CTTV3

Another installment of CompuTrainer TV. This episode featuring Catriona (Cat) Morrison of Scotland. Simon leads the discussion that flows from random drug testing to Blur (maybe not the stretch we think). Also, please note the offer of a signed Real Course Video jacket of the St. Croix 70.3 by none other than the 2010 female champion. Always fun stuff happening at RCVman.blogspot.com. Not to mention at RacerMateinc.

Episode four is being processed and will feature yet another GB star, Rachel Joyce. That and more from the folks that bring you the official indoor cycling ergometer of Ironman.

Hang loose.

Simon and Cat. Farris Al-Sultan, 2005 IM Champion.

CTTV2

Here is the second installment of 2010 CompuTrainer TV live from Kona. Simon asks up and coming GB triathlete Fraser Cartmell about his racing history, riding for the Trek-K-Swiss team and why he chose the CompuTrainer over the many other power ergometer options.

In CTTV segment three we'll visit with Scot Cat Morrison and find out how she is getting on with race preparations on Thursday of race week.

I will again explain the link format in use for this video. YouTube allows a high definition aspect ratio upload of 16:9, the best format for our purposes. That is the good news, however, upon imbedding the video to the RCVman blog site, the template crops almost 25% of the horizontal image (the 16 part of the ratio) to fit in on the page. The way that we are staging the interviews, with Simon addressing the athlete side by side, the crop takes the star almost out of the frame altogether, not a very good way to present them. So we simply add the link back to YouTube so you can watch in high quality and see who Simon is asking to. Sorry for this minor inconvenience.

Lastly, WTC (Ironman) just sent all media reps an e-mail saying that they will be posting video for our use starting later today, so I hope to access that feed and post asap.

It is Thursday of race week, and things are heating up. We have more CompuTrainer user testimony and some entertaining and cogent Age Grouper comments coming up later today, so stay tuned folks as we steam-roll towards Saturday morning at 0630 (yes the Pros get a thirty minute head start this year).

All for now. Aloha & Mahalo.

CTTV1

Live from Kona for the 2010 Ford Ironman World Championships. Our first installment of CompuTrainer TV, this episode featuring the incomparable Simon Ward and the phenomenal Julie Dibens. Julie talks about the CompuTrianer and how it has helped transform her bike into something OX-like. You'll just have to watch to see what I mean.

Coming up next: TheTriathlonCoach interviews Fraser Cartmell and Cat Morrison. In episode three join us at the IM Expo as the RCVman talks with some of his, ahem, fans.

This, and a lot more coming. Live from Kona. CompuTrainer TV, steaming streaming. Aloha.

Here is the link to the RCVman YouTube site. When embedding the video from YouTube to the Blog site almost a quarter of the 16:9 HD aspect ratio is lost, meaning that in the case of the way we shot the interviews, the subject is cropped. So please excuse this tech glitch and CLICK HERE to watch the Julie Dibens interview. Let's just say we are working on a solution. Thanks and Mahalo.

Type AAA

Wednesday of Race Week. It gets serious from here. There remains the Type AAAs out on the Queen K or on Alii Dr. uncorking blistering runs, but for the most part it is time to put the taper plan into play. The work is done, no one is going to get ant fitter or faster in the next three days. It is truly a matter of managing your emotions and trusting your training plan and its potential.


That potential will manifest starting Saturday at 0700 and reveal itself over the long, hot, windy, demanding, cruel, and magnificently glorious day we call Ironman.

Bring it.

A couple of shots from the parade and expo open last night. Two of my favorite all time favorite triathletes, Silva and France Cokan. France is 78 and back for another shot at the AG record. He missed the swim cut by less than two minutes last year and hopes to settle that score Saturday.

Louis Alverez has done 10 IMs this year for a total of 69 in his storied career. That is NOT a typo folks, sixty-nine Ironmans. Hopefully Louis is going to stop by the booth today and do a little promo with us on the Mexico Cruise. He lives and works in Mexico City and has some great stories to tell about training there.

Kurt gives a demo of the new Racer Mate One software as the IM Canada RCV place in the background. A couple of Canadians stopped by and did a running commentary to the stretch along Skaha Lake. I can't wait to get back and give THAT one another go.

Woof & Aloha

Out on the Streets of Kona today. Lot's to do. Expo opens immediately after the Parade of Nations, officially marking the start of race week. Weather is perfect, a blue 86 degrees, slight off-shore winds and little vog.

First order of business was to round up the UK athletes and get them committed for interview sessions with the incomparable Simon Ward, The Triathlon Coach. We cornered Julie Dibens and Fraser Cartmell out at their Condo and managed to get in two colorful interviews as the birds sang and grounds maintenance trimmed coconut trees in the background. Working on the video as we speak, hopefully up later today before the festivities.

The gang is all here and ready to rock and roll, Alii Drive is abuzz with the world's best triathletes and the action is virtually non-stop. Glad to be back for my tenth trip to the Isle of Pele and the event they call The Big Dance.

One last non-triathlon comment, if I may (although I will set the context with a tri start). I hopped an early flight out of Vegas Saturday afternoon after the LV Gran Fondo with the specific intent to get to LAX, get a rental car, drive to the Coliseum and watch the Huskies play USC. I accomplished the first part and was in my Suzuki Avevo at precisely 1500. I had a splitting headache and a 0400 wake up call for the next mornings LA Triathlon shoot. Game time was less than 2 hours away and I had to drive two freeways and scalp a ticket. So.....

