Saw this article at roadbikerider.com.  Thought of sharing.

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Crankset Considerations

Unless you're in the market for a new crankset, component group or road bike, you may be unaware that a longstanding technical tussle is being decided. It's apparent in what Campagnolo and SRAM are offering in their component groups this year, and in the way many new road rigs are equipped.

The relatively new "compact" double-chainring crankset has supplanted the triple. It's now the most popular lower-gear option for sport road bikes.

Don't get me wrong. Three-chainring cranksets are still available. Shimano offers the option for all their road groups. And triples will never go away. They're needed for loaded touring and by most mountain bikers.

But consider that SRAM offers compact doubles throughout its road line, and it recently introduced the high-end "XX "off-road group with a double-chainring crankset. It has quickly become popular.

Campy, which only a few years ago offered triples in almost every group, has also gone all double. It's your choice -- standard or compact rings. (You can still purchase a Campy triple as a separate component.)

Because spring is a big bike-buying season and you may soon be faced with a crankset decision, let's look at the options.

A standard double crankset has chainrings of 39 and 53 teeth, while the most common compact has 34/50 rings, with 36/50 also available. A typical road triple has rings of 30, 39 and 52 (or 50) teeth.

You want a crankset that provides the appropriate gearing for your terrain and fitness. It should help you make it over the toughest hills, keep up with your friends and be able to cover the distances you like -- all efficiently and comfortably.

Triples are losing favor because, while the third chainring provides very low gears for steep climbs, it comes at the cost of a more complicated and slower shifting sequence. A triple also adds weight and complexity. Special equipment is often necessary -- bottom bracket, front and rear derailleurs, front shift lever -- and a longer chain. Given equal quality, a triple crankset is more expensive than a compact or standard double.

The compact crankset solves all the triple issues. With rings of 34/50 teeth it allows simple and fast shifting. It provides gears almost as low (easy) for climbing. It saves weight even compared to a standard double. Usually, no special parts are required to switch from a standard double to a compact (or back again).

Using a cassette with an 11-28 tooth range, a low gear of 34x28 will make climbing easy for most riders and a 50x11 high gear is plenty for fast descents. Keep in mind that today's bikes are lighter than ever, which helps against gravity.

So, who would want a standard 39/53 double? Mostly performance-oriented riders that are strong enough or have terrain flat enough not to need the low gears coming off a 34-tooth chainring. For them, it's more important to have smaller differences in effort with each shift.

On a standard double, the smaller tooth difference between the small and large chainrings lets the rider shift mostly on the cassette to fine-tune the gearing. Chainring shifts are made only when a large change in the gear range is needed.

To these strong riders, smaller chainrings are a disadvantage because they don't need the lower gearing. But for most other riders, a compact makes lots of sense, and particularly so compared to a triple.

BUTTERWORTH: Vintage bicycle collector Tan Kok Siew spent a whopping RM25,000 on a World War II 1940 BSA Airborne Bicycle which he bought from a friend in England.

But it was worth every penny, according to Tan. “It may be a ridiculous price to pay for a bicycle but cycling has been my hobby since I was a young boy.

RM25,000 ride: Tan (right) posing with his vintage bicycle at the Datuk Haji Ahmad Badawi hall in Butterworth yesterday. With him is State Youth and Sports Department director Abd Jalil A. Rashid (second from right) and other Bikers Club members.

I am quite fortunate my wife did not scold me for getting it,” he said during the Butterworth Bikers Club’s first anniversary celebrations at Dewan Datuk Haji Ahmad Badawi here yesterday.

The Birmingham-made bicycle with a 26-inch diameter tyre was among 18 vintage on show at the event.

Among the other attractive bicycles on display were a foldable 1954 Porta Silk Bicycle from Tokyo, Japan with a high V-shaped handle bar; a 1952 Philips Postman Bicycle from Nottingham, England, with a broad mailbag frame in front and a 1951 MG Sports Small Bicycle, also from Nottingham, with a broad handlebar.

