Archive for October, 2007

31
Oct

To Start Running or Not to Start Running; That Is the Question

By BernieR 0 Comments
Categories: Running

Before there is a goal, there first must be a beginning…

Before we begin, let me give a little history of myself and my experiences.  As a child, from middle school through college, I ran competitively distances that ranged from 5K (3.1-miles) to half marathons.  In high school, I ran all four years as a varsity runner and I have gone to the state championships twice with my school.  I also ran in college track and specialized in the 5K and the 3K-Steeple-chase. 

Running sub-6-minute/mile was easy for me.  Then life got in the way of my workouts and soon enough I gained a lot of weight.  To be honest, the Playstation did not help my health either.  Not only did I discover “laziness” but I embraced it.  Now, I run for my health, for weight loss and to hopefully to get back into a “competitive state”.  I used to be an assistant cross-country coach at Crescent Valley High School (my alumni high school) and have made many different types of workouts.  Most of which I hope to share with you over the coming months. 

Having been competitive to losing weight, you might say that I’ve experienced running on many different levels to accommodate different types of runners and types of runners.  I hope that my experiences and running background will help you achieve your goals as a runner.  Over the coming days, weeks, months and hopefully years, you will be able to take my experiences and meet your personal goals, whatever they may be.

Till then take care and run safe.

31
Oct

Kimi Raikkonen: 2007 FIA Formula One World Champion

By BernieR 2 Comments
Categories: Motorsports

Dreams Do Come True, Even For Fans
 
It has been a very, very long time since I have cheered so loud and prayed so hard during a motorsporting event.  I believe the last time was December of 2003, when Petter Solberg took the World Rally Championship.  So today, I cheer and pray again for my long time Formula One hero, Kimi Raikkonen.  As the closing laps took place, I could only remember the 2005 German Grand Prix, where his tire blew out on the last lap.  Would fate do Kimi wrong again?  Fortunately not and Kimi would cross the finish line as the 2007 FIA Formula One World Champion.  However, in the closing events of the weekend, the title was soon to be in jeopardy as three cars were under investigation for low fuel temperatures.  As the FIA stewards came to their conclusion, once again, fate would have it that Kimi would keep his title, fending off Louis Hamilton’s chance for a the prestigious title.
 
Many of you already know that I’m a huge Kimi Raikkonen fan.  When he raced for McLaren, McLaren was my favorite team and I despised Ferrari.  Once he moved to Ferrari, I turned the tables and despised McLaren.  I guess that makes me a devotee to Kimi and not the manufacturers.  It would not be the case for WRC (World Rally Championship) where my favorites lie with the manufacturer, Subaru.  I’ve been privileged enough to have met him once, though brief, at the 2004 SEMA show in Las Vegas and it changed my view of him and the sport.  Very cool guy.  I guess that’s why they call him the “Iceman”.  Ever since then I have cheered, rooted and hollered for him.  He’s a seasoned veteran to F1 now and he deserves to the FIA F1 Campion. 
 
It was amazing to watch the 2007 Brazilian Grand Prix this year as Kimi was the outside chance, the underdog, the one who would need a miracle to clench the title.  The motorsport gods were looking down on him as he raced and deemed him world champion.  There was a couple things that needed to happen though in order for the events to take place.  One was that Kimi needed to win the race.  Two, Alonzo would need to do no better than third place and the biggest obstacle to overcome was that Louis Hamilton needed to do no better than seventh place.  The true test for the weekend however, was the hidden threat of his teammate, Fillipe Massa.  Massa won the Pole Position the day before the race and it was a big question if he would let Kimi by in Massa’s home Brazilian Grand Prix.  Again, as fate would have it and Massa would “man up” and go into his second pit stop, a couple of laps early to allow Kimi to get some hot laps in before pitting himself.  One the pit exit, the position for first place was close, but Kimi would take the lead and lead for the remainder of the race.
 
Ferrari has put together a phenomenal team this year and next year, they should have the advantage again.  Kimi will have the confidence and Massa will also be confident that he can win grand prix races himself.  Though competitive, they are smart drivers and will support one another as the year progresses.  With traction control taken away though, I believe that this will favor the driving styles of Kimi and Alonzo more than any other driver out there.  I’m basing this on their past experiences and how they drive in the wet where traction control sometimes can work against them.  Hamilton will also be good, but I haven’t seen enough wet weather experience to say that he will be at the top.
 
Once again, congratulations to my Formula One hero, Kimi Raikkonen!

31
Oct

Louis Hamilton: Should He Be A Champion?

By BernieR 1 Comment
Categories: Motorsports

No.  There, I said it.  I’m not disputing that he doesn’t deserve it at all.  He seems to be a class act in the interview room.  It looks like he makes all of his countrymen happy and he’s the presses dream.  He’s a minority, which often is a good thing for any sport, but it’s sad that we even have to go there to begin with… I blame the press for that one.  His sponsorers are pushing and shoving to be a part of him.  His crew seems to be happy with him, well, with the exception of Fernando Alonzo, the Two-Time Formula One defending World Champion.  And for me, that’s where the hiccup lies.  It’s amazing to see a rookie, A ROOKIE, be on the top step time after time, race after race.  In my mind though, I’m saying to myself, “I really don’t that guy, he’s too perfect!

