A fresh prespective

Music: Chill

Yup..so I haven't been blogging as much as I have in the past but honestly, I need a little encouragement from time to time! So if you like the stuff I'm posting or have questions about anything, please comment below the posts or connect with me on facebook. I'm here to share my experiences as an athlete with all but sometimes I need to know what you all are interested in. 

Recently I've taken on more coaching clients and am busy racing each weekend but I've still recently come across some great information sources for you all. If you are interested in living a healthier lifestyle, or pedaling your bike with greater ease, don't forget about the wonderful sensations that proper fueling can provide.

BIKES Episode #8: Follow your Intuition

Shane Kline @ Dana Point 2013

This week, after a long hiatus, BIKES is back with an exciting episode as my Team SmartStop Mountain Khakis teammates and I won the race in Dana Point, California this past weekend. Take a look, the video includes the final sprint!

Chineasy

A high school throwback!

In high school I took 3 years of Mandarin and 1 additional year in college. I thought it would be fun to challenge myself with such a complex language, besides....I got to draw stuff!

I started with simplified characters those first years, focusing more upon grammar. In college I learned how the more complex traditional characters were created by combining basic characters into more complex words. I wish I watched this Ted talk back in those days...

Gran Fondo: In Search of Endless Switchbacks

"It is the unknown around the corner that turns my wheels" Heinz Stucke (Bicycle touring since 1950). Music

Spring is in the air here in North Carolina finally and from what I here, that seems to be the case in other parts of the continent as well. So when you get out for those spring journeys, keep in mind all of the fun cycling events going in your community this year. It seems that there are gran fondos popping up all over Canada which is very exciting as these events serve as perfect opportunities to travel, ride new roads, meet new cycling friends and of course train with a purpose.

Gran Fondo Canada has three events happening this year: Banff (August 24th), Whistler (Sept 7th) and Niagara Falls (Sept 14th) and thanks to the help of some passionate cycling friends, I've come on board as an ambassador for the RBC Gran Fondo Whistler event. Look for me at races across North America and I'll hand you a "rider card" with all the hotel and travel information, including good opportunities to save on your travel and lodging.

I'll be publishig a short intro video soon but in the meantime take a look at some of the beautiful views from the Banff event. Its course includes an awesome array of scenary and challenging roads that I've also had the opportunity to race on during the 2009 Banff Cycling Festival, a 4 day stage race. Look out for those mountain goats near the lake!

GranFondo - BANFF 2012 from Glen Crawford on Vimeo.

Coyle Insight: Group Chemistry

Phat Beats: 90 minutes downloadable

I've always been a fan of Dan Coyle's insight on coaching, group dynamics and goal-oriented team work. This article struck me recently as my Team SmartStop teammates and I have been trying hard to come up with a winning formula.


Coyle isolates 3 important metrics. What do you think?

1) positive comments vs. negative comments
2) asking questions vs. advocating for their own position
3) talking about others vs. talking about themselves

Have you had an interesting team experience recently, either at work or play? How did you go about resolving the issue? Be sure to take a full look at Mr. Coyle's team development article. Link.

Pedaling above the circle

Thirty Century Man on Nowness.com

Japanese Keirin

Keirin: Speed Racers on Nowness.com

Joe Martin: Stage 3

Misty, a little rainy and just windy enough out there today to make for some tough racing. A large breakaway went early (8 riders) without the yellow jersey so Optum rode the front most of the day. On lap 3 of 4, 5-hour Energy blasted the field on the climb, with only Clay and I making a select 20 man group. Although the field did eventually catch back on, it took a major dent out of the break's advantage. After another similar selection on the final climb, in which Haga  (yellow), Hamilton (Jelly Belly) and possibly 1-2 other riders managed to slip away over the final metres of the climb, bridging the now 50 second gap, the responsibility of the peloton's speed moved to Champion System and Cashcall. With 5km remaining the gap dipped to 20 seconds, prompting Mancebo to bridge in the fast rolling terrain. With Uberti, Winsor, Clay and I all attentive near the front, Uberti was able to put in a mean bit of work to maintain the speed of the peloton but ultimately the 15 man group up the rode was determined to stay away. The sprinters team's jockeyed for the remaining places and after we lost Clay to a flat, I surfed the sprint to go 3rd in the bunch.

Joe Martin: Stage 2

Great team unit today. Monte, Uberti and Patton especially worked tirelessly today until Winsor joined the break. With 20km to go, 3 riders remained off the front (including two of the original 4). In the finale, the team was lined out but three untimely flat tires took Clay, Simes and Livermon out with a few kms remaining. Winsor helped Ben in the finale but the hectic run into town, with cars all over the place made for very challenging positioning. However the team is looking strong and tomorrow will be a more traditional sprint.