From The Star - 15 March 2010

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/3/15/nation/5863204&sec=nation

Hi All Bro and Sis come and join our fan club "Get Slim And Fit With Cycling" at Facebook.

Share your result after cycling.This is a new fan page just for sharing and fun,so G Club member pls. post the event on this page so that we can share together.

Thank you,

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/GET-SLIM-AND-FIT-WITH-CYCLING/375444158754?ref=mf

Came across an interesting article on lactic acid buildup.  Enjoy!

A Modern View at Lactic Acid
 
Example: Repeating the longstanding mantra that lactic acid is the evil offspring of strenuous exercise. That it causes intolerable muscle pain and forces you to slow down, then feel sore for a day or more. That a buildup of lactic acid should be avoided like that patch of glass just ahead.
 
Right? Well, partly.
 
Although that thinking has been ingrained in training advice for years, Dr. Gabe Mirkin wants us to know that lactic acid no longer deserves a bum rap. In fact, as this cycling physician says on his advice-packed medical website, lactic acid is actually beneficial.
 
Here's his explanation:
 
"When you exercise, sugar [carbohydrate] is broken down into different chemicals to produce energy for muscles. As long as you get all the oxygen you need, the final products are carbon dioxide and water. But if you exercise so vigorously that you can't get sufficient oxygen, the reactions stop, causing lactic acid to accumulate in your muscles and spill into your bloodstream.
 
"The old theory was that lactic acid makes the muscles more acidic which causes them to hurt and burn and interferes with their ability to contract, so you feel tired. Now researchers have shown that muscles contract more efficiently when lactic acid accumulates in them."
 
Dr. Mirkin describes how it works:
 
"Electric currents cause muscles to contract. This electricity is generated by cell membranes, causing potassium to move inside cells and chloride ions to stay outside. With vigorous exercise, potassium ions accumulate outside cells. As large amounts accumulate, electricity is not generated and the cells cannot contract.
 
"Chloride prevents potassium from getting back inside. Lactic acid removes the chloride, so it is easier for potassium to return. In this way, lactic acid increases the ratio of potassium inside cells to the amount outside, and this helps the muscle contract with more efficiency."
 
Okay? Quiz in the morning.
 
The doc continues, "When lactic acid causes muscles to hurt, you slow down to catch up with your oxygen debt. This converts lactic acid into carbon dioxide and water that are blown off as you breathe. Blood levels of lactic acid decrease and your muscles stop hurting."
 
Now, despite all this chemistry, Dr. Mirkin contends that this updated knowledge is not likely to change the way cyclists and other athletes train -- nor should it.
 
"A pace that you can hold when breathing fast and deeply -- but not gasping for breath -- is called the lactic acid [lactate] threshold and is the training level for most competitive athletes," he notes.
 
"Healthy people are supposed to exercise vigorously, and they're supposed to feel a burn in their muscles. This signifies lactic acid buildup, but it also signifies effective intensity."
 
If you feel sore the next day, he says the correct response is simple: "Go easy for as many days as it takes for muscles to feel fresh, and then exercise intensely again."
 
The new bottom line: Don't fear lactic acid. Yes, it burns, and one reason it does is because it's igniting your fitness.
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]-->

So guys... PAIN IS GOOD after all!

It ranges from riding skills, safety to diet, maintenance and some fun stuffs. 

I have taken the liberty to download them and uploaded them to this forum.  Please go to the following link to download the files if you are interested:
http://www.pbb.com.my/node/816

You can also download the same pdf files from the following bicycling.com link:  http://www.bicycling.com/article/0,6610,s1-21-141-21121-1,00.html

Note:  The file is huge, 17Mb since I compressed them into one compressed file.

Here is list:
TRAINING PLANS
Lance Armstrong's Comeback Training Plan
The 12-week program for revitalizing your cycling fitness. By Chris Carmichael.

Ride Stronger Overall
This 40k time-trial plan can make anyone faster.

