Competitive cyclists quickly learn about the miracle of the draft—or they ride lonely time trials for 40 miles. This makes the sport tactically complex, because the strongest, fastest riders often lose due to the vast advantages conferred by riding in the slipstream, where riders typically save 30% of their energy. A pack is like a…
The congestion that dogged me in the Winter Warrior and Chilly Chili finally broke a week or so before the Super Couch Potato. I looked forward to a fast, flat race in relatively decent weather (for February). Instead, I spent Super Bowl Sunday in bed with gastroenteritis. Stomach bugs are always unpleasant, but I usually…
The final race of the Dick’s Sporting Goods Family Fun Series, run by Willow Fitness, was held at Onondaga Lake Park two days after many of us raced one of the turkey trots in Liverpool or Baldwinsville. I’d set a PR at the latter and initially wondered if I’d recovered enough to run a decent…
Liverpool’s Lights on the Lake display through Onondaga Lake Park is a popular and often crowded rite of the Christmas season. When we learned of the opportunity to run through much of the display without traffic, we jumped at the chance—which was fortunate, as the race quickly sold out after being promoted on the local…
I was an active, modestly competitive cyclist in the 1980s. I ventured back into the sport with less success in the early 2000s. The citizens’ bike races were to the 80s what 5Ks are today: local events drawing participants of every level into the sport. Seven dollars got you a tee-shirt, a post-race banana, and a shot…