2008 Olympic Games competition and television schedule

The following is the schedule of cycling events for the 2008 Olympic Games. (All times local to Beijing):*Medal Events in Bold

Saturday, Aug. 9

11:00 a.m. – Men’s Road Race (George Hincapie, Levi Leipheimer, Jason McCartney, Christian Vande Velde, David Zabriskie)

Sunday, Aug. 10

2:00 p.m. – Women’s Road Race (Kristin Armstrong, Amber Neben, Christine Thorburn)

Wednesday, Aug. 13

11:30 a.m. – Women’s Time Trial (Kristin Armstrong, Christine Thorburn)

1:30 p.m. – Men’s Time Trial Levi Leipheimer, David Zabriskie)

Friday, Aug. 15

4:30 p.m. – Men’s Team Sprint Qualifying (Michael Blatchford, Adam Duvendeck, Giddeon Massie)

4:55 p.m. – Men’s Individual Pursuit Qualifying (Taylor Phinney)

5:45 p.m. – Men’s Team Sprint Round 1

6:00 p.m. – Women’s Individual Pursuit Qualifying (Sarah Hammer)

6:40 p.m. – Men’s Team Sprint Finals

 

Saturday, Aug. 16

4:30 p.m. – Men’s Individual Pursuit Round 1

4:50 p.m. – Men’s Keirin Round 1 (Athlete TBD)

5:05 p.m. – Women’s Individual Pursuit Round 1

5:25 p.m. – Men’s Keirin Repechage

5:40 pm. – Men’s Points Race (Bobby Lea)

6:30 p.m. – Men’s Keirin Round 2

6:50 p.m. – Men’s Individual Pursuit Finals

7:15 p.m. – Men’s Keirin Finals

Sunday, Aug. 17

11:05 a.m. – Women’s Sprint Qualifying (Jennie Reed)

11:20 a.m. – Men’s Sprint Qualifying (Michael Blatchford)

4:30 p.m. – Men’s Sprint 1/16 Finals

5:05 p.m. – Women’s Individual Pursuit Finals

5:15 p.m. – Women’s Sprint 1/8 Finals

5:35 p.m. – Women’s Sprint 1/8 Finals

6:15 p.m. – Men’s Team Pursuit Round 1

 

Monday, Aug. 18

4:30 p.m. – Women’s Points Race (Sarah Hammer)

5:05 p.m. – Women’s Sprint Quarterfinals

5:20 p.m. – Men’s Sprint Quarterfinals

6:15 p.m. – Men’s Team Pursuit Finals

 

Tuesday, Aug. 19

4:30 p.m. – Women’s Sprint Semifinals

4:40 p.m. – Men’s Sprint Semifinals

5:30 p.m. – Men’s Madison (Bobby Lea, Michael Friedman)

6:25 p.m. – Women’s Sprint Finals

6:35 p.m. – Men’s Sprint Finals

 

Wednesday, Aug. 20

9:00 a.m. – Men’s BMX Time Trial Seeding 1 (Kyle Bennett, Mike Day, Donny Robinson)

9:45 a.m. – Women’s BMX Time Trial Seeding 1 (Jill Kintner)

10:15 a.m. – Men’s BMX Time Trial Seeding 2 (Kyle Bennett, Mike Day, Donny Robinson)

11:00 a.m. – Women’s BMX Time Trial Seeding 2 (Jill Kintner)

11:40 a.m. – Men’s BMX Quarterfinal 1 (Kyle Bennett, Mike Day, Donny Robinson)

12:05 p.m. – Men’s BMX Quarterfinal 2 (Kyle Bennett, Mike Day, Donny Robinson)

12:32 p.m. – Men’s BMX Quarterfinal 3 (Kyle Bennett, Mike Day, Donny Robinson)

 

Thursday, Aug. 21

9:00 a.m. – Women’s BMX Semifinal 1 (Jill Kintner)

9:08 a.m. – Men’s BMX Semifinal 1

9:30 a.m. – Women’s BMX Semifinal 2 (Jill Kintner)

9:38 a.m. – Men’s BMX Semifinal 2

10:00 a.m. – Women’s BMX Semifinal 3 (Jill Kintner)

10:08 a.m. – Men’s BMX Semifinal 3

10:30 a.m. – Women’s BMX Finals

10:40 a.m. – Men’s BMX finals

 

Friday, Aug. 22

3:00 p.m. – Women’s Cross Country Mountain Bike (Georgia Gould, Mary McConneloug)

 

Saturday, Aug. 23

3:00 p.m. – Men’s Cross Country Mountain Bike (Adam Craig, Todd Wells)

TELEVISION SCHEDULE

USA cycling fans can follow all the cycling action via live streaming video online at www.nbcolympics.com or either live or via tape delay on several NBC networks.