Your First Century
A 10-week basic training plan.

Ride a Century Faster
A 12-week plan to increase your endurance and speed for your next 100-mile ride.

Be a Better Climber
Here is the fastest way to the top of the mountain.

Core Exercises
These 8 moves will strengthen your abs, back and shoulders.

Improve Your Flexibility
Sitting at your desk--and on your bike--can leave your hips, hamstrings and other muscles tight.

Be a Better Mountain Biker
Train for the terrain that makes you redline, recover, then redline again.

Sprint Faster
Build blazing speed you can count on until the end. A 12-week plan.

SAFETY
Broken
Every time we take to the open road, we entrust our lives to a safety net of legal protection and basic human decency. That system has failed. National Magazine Award Winner, 2009.

Ride Smart
Here's how to avoid the five most common bike-car collisions.

NUTRITION
Big Fat Lies
For as long as anyone can remember, cyclists have turned to the same trusty old sources for fuel. But the latest research is clear: Not all carbs and fat are created equal. Here, we present a surprising new approach to losing weight and keeping it off and riding longer and stronger than ever.

BIKES AND GEAR
Anatomy of a Bike
All the parts and pieces that work together in perfect harmony to create a dream ride.

Bike-Fit Chart
Create the perfect ride with a few simple adjustments.

6 Simple Steps to Change a Flat
An idiot-proof guide for you or a beginner friend.

30-Day Maintenance Calendar
Spend just a few minutes caring for your bike every day for a month, and you'll end up with a shiny, smooth, safe, speedy ride.
 

FUN STUFF
The Periodic Table of Cycling

Who Do You Love?
An uncomfortable quiz for all of us who have ever heard, "I swear you love that bike more than me!"

Rites of Passage
Falling in puppy love, graduating high school, the birth of your child--nothing compared to your first case of road rash and these 108 other momentous occasions in the life of a cyclist.

Hi All

I'm newbie here, i stay at JB any ideal where can shop or buy mountain bike shop?

I stay at pelangi , Any nearest location can get PRO bike shop ??

Nelson

Mr Lee (Taiwan) rode his foldable Mobiky Genius Folding Bike to Pearl Hill today.  Quite an amazing bike, the chrome (or aluminium) color gives it a real solid look.  Lee demonstrated to us how easy it was to fold the bike.  And you can push and "walk" the bike around, effortlessly.  At a price tag of rm 2500, worth it?  Would consider buying one for your wife or gf ?

Hi everyone. I need your ideas and suggestions. I'm thinking of creating a bicycle club in my school (SMJK CHUNG LING) because there is no such club in my school. I hope G-Club can be a sponsor for the club. I will conduct a survey at my school before creating this club. I will try my best to attract as many students to join hoping that they will support the club and also with G Club's support. It may take some time to form this club because I need the headmaster's permission to form the club and a teacher to head the club . Anyone from chung ling high school or anyone's son from chung ling ?

Click on the Home button of the G-Club homepage I got a header says, "Access Denied".  Config problem?  I am using Firefox 3.6 on W2k Professional.

I think this is a good article for cyclists who ride on busy road very often.  You can read the original article from here:  The Invisible Cyclist.

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The Invisible Cyclist: Part I

So often a car will turn or pull out in front of cyclist causing serious injury, then claim, “I didn’t see him.”  The cyclist might ask, “Am I invisible? I am wearing a bright lime green jacket.”

It is not a case of the cyclist being invisible, but one of the position of the cyclist and other vehicles on the road giving the illusion that he is not there.

Take the common scenario in the top picture. A cyclist is following the red SUV that has just overtaken him; the driver of the SUV wants to make a right turn, and is indicating so with his turn signal.

The red SUV is slowing to less than the cyclist’s speed, so the cyclist moves over to the left to avoid running into the red vehicle. He figures he can do this safely as he can hear no other cars immediately behind him.

