SWAP UPDATE

Updated Jan 30, 9:07pm.

We have several more items for sale, including 10 bikes and/or frames. Sellers have cycling and running shoes, bags, backpacks, wheelsets, tires and a bunch of other equipment. See the GEAR LIST for more details.

Edit: Specialized M4 51cm bike sold today.

Just one of the bikes for sale Sunday

DIRECTIONS TO UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH: Click on this link, add your address, and "Get Directions."

LOCATION: The Gear Swap will take place in the Grypon Dome. Click this link, and then select "Find on Map" for location of Gryphon Dome.


SCHEDULE:

8:00AM The Athletic Centre opens; athletes will enter to register for the training day

8:15AM The Gryphon Dome should be open by 8:15A, at which time we'll get some tables set up, and get the sellers organized

8:30AM The Swap Begins.

10:00-10:30 We'll aim to wrap things up by 10 or 10:30am. We'll be on the track, in the Dome, and we'll have to be respectful of groups who have booked the infield for activities.


Some important notes:

GENERAL
- there is a bathroom and water fountain at the dome, and Tim Horton's in the Hockey Arena, across from the Athletic Centre
- Sellers may want to bring along some small bills for change
- Sellers may accept personal cheques at their own discretion
- parking is free on Saturdays at UofG, and there is a small parking lot directly beside (south) of the Gryphon Dome

SELLERS:
- Lorri Zagar will be in charge of getting you organized tomorrow morning, with the help of a few volunteers
- we will have a few trainers (4 or 5) available for you to set bikes up, but since we have 8 complete bikes coming, we'd appreciate it if a few of you could bring a trainer to showcase your bike
- we'll bring some tables in from the Athletic Centre (and we'll try to get some chairs)
- bring your own price tags, markers, etc.
- Sellers set their own prices, and do their own haggling

BUYERS:
- this is open to the public, so come on by, no charge
- please give the sellers time to make sure they are set up and ready to go
- there will be more items for sale than those listed on the Gear List
- bring cash - the closest bank machine (CIBC) is in the University Centre (a 3-4 minute walk from the Gryphon Dome)
- if you are shopping for a bike, make sure you know your measurements - Competitive Cyclist has a nice tutorial on measuring for bike fit, including video demonstrations, and it's relatively straight forward....definitely worth 20mins of your time to ensure you get a bike that fits properly in the winter
- do your homework - many of the bigger items for sale are listed on the gear list, so do some homework on any items you are particularly interested in
- Need to try on a wetsuit? Come to the pool to swim a few laps before you buy (between 8:30-10:00a)....don't forget to bring a swim suit and towel

Looking forward to a great day tomorrow.

GEAR SWAP THIS SUNDAY

EDIT: Gear Swap List is HERE. Lots of new items added.

A few updates for the coming weekend on the Training Day and Gear Swap.

TRAINING DAY: We're FULL (or we might have one spot left, check with LeighAnn if you're interested). This is the second time we've reached capacity (40) at a Training Day - the other was Simon's visit after Beijing - so we're excited to have a full house with lots of energy. Breakdown by group: 10-12yr Group: 8 athletes, 13-15yr Group: 16 athletes, Juniors: 7 (+PTC squad), Adults: 8 athletes.

GEAR SWAP: In addition to the Training Day, we're going to host a Triathlon Gear Swap on Sunday. Due to venue bookings and coach availability, the swap will run concurrently with the training day swim. If you are an athlete attending the training day, or a parent with an athlete in the training day, feel free to pull them out of the swim to check out the swap - we'll integrate them back into workout when you are done. We'll also be able to set aside some pool space for anyone who might want to try out a wetsuit prior to purchasing it.


SWAP DETAILS

SELLERS: There's a $2 to sell, but no charge if you (or family) are registered for the training day. Please e-mail me to let me know you are brining items for sale, and send me the details so I can add it to the list.

EQUIPMENT LIST: See the top of this post.

BUYERS: Come and have a look, no charge.



SWAP SCHEDULE

8:00AM: Doors of the Athletic Centre open.

8:10AM: Doors of the UofG Dome open. We'll be using the dome for the swap. Sellers to set up their gear from 8:10-8:30AM. We'll have trainers to put the bikes on, and we'll try to have some tables/chairs for the other equipment. Lorri Zagar will co-ordinate the set-up.

8:30AM: Swap time until 9:30AM.

That's it. Short and sweet. If you have any triathlon gear around the house that you've outgrown, or you aren't using, let me know and bring it to the swap. We'd like to grow this into an annual event to help the Ontario triathlon community, and to put good gear to good use.


NOTE: Personal plug for old(er) tires: If you have any spare 700c tires.....something used but with some life left in them.... bring them and I'll make you an offer. We (PTC squad) are burning through tires on the trainers at a pretty fast rate this winter.

WONDERFUL

I've started putting a quote up on the right side bar - hopefully our dear reader finds something useful or inspirational from time to time. I was updating the quote today, and thought a bit of backstory on the current quote would make a good post.