Ah the rainy season...

  Well here I find myself awaiting the end of the rainy season here in South West Florida which brings us about 28 inches of rain from June thru August and hopefully no Hurricanes... The trails become ride able as we get into late August, sooner for those in the northern part of the state.  So I have a few blogs worth while to list and a great source for coaching. 

Blogs : 

http://mtnbkrsjoeandamanda.typepad.com/

http://bridget-the-mtb-cx-girl.blogspot.com/

Coaching: http://endurancefactor.com/index.htm

Alpe d' Huez

Vingt et un virages

Subaru-Gary Fisher MTB Team Back for 2008

For 2008 the Subaru-Gary Fisher team is returning the core of its team including Olympic hopefuls Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski, Willow Koerber, and Heather Irmiger. However, the biggest resigning during the off-season was that of title sponsor, Subaru. Subaru is continuing its commitment to mountain biking with a three-year deal that will ensure the continuation of the
most successful mountain bike team in America through 2010.

The 2008 team will consist of Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski, Willow Koerber, Heather Irmiger, Sam Schultz, Nat Ross, Jenny Copnall, Ken Onodera, Asa Erlandsson, and Dror Pekatch. This past year Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski captured another first place cross country finish at Deer Valley, UT. Willow Koerber stood on two World Cup podiums and five domestic podiums while
finishing the season as the top ranked American woman in the World Cup rankings. Nat Ross pulled in the overall National Point Series endurance title for the second year in the row. Heather Irmiger pulled in three domestic podiums.

In 2007 the team was racing for their country to secure the maximum number of Olympic roster spots for the U.S. For 2008, the Subaru-Gary Fisher riders will be focused on securing UCI race
points to earn their individual Olympic berth. Both Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski and Willow Koerber ended 2007 in prime positions to capture U.S. Olympic roster spots and participated in the test race on the Beijing Olympic course.
A critical element of any team is the sponsors. Subaru of America returns for their eighth year as title sponsor. SRAM, RockShox, Avid, Bontrager, Crank Brothers, Stronglight, and Genuine Innovations equip the team bikes. GU Energy Gel and GU20 Sports Drink will be fueling the team. 661 provides gloves and protective gear. Pedros helps to keep the bikes clean and lubed.
Brave Solider helps with trail rash and skincare. Cane Creek will be providing headsets for the team. Shimano Footwear, Sara Sportline cycling socks and Curve baselayers outfit the riders. Light and Motion will be keeping the trail lit at night. And Yakima equips all of the team’s Subarus
with racks.

The 2008 Subaru-Gary Fisher team has two categories: National Team and Global Team. The National Team will race largely in North America with a focus on the NMBS events, World Cups, premier domestic events, and select international races. Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski ,JHK is the most prolific American mountain bike racer of the last decade. He is a 4 time
National Champion. In 2007, JHK was fourth in the overall National Mountain Bike Series and also finished second overall American in the World Cup series. His resume also includes three short track National Championships. Before turning pro in 2000 he was 4-time Collegiate National Champion and 2-time Collegiate Cyclist of the Year. He enters the 2008
season anxious to race his way into his second trip to the Olympics.

Willow is one of the most recognizable professionals in mountain biking. Over her years as a professional she has built a solid fan base because of her refined style, approachability and winning ways. Willow first appeared on the national scene while racing at the collegiate level, where she won three Collegiate National Championships. In 2007, Willow stepped up her game and had a breakout year. She scored two World Cup podiums and finished as the topranked American in the World Cup series. Given her strong World Cup finish, Willow is poised to claim one of the two US women Olympic spots. 2007 saw Heather solidify herself as one of the top American female racers. She finished fourth overall in the NMBS cross-count series and fifth overall in the short track series. This included a third place finish in Snowmass, CO, NMBS race. For 2008 the former Collegiate
National Champion will be racing the NMBS events and World Cup races in hopes of scoring a US Olympic berth. .