This lack of traffic behind him is actually the cyclist’s downfall, because at this moment the blue car is emerging from this same side road, about to make a left turn to go in the opposite direction to the cyclist.

The driver of the blue car waits until he is sure the red SUV is turning, and then makes his move. He does not see the cyclist because he is hidden behind the red vehicle. For the same reason the cyclist can’t see the blue car either.

The driver of the blue car gets the illusion that there is nothing behind the red SUV, all he sees is a gap in traffic and an opportunity to pull out.

The red SUV turns, the blue car pulls out, and the cyclists runs smack into the side of the vehicle.

How to avoid this situation.

1.) Be aware of cars waiting in side roads and driveways ready to turn onto the road you are on.

2.) In this scenario, don’t be in a hurry to get around the turning vehicle. Had the cyclist slowed and stayed the right, he would have seen the blue car, even if the driver had not seen him. Also when the car pulled out the cyclist would have more of a chance to go behind the vehicle to avoid a collision.

3.) Listen for cars immediately behind you, if there is traffic behind this is your safety buffer and people will not pull out if they see other cars approaching. 

The British Highway Code illustrates this scenario in rule 211. (Picture left.)

The onus is on the driver pulling out to make sure the road is clear, but that is of little consolation to the cyclist if he is hit 

------------------------------------

The Invisible Cyclist: Part II

Statistics show that this scenario, more than any other, is the most common cause of serious injury or death to both cyclists and motor-cyclists.

The cyclist is riding to the right of the lane and is going straight. The red SUV has just passed him and is also going straight.

The blue car is stopped with his turn signal on waiting to turn left into the side road. As in the Part I scenario, the driver of the blue car can’t see the cyclist because he is behind the red SUV, and also the cyclist cannot see the blue car for the same reason.

It is possible the driver of the blue car has been sitting waiting to turn for some time, and the cyclists has been partially hidden from his view by a steady stream of traffic. Now all the driver sees is a gap in traffic behind the red SUV.

The red SUV passes and the driver of the blue car guns it to turn quickly. It is a small gap in traffic and his only thought is that he must get across before the next car arrives. He is no longer looking down the road otherwise he might still see the cyclist; he is now looking at the side road in the direction he is headed.

The cyclist is either hit broadside by the front of the car, maybe run over, or he runs smack into its side of the vehicle. Even if the driver sees the cyclist at the last moment, car driver and cyclist both have only a split second to act.

The car driver either panics, brakes hard and ends up as a stationary object in the cyclist's direct path; or he underestimates the cyclist's speed and tries the beat him through the intersection. Often a collision is unavoidable the moment the vehicle making the left turn has started the move.

How to avoid this situation.

1.) Think ahead. As I have just mentioned, the blue car has probably been waiting to turn for some time before the cyclist arrives. The cyclist could have made a mental note some 200 yards before he arrived at the point of a potential collision.

2.) If it is safe to do so, take the lane. Signal and move over to the left so you are visible to the driver of the car waiting to turn. Had the cyclist done this, chances are the red SUV would not have passed him, but would have still been behind him. The blue car would have had to wait for both the cyclist and the SUV to pass before turning.

Also, if the cyclist moves to the left, nearer the center of the lane, should the blue car turn, the cyclist has more opportunity to simply steer a course behind the vehicle.

3.) Listen for cars behind you, they are your safety buffer. If there are none and there is any doubt that the turning driver has seen you; be ready to make a panic stop. 

If the car driver has not seen the cyclist, an accident can still be avoided if the cyclist is aware ahead of time, what could happen. Otherwise, given the cyclist's speed, the reaction time, and the distance it takes to stop on a bicycle..... Well, you get the picture.

In these scenarios I have used an SUV as an example of a vehicle blocking the view of a turning driver. More often than not the vehicle you are following is a large commercial box van, truck, or bus, making the situation even worse.

The onus is of course on the driver of the vehicle entering or turning from a highway, but as it is the cyclist has the most to lose in such a situation, it behooves him or her to ride defensively at all times.