The quote comes from Italian speedskater Enrico Fabris, who won three medals at the 2006 Turin Olympics. The Canadian speed skating team, led by Cindy Klassen, was nothing short of exceptional during those games. But four years later, Frabris' CBC interview immediately after the men's 1500m is what sticks with me.

Fabris came into the Turin Games having just won the European Championships a month earlier. But while he had been on the podium at a few World Cups and the World Champs, he had never won gold on the international circuit. And he had never won an international medal of any colour in the 1500m.

At the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics, he was 16th in the 5000m, and 26th in the 1500m.

Fabris opened the Turin games by claiming Italy's first ever Olympic speed skating medal (a bronze) in the 5000m. Five days later, he followed with a gold in the team pursuit, as the Italian men upset powerhouses Canada (silver) and Denmark (bronze).

But it was in the 1500m where the real magic happened. At best, Fabris was a longshot against American co-favourites Shani Davis and Chad Hedrick. But someone forgot to tell Fabris about the odds, or maybe he just ignored them.

Fabris skated in the third-last pairing, setting the fastest time: 1:45.97. He then waited as Hedrick and then Davis skated in the last two pairings. Hedrick, the Olympic 5000m Gold medallist, who prior to the Games had predicted he would win 5 gold medals in Turin, was ahead of Fabris through the early splits. At the line, he came up 0.25 seconds short in 1:46:22.

The crowd was electric; Fabris was guaranteed at least a bronze medal, but there was still hope for something more. The final pairing featured the Olympic 1000m Gold medallist and pre-race favourite Davis, who had decided not to race the team pursuit in order to be rested for the 1000m and 1500m.

Italian and US flags waiving, crowd screaming, clock ticking, Davis flew. Like Hedrick, Davis was ahead of Fabris through the opening splits. He simply eclipsed the other skater in the pairing. He was racing only against the clock, chasing his second gold. And when the clock stopped, Fabris had beaten Davis by 0.18 seconds.

The home crowd went crazy. Fabris was mobbed by his team, the stands were red, white and green, and the Italian commentators were so excited they knocked over the press box camera in their celebration. Pandemonium. Pure joy.

Somehow, a CBC reporter waded into the scrum and got a microphone in front of Fabris in those first moments after his win, and this is what he said:

"First of all, I believed in it. If you believe, you can train and work so hard to get your goal…..and I did it, and it’s wonderful!”

It's still one of my favourites.

NEW DANGERS OF Epo

Phys Ed: Will Olympic Athletes Dope if They Know It Might Kill Them?
By GRETCHEN REYNOLDS
January 20, 2010, 12:01 AM
New York Times


In November, a study appeared in The New England Journal of Medicine that should give pause to many athletic dopers and those who love them. The study examined the effects of Darbepoetin Alfa, one of a class of drugs commonly known as Epo that is used to stimulate the body’s production of red blood cells. In the experiment, more than 4,000 patients with diabetes, kidney disease and anemia were given either Epo or a placebo. The researchers were testing the impact of the drug when it was used as approved, at moderate doses in sick people. What they found, to their surprise, was that slightly more of the patients taking Epo suffered heart attacks than those in the placebo group, that nearly twice as many suffered a stroke and that the Epo group’s self-reported quality of life, their subjective sense of fatigue and illness, was barely better than with placebo.

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

More heart attacks, strokes and cancer....in addition to being a cheat.

Full article here.

2010 NATIONAL TEAM ANNOUNCED

Triathlon Canada recently announced the 2010 Teck Team and 2010 National Development Team. Ontario's Connor Hammond joins some elite company as they prepare for a great 2010 season. Congrats to all athletes on their selection. Go Canada!

GEAR SWAP & TRAINING DAY

A great idea came to my inbox recently: How about a triathlon gear swap?

So, we're going to start the next Training Day (Sun. Jan 31st) with a gear swap, here at UofG. If you have gear to sell, including bikes, or you're looking for some equipment (especially for your fast-growing youth or junior athlete), this would be perfect for you.

I'll have final details over the next day or two, but wanted to post this to give a bit more notice.

Watch this space for details about the gear swap, shortly.

If you're coming to the Training Day on Sunday Jan 31st, please e-mail LeighAnn to confirm your attendance.

More soon......

TRICAN AWARDS AND PATCO

Two quick updates, recently posted on the TriCan site.

2009 AWARDS NOMINATIONS
Triathlon Canada is accepting nominations for their 2009 Awards. Follow this link for more info, and nominate someone today.

PATCO for Juniors; May 22
Selection Criteria to the 2010 PATCO Selection Event (for juniors) are now posted. The actual PATCO champs will be October 3rd, but since PATCO is used to secure spots at the World Championships for juniors, and since the real PATCO race is a month after Worlds, we (Canada) will earn our spots on the start line for Junior Worlds at this "PATCO Selection Event" in May. The junior athletes who win the PATCO event in October will be the 2010 PATCO junior champions, but for the purposes of determining how many spots we get at worlds (up to a maximum of 3), this PATCO Selection Event May 22nd is the key event.

YOUR COMPETITION IS TRAINING....

Some New Years inspiration. Rumour has it that Ian Donald has already ordered a hot dog race suit for 2010.








From the Globe & Mail.

All the best in training and racing in 2010.