I’ve always enjoyed cycling, but I refocused my energy to it following my diagnosis and treatment for prostate cancer in 2012. My intuition told me that nutrition and exercise would help me keep the cancer from returning.

There still is no definitive, double-blind study proving the correlation, but evidence is mounting. I’m working my way through The Definitive Guide to Prostate Cancer by Dr. Aron E. Katz, and he makes clear the benefits of good nutrition and daily exercise. Bicycling is great aerobic exercise and it’s easy on the knees. You still need weight bearing exercise, but cycling is a great deal of fun.

Join me on Strava.com

If you’re a cyclist and would like to help with prostate cancer awareness, follow me on Strava, http://strava.com/athletes/robertwhess and join the 29000Men club on Strava.

You can create a free account on Strava. I think you’ll love it; it’s very motivational.

Stretching the Legs of my Elite T-Class Time Trial Bike

How to win a free pair of Sock Guy cycling socks

Today was my first ride of 2012 on Zonker, my time trial bike. I posted this morning on my Strava.com profile [http://strava.com/athletes/robertwhess] that I’ll send a free pair of Sock Guy cycling socks to the first person who can tell me why I named this bike “Zonker.” Just post your answer here or on my ride profile at Strava.com.

Why I bicycle

I’ve always enjoyed cycling, but I refocused my energy to it following my diagnosis and treatment for prostate cancer in 2012. My intuition told me that nutrition and exercise would help me keep the cancer from returning.

There still is no definitive, double-blind study proving the correlation, but evidence is mounting. I’m working my way through The Definitive Guide to Prostate Cancer by Dr. Aron E. Katz, and he makes clear the benefits of good nutrition and daily exercise. Bicycling is great aerobic exercise and it’s easy on the knees. You still need weight bearing exercise, but cycling is a great deal of fun.

How I plan to win the power-to-weight battle

I’m looking forward to this year’s California SoCal master’s track championships at the LA Velodrome.  I’m working on getting stronger, but also losing unneeded weight.

I can’t believe it, but at 5′ 10″ and 148 pounds, I still have 6 pounds of excess fat!  I weighed 142 pounds when I graduated from college.

What’s the chances I can get down to 142 pounds by June?  And that my wife will be seen in public with me!

Join me on Strava.com

If you’re a cyclist and would like to help with prostate cancer awareness, follow me on Strava, http://strava.com/athletes/robertwhess and join the 29000Men club on Strava.

You can create a free account on Strava. I think you’ll love it; it’s very motivational.

How to get moving. Really fast!

How to get moving from a standing start – really fast!
I spent Friday and Saturday evening at the LA Velodrome watching the US Elite National Track Championships and saw some really great riding and racing.

I’ve always been interested in starting technique, because the start is so critical.

I was exploring Fixed Gear Fever’s website and came across this great content. Enjoy!

Chris Hoy’s starting technique