Winter Training - Mental Push

I have not wrote a post in a while so I decided its time to start writing again! This time I will be talking about the mental determination it takes to get through a 5 month winter on trainer.  Like the many people who are reading this, you too have to face the long and cold winters of the Midwest and you fight every day to hop on the trainer and ride every day. I have never known anyone that enjoys doing this and if you do I would love...

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My Big Races for 2014

This is a list of some of the bigger races I am doing this year or am focusing on that I look forward to racing at this upcoming season. Some of these races are very large races that draw cyclist from all over the United States while other only draw locals but they are races that appeal to me, and I look forward to racing at each year. La Crosse Omnium My first big race of this year will be on the first weekend of May in La Crosse,...

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Garmin Edge 800 Custom Startup Screen

This post will show you how to startup screen on your Garmin Edge 800, 810, and 510. The purpose of this screen is to show text on your Garmin when it turns on so that you or someone who finds your Garmin may contact you. Step by Step Instructions: 1. Plug your Garmin into your computer 2. Access the hard-drive of your device 3. Go to the Garmin folder 4. Go to the startup text file 5. Put your own custimized message after the "<!--...

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Garmin Edge 800 Unboxing / Short Review

This post will mostly be a series of pictures showing my unboxing of my Garmin Edge 800 that I got this week. I decided to upgrade to the 800 from 705 because it allows me more power meter data that can be accessed while you are riding rather than when your are done riding.  My initial reaction to this Garmin was that the screen is far bigger than the 705 and a lot more vivid in color after turning it on for first time.After playing around...

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My Short Time With A Power Meter - FTP Testing

Introduction In September of last year I was searching through eBay and happen to find a good deal on a power meter and bought it. I knew a little about what a power meter did at that time, and that more and more people around me were getting them so I decided to hop on the bandwagon. What I did not expect though is how big of role it would have in my training and racing. After being immobilized for a month in a half to a broken jaw, I was starting...

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The Winter Bike Setup - Felt F25

For this winter I decided to throw together a bike from old parts so that my race bike would not have to deal with all of the wear and tear of winter riding. My goal for this bike was to have a reliable and strong bike that could get me thorough the rough Wisconsin winter and sand coated roads. Last winter I was getting tired of painstakingly cleaning my bike after each ride due to everything be covered in sand, so now I am now as worried for the...

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Stages Power Meter Review

Whats in the Box? What you need? Sram Rival Crank Arm This is my review of my Stages Power meter, my first power meter that I have ever used. I have currently had this power meter for about 4 months and have truly enjoyed using it every day. Throughout my 4 months of using my Stages i have only come across 2 issues that have now been resolved. The first issue that I had with my power meter is that it was having problems staying connected...

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