From the Editor…

I am ever thankful that we have some of the leading cyclists in Florida and beyond creating FCM.  I have gotten to know them, ridden with many of them and worked with all of them in one way or another.  Not only are they great cyclists, they are great human beings and leaders in the cycling community, on their teams and clubs or of the people they coach and advise.  They bring cycling to life and create a stage on which cyclists get to perform and enjoy our sport via the articles, race reports and photographs that we all enjoy in FCM.

FCM has evolved over the last three years.  We have grown from an idea into part of the cycling life of many of our readers.  That evolution has been driven by readers as we have steered the magazine in the in the direction you have given us.  Some of the direction has come to us in positive supportive ways.  Some as criticism, that we view as driven by interest in FCM and the hope that we will use the input to be better.

We started out as Florida Racing Magazine because we are racers and viewed the cycling world through those eyes.  That view point was reflected in early issues.  Certainly organized racing is a big part of the cycling lives for many and remains in the soul of the magazine.  Through the magazine we were exposed to the Florida cycling community across the state.  We learned that Florida cycling is much bigger and more diverse than we ever imagined.  Because of that learning we made changes in attempt to be relevant to a very diverse cycling population.  Those changes resulted ultimately in our name change to Florida Cycling Magazine.

FCM is published twice per month and averages 80 to 100 pages per issue.  We attempt to serve a very broad audience and hope that there are subjects covered in each issue that will appeal to each reader while knowing it impossible for everything to interest every reader.

We have expanded our coverage of cycling from primarily racing, to touring events, clubs and club rides, local group rides, coaching, nutrition, sports medicine and many other areas.  While road cycling was almost solely our focus at the beginning, we now cover mountain biking, cyclocross and multi-sport and many other facets.

This expansion has been enabled by a constantly expanding family of cyclists who share their knowledge, experiences, opinions and in general passion for the sport with their fellow cyclists in the pages of FCM.  You see them each issue on the Contributors page and on the Masthead.  I wish I could name them all here but the list is far too long and none should be omitted because each has made cycling more enjoyable for all of us.

We have also expanded geographically.  FCM started in central Florida and soon developed a large number of correspondents in South Florida. Jen Rhyner joined us last year as Creative Director and soon after moved to Pensacola.  We did not have as much contact in the Northern Florida as we would have liked.  Jen has helped close that gap as she has jumped into the cycling community in north Florida.  In addition to her design work on the magazine Jen is active in securing content and in reporting on the cycling scene in her area.

Without this large family, FCM would not exist.  I wish I could say we do this for the money and although that is hope for the future, currently it would be a lie.  Jen and I publish the magazine primarily because of our love of bicycles and the people who ride them and with the assistance of many cyclists who want to share their stories and help other cyclists.  We thank them and all other readers, you all help us make this magazine part of cycling in Florida.
Click the Cover to read on…

We’ve got great topics in this issue of Florida Cycling Magazine!

Inside the covers we talk about the simple joy of riding, growing the sport for women at the entry level and getting women to more races. There are suggestions on how to maximize the other 20+ hours in the day when you are off your bike. We have an interview with the founders of the Florida Clean Ride Fund where they talk about what inspired them to start the fund and what the purpose of it is. Florida Juniors are racing in New York and women on Stradalli’s!!!

Click the cover to read more!

Taylor Warren, Florida Juniors Product
Riding for CSU and Racing in Italy

Cycling in the Sunshine State
Skin Cancer Prevention

Castelli Product Review
Style and Performance on a Budget?

Tyler Farrar, Garmin Pro
Living the Legend

Boyd 55mm Carbon Clinchers
What Makes a Wheel Stiff?

7 Tips for Body Composition Change
Don’t Diet, Change Your Body

Boonen, Leipheimer, Danielson
Top Ten Tweets

Truly On a Roll out West
Two Podiums for Florida’s Drew Edsall

Bill Bone Pro-Am Series # 4
Snyder Park/Bank Atlantic Center

2012 US Cup East/SERC Series #1
Haile’s Trail

Fort De Soto Time Trial Series #1

The beach cruiser has gotten a lot of people on two wheels for the first time in years.  More bikes are parked outside of local hangout restaurants, coffee shops and taverns than ever before.  Lots of parents are out with their babies in towables behind their bikes.  I also see a lot of “trailer cycles” hitched to adult bikes with the kids pedaling along behind mom or dad.

The spring touring ride season is upon us and promises to be bigger and better than ever.  That means more cyclists out in large numbers riding together and more money being raised for the fine causes we support.  Sign-up today!  I have several events marked on my calendar and I look forward to visiting with FCM readers as we have fun and do good for charity together.

Cyclocross season just ended.  A couple of years ago it seemed like cross was just getting started here.  It has grown rapidly and is quickly becoming the winter season cycling sport of choice for more and more, who enjoy the casual atmosphere, want to improve their bike handling skills and keep their fitness year round.

FCM has expanded its coverage of Mountain Biking over the last two seasons and we have been rewarded with a growing number of new readers who ride the trails.  FCM is seeing new venues and more riders than ever.  Dave Berger is experiencing larger race fields than ever before at the many fine Gone Riding events.

In road racing, the southern and northern parts of the state united over the winter and are being rewarded with bigger fields, higher quality events and better venues than ever.

Last weekend the inaugural Delray Beach Twilight Criterium kicked off the 2012 USA CRITS Championship series in fine style.  The event brought this prominent series to Florida for the first time with racers and pro teams from across the country competing with the best from the Sunshine State. It does the heart good to see spectators lined up six deep along Atlantic Avenue, in an area where most of the population have never seen a bike race before.  We hear the city called to invite the event back for next year.