I bailed and chose to watch the first half at OBs in Manhattan Beach, nursing coffee and ice water. At the half I wandered across the street to Sharkees and watched the game fighting off sleep while the incredible college football game was unfolding. By nine I HAD to go get some sleep and when SC took the ball to the Husky 30 with less than three minutes to play, leading by two, I headed for the door, sad, but pleased that The Dawgs had put up a noble, fearless and totally entertaining fight. I, however, was cooked.

You know the rest. Here is a clip of what happened while I was driving to Debbie's couch with one eye. WOOF and Aloha.



Pix: Kona Day Uno: Last nights sunset from our lanai. Simon interviews Julie Dibens and Fraser Cartmell. Chuck, Si and Kurt at the kick-off strategy luncheon.

History Here

Dateline Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). October 4, 2010.

I have some history here. Was 10 when they built it up, stealing the surrounding properties for pennies on the dollar. We lived a couple of decent T-shots from the noise and pollution. When commerce dictated that another runway be built to accommodate the gigantic tourism dollars they dispensed headphones to the locals as brain damage compensation. You lost 30% of your hearing? Here is a pair of cheap headphones, thanks for your home and have have a nice life.

People born in LA in the 50 and 60s say "what?" a lot. Try to pull this corporate chicanery off today and its more like 'SAY WHAT?" The noise level at the beach makes it good practice for those who conduct business meetings at Hard Rock Cafe. Mouth to ear at max volume. Worse is the fact that you get used to it. My former in-laws (from the other side of the runway in El Segundo) once commented that on fogged-out evenings with no arrivals and nary a departure, they couldn't sleep. THAT is seriously Pavlovian.

As a footnote, when they were building the infrastructure, laying the huge concrete half-rounds as storm drainage, we used to sneak in after school and skateboard. Got chased off several times, and it might have been at that time I developed a turbo-charged sense of the thrill of the chase. Of course now I like to be the one doing the chasing, but, one needs to start somewhere.

And for all editorial purposes, I got my traveling jones passport first stamped right here.

It was a flyby this time, two days covering the Los Angeles Triathlon after three days in Vegas shooting the LV Grand Fondo. And today we're off to Kona.

Another getaway day. The Big Island. Ironman.

Got some history there, too.

We're going to try something a little different this trip. From the CompuTrainer booth at the Expo we will attempt a few (ambiguous number that THAT denotes) RCVman blog updates as they happen. So you might get one in the morning, one by noon, and two from the sea. I'll use all three cameras and try to get as completed "posts" as I can to reduce edit and render time.

The work-flow will look something like this: Interview, shoot, add graphics, links, text, upload, post. I think we will have some great opportunities to get you some cool Kona action. And there is plenty.

Another new feature of the RCVman blog, hence, will be……

RCVman answers the mail. Send me your video requests and I and the crack CT Road Crew (the infamous FBI) will do our best to answer your questions thru the clever use of these powerful mediums.

Wanna see some early morning swim practice at Dig-me Beach? Ask for it.
Wanna hear Kate Major talk about IM St. George? Ask me.
Wanna see some of the bike course on the Queen K? Ask.
Wanna see the new CompuTrainer RaceMate One software in beta operation?
Wanna know how to increase your cycling wattage?
Wanna see some underwater 3D test footage?
Wanna see turtles, dolphins and sharks?

You get the idea. Whatever you'd like us to send you from Kona, go to the comments tab at the post bottom and fire off your requests. The FBI (Fun Boys International) know this place.

We have some history here. Aloha.

Pics: The LAs Vegas Gran Fondo on Saturday.
The Los Angeles Triathlon on Sunday.

Hawaiian Airlines HA1to Honolulu is boarding. RCVman, off.

Free Beer

Back in Vegas for tomorrows Planet Ultra Gran Fondo. 100 miles and over 8K of climbing. There IS day of ride registration so for those of you that have been on the bubble, NOW is the time (and HERE is the place). Doing some home/road work today as some big events are rapidly approaching. A sampler of the future fun:

Kona next week. Please stop by the CompuTrainer booth and pick up some POWER PESOS, script cleverly and legally designed to look like money. Allows the bearer of said peso to be on the receiving end of one free mucho frio cerveza in either Mazatlan, Cabo or PV. Lime not included, must be 21 or older to participate and officially on the CompuTrainer to Mexico 2010 Cruise. (ya gotta read that fast).

LA Triathlon Sunday. Bike course shown above. Looks like fun. I am especially eager to film the swim in the Pacific. Where is my chopper and sub?

USAC Masters TT. We will be shooting the Bend, OR 18 mile time trial course sometime soon. As soon as I can arrange for all the logistic work necessary to make it happen. I need a motorcycle cop, two riders and a sunny weekday morning upon return from Kona and before Halloween. That's all. The USAC course is one stage of the elite Cascade Cycling Classic.

Ironman Texas shoot. We picked Oct. 24 but looks like it might get postponed because of the Bend shoot. We'll take the same approach to Texas that we successfully took at IM Utah. Course preview, RCVman style.

CompuTrainer Mexico Cruise. Did I already mention this? Que paso? Write these dates down: December 4-11. One week to the Mexican Rivera in December! Starting at less than $999 per person. Indoor training and outdoor riding plus all the world class amenities aboard the Holland America mv Oosterdam. Folks, space is limited. We are off to a great start in mixing styles, demographics and skill levels with riders from Chicago, Iowa, Seattle, Texas and Victoria, BC on board so far. This is gonna be another great trip and I am really looking forward to the sizzling adventure.

Did I mention the free beer? Hit the comment response below and I will have one electronically sent to your in-box as soon as they roll of the press.

Off to the desert. Adios amigos vaya con Dios.