New, again
As I ready for bed and prepare for another week of work, parenting and training, I consider myself lucky. What a life.
On Friday, I start a new direction in my cycling. I start on the Velodrome. A friend told me nearly 20 years ago that track racing would probably suite my well. I’m built much more like a powerlifter, as I once was, versus the relatively slight road cyclist. I have arms that can actually support me, unlike elite roadies. The trade off is real roadies easily distance me in climbs. But, that is fine. I am embracing my build and trying to make the best if it.
This won’t change much of my summer. I will still Ride the Rockies in about eight weeks. I will ride the Courage Classic in July. In between, I will voluntarily be tortured over Trail Ridge Road by my cycling buddies. I will just spend Saturday mornings at the Boulder Valley Velodrome.
Fixed gears and a banked track will be new and exciting. It may even be something at which I can excel. We shall see. It’s never too late to pick up a new cycling discipline.
Within this new and fun exploit, I’m also trying to get help paying for my lifestyle. The web site and app Hookit helps athletes find sponsors and producers find athletic representatives. I get discounts on stuff I need and use, they get a little more exposure. I get Honey Stinger and Ryno Power supplements and, in turn, tell all of you what I think of them. It’s a win-win, as far as I’m concerned.
I have raved on about Honey Stinger products for a while. The Steamboat Springs-based endurance food producer makes energy gels, bars, chews and the like. I am particularly fond of their waffles, a sweet treat and very different product than any energy bar out there. I like the flavor and the energy kick of any of their waffles, but I’m a chocolate addict, so that’s what I enjoy most. The company has also started producing a gluten-free version of these treats, if that is something you are looking for.
My new favorite, however, is their protein bar. Having been a lifter for most of my life, I have had a lot of protein bars. Some are tasty, but way over the top in terms of sugar and calories. Others taste like cardboard. The Honey Stinger Dark Chocolate Mocha Cherry Pro protein bar is the best-tasting, best nutrition bar I’ve had the pleasure of eating.
The Honey Stinger bars offer 10 grams of protein per bar. While that might seem modest to the powerlifting crowd, it is great for cyclists trying to repair muscles in-ride without getting gastrointestinal distress that overly sugary products can produce.
Most of the sweetness of these products comes from, one guess, HONEY! And the Cherry Mocha also offers a bit of caffeine from real coffee. It’s a beautiful thing.
Still being, more or less, a power athlete, I like to get a bit more protein in my recovery products. Branch chain amino acids are the go-to product for such recovery. Ryno Power Recovery is just such a product.
It’s not cheap, but it is worth every penny. While my legs are still sore, they are able to perform. I can spend my morning doing high-intensity sprints, then turn around three hours later to do a heavy squat routine. The Ryno Power Recovery BCAAs allow me to keep pushing and keep getting results. For more details, visit rynopower.com.
I have to mention one last thing for which I am not receiving any kind of deal, but has still been very helpful. The FitBit, which I’m sure most people have already heard, is a fitness and movement-tracking device that, in the case of my Charge, fits on my wrist like a watch. It tracks my daily steps, calories burned, heart rate, sleep and resting heart rate. It allows me to better track the markers of my fitness of which I have never been able, until now. It all sincs to an app on my phone. The app, in turn, communicates with MyFitnessPal and other apps to help keep track of calories, weight-loss goals and more. It’s the product I never knew that I could live without.
I look forward to sharing my track exploits soon. I hope to review another app next week, as well.
Until then, have fun, be safe. I’m going riding.
Walt Out West 