Keeping Tempo: 1-16-09

Today's Keeping Tempo is brought to you by Danny's Firewood. Danny is in between Charlottesville and Fredericksburg and delivers all over in VA, DC and MD. Good prices on 16-month seasoned hardwood that he delivers and stacks for free. He didn't pay for this ad, but without him I'd be shivering too much to type, so in a sense whatever I do today is brought to you by him. Call him at 540-672-7516 or see his ad on Craigslist.

• Avery compares bike racing to a video game he's playing: "I'm down at 1 hp left but I haven't given up I'm still dueling with all my might.  My opponent is a tall lava creature called a Totz-Xil, level 90. Yet, because I chose to courageously fight on, I was rewarded by hitting a couple 15's like this and even a 17. That's what bike racing is all about you have to get down to 1 health point left and still continuing, even if all your prayer has run out and your dragon weapon has run out of special attack charge." I think the 2009 Kazane Frame should be called the Dragon Weapon Special Attack Charge.
• Bikevoice gives props to the deserving Mike Hosang, winner of this year's Peter Teeuwen Award, presented annually to racers who made significant contributions to local racing. 
• Anna Kelso points towards another local hero of cycling - Representative Early Blumenauer of Oregon, who founded the Congressional Bike Caucus. Says Anna, "With the twilight of the automotive age on the horizon, it is forward thinkers such as Blumenauer who will pave the way for a more sustainable future." Settle down CX and MTB racers. She means "pave" only figuratively.
• Endurance Junkie has named his trainer room "The Garage of Rage" and has pictures.
• L'Amatuer Domestique already has a plan for every single race in 2009: All or Nothing, every time out. If you've raced against him, you know this isn't hollow rhetoric.
• Jen Cheng wants to know, "how come her block is more aerodynamic than my block?"
• Peter Cannell has an interesting new article up on Nutrition Before / During / After Training. Though many local racers are still waiting for the one on Nutrition Instead Of Training.
• And finally, there has been more activity in the GamJams Local Racing Transfer Directory, with ABRT/Lattitude, LSV, Richmond Pro and others adding some firepower for 2009.