As a former US Under 23 National Champion, Sam looks to garner more podium appearances now that he has graduated to the elites and continues his rise within the American mountain biking scene. A 2007 highlight for Sam was being a member of the bronze metal USA relay team at the Mountain Bike World Championships. The Missoula, MT, native lives and trains in Colorado Springs. In 2007, he finished 11th overall on the NMBS XC Series.

2007 was a full and successful year for the longest standing member of the Subaru-Gary Fisher team. The endurance rider was the 2007 Ultra-Endurance Series champion. He bested long-time rival Tinker Juarez to earn the distinction. In between his epic rides and 24 hour races Nat found time to compete in Race Across America (RAAM) for the second
consecutive year. His consistent podium finishes along with his affable personality have made Nat a crowd favorite wherever he travels. For 2008, the Colorado native will continue to focus on the endurance races and repeating as the Series leader. Athletes on the Global Team will join the team at select events. Subaru-Gary Fisher strives to work with athletes from around the world as they make their way to the top of the sport.

Jenny returns to Subaru-Gary Fisher for her fifth season. She dominates the UK women’s mountain bike scene. She is the defending UK Champion for both cross-country and marathon. In 2007, Jenny finished second in British National Series after four consecutive years of sitting on top. She has raced since 1996 and has steadily progressed to her current place on one of the World’s top teams. Jenny will continue to race an aggressive schedule in her native UK and compete in select World Cup events.
Ken Onodera, the 22-year old professional from Japan is two time All Japan National Champion and winner of the All Asia Championship in 2004. Ken has a very easy going attitude which belies his speed and aggression when racing his bike.
Asa Erlandsson has raced for Gary Fisher Bicycles for the last five years, competing in cross country and marathon events. The Swedish native is the 2007 Nordic marathon and Swedish marathon series Champion. In 2008 she’ll be focused once again balancing her marathon races with
select international races after having finished 13th at Marathon Worlds, 2nd at

Roc D’Azur, and 2 top-10s at Marathon World Cups.
Dror Pekatch is one of Israel’s most successful international mountain bike professionals. He has consistently represented Gary Fisher well on the race course and been a tireless ambassador and organizer for the mountain biking in Israel.

The Subaru-Gary Fisher MTB Team is proud to be sponsored by:
Subaru of America, Inc, Gary Fisher Bicycles, SRAM , RockShox, Bontrager Wheelworks and Components, Avid Brakes, Bontrager tires, Crank Brothers pedals, 661 gloves, Tokyo Joe's, Stronglight chainrings, Light & Motion, Pedros, Genuine Innovations, Brave Soldier, Yakima, Mountainsmith, Cane Creek, Shimano footwear, Sara Sportline Cycling Socks, GU Energy Gel, GU20 Sports Drink, and Curve baselayers.

In the storied history of Gary Fisher Bikes, our racing team has had its share of success. But don’t get us wrong, there’s more to our team than getting muddy, winning races, and popping open cold bottles of the bubbly stuff. They’ve been a key sounding board for Gary’s thoughts, ideas, and latest mad inklings. And who better to test new bikes than the best riders in the world?

Subaru and Gary Fisher also support the International Mountain Bike Association. IMBA creates, enhances and preserves trail opportunities for mountain bikers worldwide.

Check out Fisher's Homegrown 29er' Crew  ( www.29ercrew.com )

Gary Fisher Bicycles - Official Bikes of the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew
Gary Fisher Bicycles is the official bike supplier of the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew and the IMBA Trail Solutions program, providing cutting edge bikes to keep IMBA's field teams rolling. The company also supports IMBA financially as an Above-and-Beyond Corporate Member. Learn more about Gary Fisher Bicycles here.
IMBA sincerely thanks Gary Fisher Bicycles for their support of mountain biking and the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew.

Support Your Local Mountain Bike Club!