Don’t be a victim.  Always think ahead and look for potential hazards. Remember it is not that you are actually invisible; it is more an illusion that the cyclist is not there, brought on by years of conditioning and not being aware of bicycles.

Multiple times, every day for years a driver waits for a gap in traffic to make a left turn. When he sees it he goes for it; always without mishap. Then one day there is a cyclist in that gap.

I see there are some enthusiasms about MTB ride in Cameron Highlands.  Here are some articles written by those who have tried:

Cameron Epic by Fakawi Tribes:
http://www.fakawitribe.com/tribaltalk/viewtopic.php?t=312&highlight=cameron+highlands

KL Bike Hash write up on Jim Thomson loop (written by Joe Adnan last century):
http://www.bikehash.freeservers.com/jtgrave.html

PCC MUDD 2007
http://www.fakawitribe.com/tribaltalk/viewtopic.php?t=2077&highlight=cameron+highlands
http://www.fakawitribe.com/tribaltalk/viewtopic.php?t=1593&highlight=cameron+highlands

PCC MUDD 2008:
http://www.malsingmaps.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=13904&hilit=Cameron+highlands

Read this on cyclingnews.com.  Thought it's a useful info and would like to share with the rest..;)

You can find the original thread from here: http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/torque-wrenches-why-you-need-one-and-how-to-use-them

-------------------------------------------------

Get one now or potentially pay the consequences later

Torque wrenches were once considered an optional luxury, even in better bike shops. But more aggressive advances in bicycle frame and componentry technology now require stringent handling in terms of service and maintenance and even the most finely calibrated 'mechanic's feel' can't substitute for the real thing. Consider yourself warned...

Today's high-end parts are lighter, stiffer, often stronger, and definitely more expensive, and yet simultaneously more delicate as they’re increasingly engineered to fulfill very specific functional requirements and little more. As you, the market, continually demand more efficient uses of material, designers must prescribe more narrowly defined requirements in how those bits are installed and serviced. Whereas back in the day we used to see snapped bolts and stripped threads, it's become increasingly common to see cracked parts and broken bikes instead – the fasteners are no longer the weak link like they used to be.

"Products of the past were limited in their design by the manufacturing technology that was available to make them rather than the loads the products would see in use," says Garrett Smith, engineer manager for SRAM's California development center and former stress analyst for Lockheed Martin Astronautics (in other words, a bona fide rocket scientist). "Engineers could only make tubes so thin, or forgings so complex, because of manufacturing constraints. So you could say that the strength of the part was driven by manufacturing rather than use. But modern manufacturing technology is no longer the constraint that limits how thin a tube can be; the limit is now being driven by the loads the product actually experiences in the field."

"The design of our frames and components is always oriented towards lightweight," adds Scott engineer Benoit Grelier. "Thanks to our experience and FEM analysis, we can optimize precisely all wall thicknesses and we can use different materials, depending on the forces involved. But this also implies that we have less margin for the tightening torques."

The proliferation of carbon fiber in cycling stresses the importance of proper torque even further.

"While torque specifications are important with all type of materials, the growing number of carbon fiber components has led to an increasing focus on torque specifications," says Pedro's engineer Jay Seiter. "While carbon fiber allows for more optimal design and provides a far higher strength to weight ratio compared to steel and aluminum, it is also more susceptible to crushing and cracking when improperly set up."

Interestingly enough, torque isn't even the thing engineers and designers really care about – it's merely the most readily accessible indicator of the tension in the fastener, and subsequently the amount of force applied to the parts that are clamped or otherwise held together. With that being said, knowledge of what those forces are supposed to be is exactly what is allowing the industry to push the envelope on equipment weights.

See those little torque markings on your parts? Use them.

Automotive mechanics generally have to resort to extensive reference manuals to determine the proper torque spec on a particular fastener but we're much luckier – most critical parts now have the specifications etched or marked right on them so there's little chance for error. That is, assuming you pay them heed.