The Cigar City Brewing Crit in Tampa, part of the $100,000 Bill Bone Pro Am Series, brings National Criterium Calendar racing to Florida for the first time.  The pros will be in town for this great race weekend that also features Sunday’s Pinellas Park Circuit Race, which is  part of the Get Healthy Cup Series.

As spring warms the water triathlon season is just around the corner and if the bloom of cycling so far in 2012 is any indication Florida multi-sport competitors are in for their biggest and best season yet.

As I throw a leg over the top tube this weekend my smile will be a little bit wider.  Spring is in air and so is cycling in Florida.  Ride it!

In this issue Dyan Lee, a frequent photographic contributor to FCM, reports on her interview with Drew and tells the story of how he got a pro team deal with Kenda/Felt, and what it means to him.  With Dyan’s help, FCM will be following Drew’s progress on the Pro Cross Country mountain bike circuit this year.

I met Drew at 2010 Interbike.  An unassuming likable guy, he was comfortable to hang with and interesting to talk to.  We discussed his goal of getting a pro team ride and his coaching business, Endurance Factor, www.endurancefactor.com.  Over that last two years, Drew has appeared in many FCM race reports as a dominate factor in Florida MTB racing.  We congratulate him and look forward to sharing his continuing success with FCM readers.

Also in this issue, Liz Gerrity, FSU Cycling Team, reports on the Seminole Cycling Classic, an inter-collegiate event.  Again men and women Florida cyclists won more than their share of the podiums.

It is easy for us to subconsciously assume that the whole cycling world is like the part of it that we experience, Florida.  Most of us have some competitive spirit and compare ourselves to those we ride with.  It is then easy to assume that is where we stack up with cyclists across the country.

Time after time we see Florida cyclists on the podium in out of state events.  From the Juniors Category to Masters, this is the case time and time again.  These recent success stories give us a chance to put in perspective the relatively high level of development of the sport in our state.

Whether it is on the road, trail or in multisport we shine.  Whether we are riding in sanctioned events, trying to win the Saturday morning group ride sprint or finish the local touring event, we are riding among some of the best in the country.  Give yourself some much deserved credit for being at that level.  Smile a bigger smile and enjoy.  You are riding in fast company.

Click HERE to read more in the current issue…

There has been a constant and widespread undercurrent of accusation and innuendo about doping in Florida grassroots racing for some time.  Sometimes it is sour grapes from racers who have a tough time accepting defeat.  That is at best poor sportsmanship and at worst slander.  Most of what I have heard over the past couple of years has been expression of suspicion about winning riders who allegedly have sudden and unexplainable improvement in performance.

Most racers have trained long and hard enough to get a sense of how much improvement one can achieve over a given period of time.  There is certainly some variance in that rate between people but the rate of improvement of some racers stretches belief.

For the most part we race against the same people week in and week out.  We learn a lot about their capabilities and capacity.  There is a constant rising and falling in the performance level of almost everyone and that comes as no surprise.  Quantum leaps in performance raise suspicion.

In the past there has been no way to know for sure who is doping and who is not.  Guilty parties no doubt escape scrutiny and innocent parties are no doubt wrongly accused.
The Florida Clean Ride Fund will help sort that out.  For the first time the falsely accused have the chance to gain exoneration and those who are guilty have a very real risk of being caught.

The program is already being effective to some degree in that it is getting the topic out of the parking lot and upfront for all to see.  Dopers likely have a higher anxiety level than they did last year.  There is exponentially more focus and open discussion about doping than ever before.  Unfortunately the amount of misinformation being put out has exposed how little is known about testing, who does it, when, how and why.  That information is readily available. www.floridacleanridefund.com has the facts about the fund and its programs as well as links to USADA and other sources of information.  FCM tips its cap to Dawson Technologies for the great contribution they have made in building this excellent site at no charge.

Many individuals and cycling related businesses have donated to the fund.  When I visited the site on Thursday I was surprised to see that only six teams have donated so far.    Maybe this is because the fund is new.  I applaud those have stepped up.  I encourage the rest to show some leadership, stop talking about this problem and do something about it.  The reasons I can think of for not contributing to this fund are not very pretty.

There will no doubt be some righteous indignation by some who are tested, both innocent and guilty.  It reminds me of my very active childhood, which resulted in me getting to know my high school principal much better than I wanted to.  On one of several trips to his office, I was absolutely guilty but attempted to use that defense that I was getting blamed for everything.  He looked across the desk and said, “Mike, I never search for an elephant in a breadbox.”

Click HERE to read more in Florida Cycling Magazine.

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Early Season Riding and Racing Strategies

Product Reviews

Cytomax

Muscle Milk

Transition Lenses for Oakleys

Race Reports

Tour of Bahamas

Oleta

Spring Fling

PAVED TRAIL SYSTEM: 

SWFBUD Making Progress

FASTER, HEALTHIER AND MORE FIT:

Five Things You Can Do Now!

BILL BONE PRO-AM KICK-OFF

DELRAY BEACH FESTIVAL & CRIT

CROSS SEASON UPDATE:

One you Don’t Want To Miss

AMELIA PICTORIAL

2011 Everyone Rides Recap & Pictorial

Ditch the Diet:

Take the Journey

Lactic Acid:

What Is It?

Product Review:

Mavic Zxellium Shoes

Shave Deluxe

FSC #9 Santos Season Finale

2011 Horrible Hundred Coverage & Pictorial  

Tour of Bahamas Preview

Holiday Success:

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Product Reviews:

Oakley Split Jacket

Giro Factor

Stradelli Napoli