Presbyterian Invitational: Fav Holidays, Mustaches & The Book of Faces

Team SmartStop: Charlotte Prerace from CyclinginaToque on Vimeo.

Like our team page here and maybe I'll grow another one....unlikely!

Team SmartStop Channel

Chris Uberti

Ever wondering what your favourite professional cycling team is doing? Ever wonder what I have been up to when I've accidently stopped blogging? Well with the Premier Sports Group's Team SmartStop Pro Cycling youtube channel, have no fear, your answers are here!

No seriously, there are some great insights and content here at the team channel. Here is a quickie from Tasmanian devil Clay Murfet sharing his insider tricks about the new cleats we will be using this year.

NCC #3: Delray Beach Race Report

NCC #3: Live Feed Information

Today Team SmartStop p/b Mountain Khakis races at the Delray Beach USA Crits/NCC twilight criterium. Since it is a USA Crits events, SmartStop Self Storage is once again providing you with great camera coverage of the event. Hopefully the course lighting, the local ambiance and the race commentators help you feel like you are right there, a part of the action. 

Check out the twitter and facebook tags below to get instant updates from the race, maybe you even want to actively participate! See the full article for the embeded live feed.  Race starts at 8.30pm EST, 5.30pm PST.

    

Enjoy and thanks for watching!

Travel Day Golfing

Brought to you by Mountain Khakis clothing, Keen casual footwear, Tifosi casual eyewear. 

'Brand' New Movie

Video coming at'cha!

Morgan Spurlock has been putting himself in difficult situations to garner your attention and hopefully your reflection for a while now and his latest project has already created a huge buzz at the annual spring film festivals around the world. His latest movie aims to shed light on the power of branding and its place in modern society. Interestingly enough, my SmartStop Mountain Khakis Pro Cycling teammates are also working pretty hard on putting together small shorts throughout the year in the hopes of creating fun and exciting content without becoming overly redundant sponsor-pluggers.

Scribble it, Share it, then forget about it

Maybe we all need to wear
shirts with pockets!

Whether you are an artist or an economist, a creator or an organizer, you've probably come to the realization that making a daily reflection, regardless of one's choice of media, is an important step in reaching one's goals or perhaps more importantly, embracing the journey toward said goals.  By providing an outlet to reflect upon the struggles of today, one can build an environment in which progressive perspectives can develop in the days that follow; who knows what you'll come up with!

Vera Beach, Florida

NCC #2: Race Recap (Video Blog)

Team SmartStop_Mountain Khakis @ Cigar City: Race Recap from CyclinginaToque on Vimeo.

Cool photos in our Team Newsletter (March 18th, 2013) 

Subscribe for next week!

On-board footage with Thomas Brown (Team SmartStop)

You be the judge...should the guy that ruins my teammates' day be reminded by USA Cycling officials that it is a privilege, not a right to race the Pro event.

More footage from the race



Video of the first crash from a spectator: Link or click picture

NCC #2: Cigar City (Video Blog)

Team SmartStop_Mountain Khakis @ Cigar City from CyclinginaToque on Vimeo.

Comets & Cormets (Video Blog)

Team SmartStop_Mountain Khakis: Comets & Cormets from CyclinginaToque on Vimeo.

A New Season

CyclingNews Gallery

Spring training camps, right now you're either at one or dreaming of one. At least that is what my Jedi mind skills are saying since someone changed the clock on the stove.  I guess that also means that we all get one extra hour to ride each evening...does that mean we also get to enjoy an extra post-training beer too?

Don't miss the team's new 2013 commercial plus a review from team camp.

"Like I'm Wearing Nothing at All!"

MK Catalogue

It's not very often that you find someone in the same walk of life, or even the same type of pants for said walking, but that seems to be on the rise recently. Now that I've been conditioned, I am eagle-eyeing Mountain Khaki peps from 300 yards! At first I was skeptical about leaving my traditional Reebok do-everything-in-them-because-they-are-worth-$3 shorts at home this season, especially since they've been a staple since 2011 but one of the team's primary sponsors, Mountain Khakis, has created what I call super-fly pants, or super-flying pants.

NCC #1: Old Pueblo Race Report (Video Blog)

Team SmartStop_Mtn Khakis @ Old Pueblo GP from CyclinginaToque on Vimeo.

BIKES Episode #7: Action Photography

Gruber Images

This week's episode takes us behind the scenes at Team SmartStop Mountain Khakis' team photo shoot plus a visit from World Tour professional photographer and former pro cyclist Jered Gruber. 

The season is only just around the corner and hopefully ya'll (I'm in the Southeast!) catch this week's episode before heading off for Spring Break. Don't forget to keep working on your name tag projects! Question #2 is here!

Hot Dish w/ Sarah (Video Blog)

Team SmartStop_Mountain Khakis: Cooking w/ Sarah from CyclinginaToque on Vimeo.