A spec of 5Nm doesn't mean 'snug' and 15Nm doesn't translate as 'tight' and regardless of what you may believe, so-called 'mechanic's feel' can at best only provide a close approximation of reality. Even the most finely calibrated hands are still both imprecise and inconsistent, varying by the day, mood, and routine of their owner.

"Having and developing a correct 'feel' when tightening fasteners is still important to the professional mechanic; there are many cases where the part cannot be fitted with a socket, or a torque wrench is simply not available," says Park Tool resident guru Calvin Jones. "[But] I have seen people be off a torque spec by as much as 50 percent, either too loose or too tight. Mechanics, like the entire human race, are susceptible to habit. As a rule, untrained people tend to under tighten the higher torque values, and then over tighten the lower torques.

"Given a limited number of steel fasteners, a mechanic might learn by trial and error, by failure, how much to load a thread," he continues. "Now throw in aluminum threads, carbon parts, magnesium, and titanium, where the feel and even the desired loads are different, and you are asking for trouble."

Studies conducted by torque industry specialist J.H. Williams Tool Group/CDI Torque Products (a division of Snap-On) yield similar conclusions, using a more high-tech test apparatus that accurately measures actual applied torque on a load cell in relation to what the subject thinks he's applying.

"At Interbike [2008], we had a transducer set-up to a ¼” breaker bar and hex bit socket and we asked for volunteers to tighten the bolts at the stem/steerer to the recommended torque value [4.5Nm – a common spec for those types of parts]," said marketing product manager Glenn Kalnins. "Of the nine volunteers, only one person was within spec (+/- 4%) of the 4.5Nm value [and] some people pulled five and six times the value that was set on our clicker. Imagine your stem faceplate needs to be tightened to 5Nm to hold your brand new carbon bar in place and you or your local mechanic tightens it to 25Nm or 30Nm. This variability is totally unacceptable in terms of safety and liability in the bicycle industry."

Given that quoted safety factors in some high-end parts can be as low as 1.1 (meaning that exceeding the spec by just 10 percent can result in failure), it doesn't take much of a ham-fisted mechanic to do some real damage. Conversely, the narrow window also means it's easy to leave a bolt too loose, resulting in unwanted movement or slip.

Torque wrench types – some are better than others but almost any of them are better than none at all

Torque wrenches remove the guesswork from tightening fasteners and their wide range of available types and costs mean that integrating one into your home toolbox is now easier than ever – and strongly recommended if you couldn't tell by now.

So-called 'clicker' wrenches such as the Park TW-5 and TW-6, Pedro's Demi-Torque, Effetto Mariposa Giustaforza, and Syntace Torque Tool (starting at around US$90) are the most common and readily available, operating via an internal spring mechanism that gives way when the desired torque is achieved. Both fixed-torque and adjustable models are currently on the market, and Kalnins stresses the 'sweet spot' for adjustable models is between 30-80 percent of the calibrated range. For more specific applications, small fixed-setting tools such as Ritchey's Torque Key can be had for as little as around US$20.

Proper usage and tool care is essential, though. According to Kalnins, the most common errors are continuing to apply force after the 'click' or applying torque too quickly (which can lead to overshooting the target), holding the wrench incorrectly (he says to always use the designated handle), or putting the tool away in anything other than its lowest torque setting (which can affect the calibration). Used correctly and adequately maintained, though, and clickers' claimed accuracy of around +/-5 percent should suffice for most applications.

Home mechanics on a budget can still find reasonable accuracy in a simple 'bending beam' type of torque wrench such as Park's TW-1 and TW-2, which often sell for as little as US$40. Completely devoid of mechanical joints, these simply operate on the principle of calibrated flex: simply insert the tool bit into the fastener, hold the handle, and apply torque until the indicator needle moves to the desired value.

Though generally inexpensive, bending beam wrenches are prone to damage if improperly stored (the needle is often exposed) and improper readings can result if the user isn't looking straight on at the gauge. In addition, they're often quite big and cumbersome and ill suited for portable use.