Mountain Biking is a great sport for everyone to enjoy whether your a pleasure rider, out for fitness or an avid racer and there are many riders of various skills and abilities of all ages out riding today. And one thing you can do is support your local mountain bike club and by joining the International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA). Here in the Fort Myers (Florida) area and points south we have the Florida Mud Cutters. By joining such groups you can help revitalize park funding for the Lee County Parks & Recreation and increase trail opportunities. And hey, if your reading this- then you're like me and are always looking for new single-track to ride and enjoy. Not only can you do your part local but nationally as well.


Mountain bikers have an opportunity to voice their support for a dramatic increase in National Park Service (NPS) funding. A proposed bill would appropriate the largest ever funding increase for the NPS--at least $100 million annually--and dramatically improve visitor experiences, including those on single-track.

This bill, H.R. 3094, will provide funding for a series of signature projects around the country, including those for new trails. A plan for new single-track in Big Bend National Park is one of 200 proposed projects selected from more than 6,000 applications. Supporting H.R. 3094 will improve chances for similar projects.

It takes just a few seconds with IMBA's simple online form.

Tell your friends. Ask all of your riding partners to take action.

H.R. 3094 is a crucial component of the Centennial Initiative , a 10-year plan to enhance the National Park Service for its 100th birthday in 2016. IMBA and the Outdoor Alliance strongly support this bill and associated programs that will restore the luster of our National Parks System and set the direction for the next century of park management.

Mountain biking is an ideal tool for reacquainting a new generation of Americans to their national parks. This human-powered, quiet, low-impact activity helps get more people out of their cars and exploring parks on narrow dirt trails. By expanding this use in appropriate areas, the National Park Service will help visitors form lasting bonds with our most valuable natural landscapes. As a family-friendly activity, mountain bicycling also provides a fun, exciting, appropriate way for visitors to engage in healthy exercise in National Parks.

Another way to do your part, come see me at Trek Bicycle Store of Estero (proud to be locally owned) and buy a Trek or Gary Fisher Full Suspension Mountain Bike.

Trek & Fisher Dealers are working to get people to ride their bikes and make a more bike friendly world, one mile at a time.

We all know the world has some problems; gas is expensive and cars pollute, the roads are congested and humans are getting bigger. And not in a good way.

Luckily, there is a solution to these problems. A solution that burns calories, not gas. It doesn't waste fuel sitting in traffic. Something that could even bring communities closer together.

The solution is the bicycle.

With 40% of non-work related car trips being taken being two miles or less, what would happen if more people took the short trips on their bike? What if more communities had a "Safe Routes to Schools" plan so kids could ride to school safely? What would the world be like with more bicycle friendly communities?

Imagine arriving at work fresh instead of frazzled. Parking within feet of the building! Your kids getting exercise to and from school. Better still, commuting by bike IS exercising! And there are no carbon emissions from burning calories.

We all can ride and we have only one planet. Trek and Trek dealers challenge you to join us in making the world a more bike friendly place. You can start by riding your bike. It's the greenest thing you can do to help the earth.

MADISON, WI --John Burke introduced an ambitious advocacy program last night during Trek World. Trek’s president asked retailers to participate in its program, dubbed One World, Two Wheels.

Burke said Trek will provide leadership and commitment, as well as ads, brochures, T-shirts, billboards and signage. Trek & Fisher will donate $10 for every full-suspension bike sold to IMBA, for a minimum of $600,000 over the next three years. Trek also will donate $1 per helmet to Bicycle Friendly Communities, for a minimum of $1 million over the next three years.

Burke charged all U.S dealers with helping Trek to achieve one “very important” goal: to increase U.S. trips by bike from 1 percent to 5 percent by Trek World 2017.

And when it's time to renew your Florida Automotive Registration, update your license plates and get some of these for your car.

See you out on the trail and remember to keep the rubber side down!

Why go 29er ? Big wheels are just faster...