For well-heeled mechanics, the ultimate torque wrench is a digital type such as CDI's Computorq3, which offers a +/-2 percent claimed accuracy by foregoing mechanical devices for a solid-state electronic force transducer. Most models include an easy-to-read (and interpret) LCD display that readily converts between various units, too, and in the case of the Computorq3, a three-stage LED and audible tone also warns users when the preset torque is near. Even more useful, however, is that it also stores the actual applied torque, which also serves double-duty to train mechanics on proper usage.

That extra functionality comes at a high price, though. Suggested retail price on the Computorq3 is between US$325-350.

Other notes

Fastener and part conditions can drastically affect torque readings – and the more important actual bolt tension – so be sure to follow indications provided by the component, not the tool, manufacturer. Should the bolt be greased or should threadlock be applied? What if the bolt is rusty? All of these factors can affect the reading and not always in the direction of prudence.

Likewise, clicker-type wrenches should be periodically calibrated for optimum accuracy as values can drift over time. Kalnins also recommends that buyers stick to wrenches that include a calibration certificate from a qualified third party, such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the US or equivalent. However, even a slightly out-of-calibration torque wrench will still almost certainly boast better accuracy than your bare hands.

At 34, most pro riders would start to think about retirement.  But this returning cyclist decides to complete his dream of becoming a pro again after building up his career and family after 13 years!  Read on!  It inspires you that nothing is impossible.  For those who thinks he/she is too old to go fast, they are definitely needed to read this!

You can find the original post at http://bicycling.com/blogs/thebreakaway/2010/01/27/the-34-year-old-neo-pro/

---------------------------

     In a little over a week I am going to put on my Cervelo Test Team kit and start my first professional race in Europe, Etoile de Besseges. Just weeks ago I was a businessman running a sales meeting in New York City.

Weird? It’s beyond that. When you achieve your life’s dream, your life feels like a dream. You keep waiting to wake up.

When I started my job as Bicycling’s associate publisher in 2004, I had already spent years selling Italian fashion accounts for Esquire, and with my enthusiastic embrace of the wining-and-dining lifestyle I’d ballooned to 205 pounds . As a kid, I had qualified for the junior world championships, and I had raced in Europe into my twenties. Now, I was getting dropped on the lunch ride in Emmaus, Pennsylvania. In my Bicycling-branded spandex, I looked like somebody’s idea of a prank. In 2006, I decided I’d had enough. I set myself the audacious goal of competing in the time-trial national championship of my native country, Portugal, without being embarrassed. I’d already been riding more on my own and had dropped to about 185 pounds, but I began working with the respected cycling physiologist Dr. Massimo Testa, and also enlisted a nutritionist. I finished twelfth in the TT in 2007. I kept riding — though now I thought of it as training — and the next year I was offered a chance to join the domestic American race team Bissell Pro Cycling. Late last year, the founder of the Cervelo team, Gerard Vroomen, asked me if I wanted to ride for him.

So 14 years after I stopped racing, and 60 pounds lighter than my peak weight, I find myself on the same team as 2008 Tour de France winner Carlos Sastre, two-time TdF green-jersey winner Thor Hushovd and TdF, Vuelta Espana and Paris-Nice stage winner Heinrich Haussler. I can’t adequately explain how odd it is to up-end your life the way I have, or how it feels to take the risk of leaving the solid career I’d built for the uncertain life of being a neo-pro at an age when many around me are considering retirement.

Most days, I meet my new teammates Hushovd and Gabriel Rasch at 9:30 (usually 9:40 since I still haven’t mastered the art of being prepared, and always run late) at the Planet café in Monaco and we ride for three to six hours. Monaco is an interesting place, since a little more than 20 riders live there and probably another 20 live within 20 miles. In addition to Thor and Gaba, any morning might see the Planet Café hosting Philippe Gilbert, Filipo Pozzato, Stuart O’Grady. I even had a Vinokourov spotting. He was riding the opposite way and I waved at him. He waved back, and I thought, “Look at that–Vino is waving.” One of the things that always bothered me about riding in New York City was that hardly anyone waved.