Gary Fisher Superfly
( Carbon Frame & Made in the USA! )

There's a few very good reason's why so many of us ride and race 29er mountain bikes. It's all about the big Mo, Momentum, that is... You see, 29" wheels are bigger than 26" wheels. And the bigger the wheel, the smaller (relatively speaking ) the stuff the wheel rides over, thus decreasing your angle of attack. Why is this important or why should you care? Reducing the angle of attack lets you roll over obstacles faster, smoother and easier than you can with smaller wheels. Another great thing about the 29er wheel is how it creates a longer contact patch with the trail. (think snow shoes) Now the longer-contact-patch is very key, this helps you float through mud, sand, snow, and also improves traction when climbing. Not getting bogged down helps you maintain your momentum, this is a very good thing. Which brings us back to momentum. The great science type people of Pepperdine University found that 29" wheels ride 6 percent faster on uphill courses and 3 percent faster on cross-country courses than their 26" cousins.* This happens because 29er wheels are less affected by dips, bumps, roots, rocks and soft terrain than smaller wheels. Oh, and the Fisher design helps stability by lowering the rider's center of gravity in relation to the axle. (Complements of Fisher Genesis geometry - a tale for another post. So, to summarize , 29er wheels equal increased momentum. Increased momentum equals more speed. More speed equals profound joy and happiness due to more singletrack ridden by sundown. And to clear up one myth, 29er bikes fit riders of all sizes, tall or short. After all I should know and I'm not tall!

Gary Fisher Rig
( Single-Speed )

And now with the G2 geometry the 29er's ride is increadible! G2 Geometry started out as a project to improve the slow-speed handling of Fisher bikes. Fisher's existing Genesis Geometry already excelled in climbing, descending and handling at speed. The one area we wanted to improve its handling was in tight singletrack and technical climbs.

Fisher Ferrous
True Temper OX Platinum (Steel) 29 w/eccentric bottom bracket
As they say, "Steel is real."

G2 accomplished this by increasing the amount of fork offset. This reduced the amount of trail to make it steer quicker without changing the rest of its handling characteristics. While increasing the offset, we reduced the reach to the handlebar to allow the rider to weight the front wheel more accurately.

The difference between too much trail and too little has been experienced by all of us. Think about going around a really sharp turn: take it too tight, and too slow, and you'll dab to the inside. You've oversteered.

Fisher Supercaliber 29
Fisher Race Day 6066 T6 aluminum main frame

Now think about the last time you over shot the same turn: you've understeered and ended up in the woods. Why does this happen? A good part of steering performance rests in the amount of trail. Too much trail and you'll oversteer (some feel this as wheel flop or dive) at slow speeds and understeer (overshoot the corner) at high speeds. Too little trail and you'll understeer at slow speeds and oversteer (feels twitchy) at high speeds.

*Source : Summary of the Gary Fisher Bicycles Two-Niner Project by Holden S-H. MacRae, Ph D.

Caloosahatchee Mountain Bike Trail

Caloosahatchee Regional Park, part of the Lee County (FL) Parks & Recreation, is located at 18500 North River Road in Alva, Florida. This park contains almost 800 acres for the outdoor enthusiasts with the North Side of the Park having 10 + miles of Mountain Biking, hiking and and horse riding trails.

(Mountain Bike Trails are marked with the green on the map)

The Florida Mud Cutters Mountain Bike Club have been instrumental in the development of the trail system on the park's 400 acre North side. The park opened on March 6th 1999 and to this day volunteers are key for providing the trail maintenance.
And after making my recent move from Ohio to Florida, I found the trail to be a really great riding with a bit everything for all riders. The trail systems has open fast sections, a few nice jumps, plenty of tight twisty single-track, some challenging rocky sections and even a few decent quick ravine type climbs. And with the loop being 10 miles, you are sure to get a good workout- especially after two laps. I can only imagine how good the night riding to be out here and the wildlife that will be out then. ( See the Mud Cutter's web page for info. about that )

The Rock Garden Section

Twisty section through a grove of trees


It's the dry season now but I'm sure this is put to good use in later months.

I nice quick climb through some loose sugar sand.

The last section opens up and you can really smash the big ring though here as you head back to the trail head. You also get a decent head wind in some of the open sections.

I've be told the open grassy section, that have been recently mowed down, usually have the grass growing to be over six feet or more at times giving you a maze to race through.

My ride stat's :
Bike: Fisher Paragon
Weather: mid 70's and sunny
Avg. : 10.2 mph
Mx : 18.5 mph
Distance : 20.1 miles (two laps)
Time : 1 h 56 m 18s
Av HR : 155 bpm
Total Ascent : 446 '
Total Decent : 398'
Elevation : 48 ' above see level