Before the chaos of the season begins–which is going to require me to be away from home for about 260 days out of the year–I got away for two weeks to spend time with my wife, Tiiu, and my two children, Liam and Anna, in Italy’s Chianti hills, where Tiiu and I were married. But even there I had to train. My longest ride was six hours, and it felt like three to me. It’s amazing how different training feels when all you do is ride and rest, instead of cramming workouts around office hours.

I just finished the team’s two-week training camp in the South of Portugal. I showed up sick, but I was the new guy and didn’t want to seem soft so I went out and rode like everybody else. On a five-hour ride I made until about 20k to go to the hotel. I got dropped on a small rise and told the team I was just going to take my time getting back. That was a long hour into headwinds and rain. It’s hard to be believe how much of your life you can second-guess in an hour. But after a few days of easy rides I was keeping up with the team and felt myself getting stronger. After each day I’d get a massage from Tex, one of our Spanish masseuses, and he’d always say “You’re getting better, I can feel it in your muscles. You’re recovering really well.”

Last year I tried hard to schedule time so that I could watch races such as the Dauphine Libere on TV. This year, I’m on the roster to ride it. Maybe sometime between now and then I’ll be able to make a little more sense when I talk about what’s happened–but for now I’m just going to enjoy the crazy ride.

I don't really follow what it mentioned(Yeah, or kow is my favorite drink and beef burger is my favorite junk!)  But for the sake of sharing, read on!  You can also find the original posting at the following:

http://www.bicycling.com/article/0,6610,s1-4-21-21409-1,00.html

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There are 3,500 calories in every pound of body weight. Riding your bike zaps nine to 10 calories a minute, which means a 150-pound cyclist will burn between 500 and 600 calories—roughly the amount in a 6-inch Spicy Italian Subway sub—on a typical hour-long ride. (If you're heavier, you shed more calories; if you're lighter, you lose less.) "Cyclists notoriously overestimate how many calories they're burning," says Leslie Bonci, MPH, RD, director of sports nutrition at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. "If you eat an energy bar and drink a sports drink on a moderate ride, you've effectively cancelled out any calorie burn." Surveys show that some exercisers overestimate the calories they burn by nearly 1,000—about half a day's worth. "Unless every morsel has a food label, it's difficult to know how much you're taking in," Bonci says. "It can be even harder to know how much you're burning."

A calorie is a measurement of the energy in food. And for years we've been told a calorie is a calorie: Whether you eat 500 of broccoli or pastry, your body will burn or store them equally. That's not true, says Bonci. "Foods close to their natural state, such as fresh vegetables, whole grains and lean, whole cuts of meat, require action—energy—from your body," she says. "You need to work to chew them and to digest them. They create a thermic response, which means you burn more calories just processing them."

She and other experts partly blame the preponderance of "lazy calories" for the current obesity epidemic. "Our food is so heavily processed, it's practically predigested," she says. "That fast-food burger has gone through so much pulverization, you barely have to chew. We're losing the ability to burn calories as we naturally would during the eating and digestive process." And many of these same foods are calorie-dense, so there's more for your body to store.

Bonci doesn't suggest counting calories. "It takes the joy out of eating and ends up a futile venture," she says. Instead, fill your plate with active calories, like those found in fruits and vegetables. Such foods possess more fiber and water, which means you digest them slowly, feel satisfied with fewer of them and gain longer-lasting energy. Bonci says you can consider them "free foods" and eat as many as you want.

By simply changing the composition of your plate, you can lose weight without worrying about hunger pangs, bonking episodes or counting calories. The box below shows what a "performance plate" should look like. "Structuring your meals this way," Bonci says, "will allow you to ride well and fill up without filling out."

The Performance Plate