So who should be Formula One’s World Champion?  I’m a huge fan of Kimi Räikkönen.  I would love to see him up there.  I’ve been fortunate enough to have met him at the 2005 SEMA convention under the sponsorship of Michelin tires.  I stood in line just like the hundreds of other fans and got my picture with him, just like other fans and I got his autograph, just like other fans.  He seemed down to Earth and outside of racing… he’s not perfect.  I like to hear that the guy goes out with his friends to strip clubs.  I like to hear that he dresses up in an ape suit and goes out with his friends.  I like to hear that Kimi is a normal guy.  On the race track he’s perfect, usually setting the fastest track time, even if he’s not in first place.  However, he still manages to remain “normal” off the track and I think that’s what a champion should derive from.  Something tangible for the everyday wannabe driver.

Fernando Alonzo is also worthy of being a champion.  He’s bested the Seven-Time World Champion, Michael Schumacher.  Prior to him being a champion, he worked with the team Renault to get him to there.  He helped setup the car, helped engineers troubleshoot problem areas; he’s paid his dues.  Throughout this 2007 year, we’ve seen a very frustrated Fernando.  We’ve seen the emails that the press has released; we’ve seen the famous pitstop where he held Hamilton; we’ve seen how the McLaren team have been split, forced to chose a side; we’ve seen Fernando have to adjust his strategy because Hamilton wouldn’t follow orders.  We are seeing a defending world champion crumble because other events are forcing mistakes.

The thing that makes Kimi and Alonzo championship worthy is that they are seasoned.  They’ve been “in” Formula One for a good couple of years now.  They are “experienced”.  They’ve seen all the ups and downs of Formula One or at least most of them.  Louis is talented, no doubt about it.  He would not be where he is today if he wasn’t.  He knows how to drive a car, a car that is already fast and solid.  His experience on the other hand has been short.  He is not what you call “seasoned”. 

Louis Hamilton has been silver-spoon fed from Ron Dennis over the years.  Sometimes he’s revered as being Dennis’s prodigy driver.  That’s fine, but it also takes away the makings of what a champion should be.  He’s borderline, a robot.  Next we won’t have drivers out there in F1 cars, instead we will see a ten year old, control the car from the pits with his Playstation controller while Dennis spoon feeds him apple sauce with that silver spoon of his.

Formula One is the motorsport.  Period.  That is even a hard pill for me to swallow because I’m a huge WRC (World Rally Championship) fan.  The one every driver wants to be a part of whether they know it or not.  This is a sport where grams count for everything.  This is a sport where aerodynamics and mechanics, push the envelope so far, that they start to work against each other.  This is a sport where winners are decided by thousandths of a second.  This is a sport where perfection just doesn’t cut it, you have to do better.  So, I guess the next level is grooming a driver early on so you can get your prize and glory.

To me, part of being a champion is seeing someone how fights to get to the top.  Someone how gets up after falling.  I’m not saying the Hamilton hasn’t done that but I have not really seen him do it in Formula One.

31
Oct

Zipp2001 Bicycle Review (1993-Current)

By BernieR 0 Comments
Categories: Bicycling

Bike:  1993 Zipp2001
Cost: $1000-$3000 (Depending on Condition)
 
I originally bought the Zipp2001 650c frame back in 1993 brand new from Zipp.  Cost at the time was $2,425 not including shipping and handling.  The frame came with the following components:  carbon fiber Zipp 2001 frame (small), carbon fiber beam (small), Zipp headset, rear brake and pads, front derailleur post, billet aluminum dropouts, billet aluminum seat post, steal adjuster bolt, extra bushing for dampener and internal cable guides.  After installing the reset of the components (at the time it was the Shimano 105) from my other road bike and purchasing new 650c wheels, the total cost was around $3,200.00.  I was pretty young and had to take a loan from the local credit union.  You should have seen the look on the loan officer’s face when I said it was for a bicycle and not a motorcycle.  Anyway, from then on the bike became a complete dream to ride. 
 
I’ve done plenty of long rides on this bike from Time-Trials to century bike rides.  This is a very comfortable ride even when pushing hard.  There are a couple of downfalls though.  The bottom bracket is surprisingly weak.  Under hard efforts such as sprinting or steep hill climbing, the bike is really sloppy and difficult to work with.  You can literally see your energy being wasted away before your eyes.  If you are a light weight rider then the effects of this is less evident.  Over the years I’ve gained some weight and have found that has actually hindered my ability to ride faster (along with poor cardiovascular conditioning).  The other downfall is that Zipp no longer supports this bike.  So to find parts for it is becoming more and more scarce.  Supply and demand are making these parts expensive as well.  Now-a-days you are better to find a way to upgrade the bike rather than finding a replacement part.
 
With all that said, this bike is still a dream to ride.  It just looks fast, even when parked.  It’s very aerodynamic and therefore becomes fast when really hammering on a flat terrain.  Any adjustments can be made on the fly and are very easy because the beam bolt is right there in front of you as you look down.  It’s easy on your joints because the bike moves with you, rather than against you.  These factors make this bike the Ferrari of the bike world.  It may not have all the creature comforts as a lot of other bikes out there, but it’s definitely built for performance.
 
Current 2007 setup is as follows:
Frame:  Zipp2001 Small Frame/Small Beam
Fork:  Zipp straight aluminum fork
Stem:  Syncros
Bars:  Scott Extreme
Shift Levers:  Bar End Shimano Ultregra
Front Derailleur:  Shimano Ultegra
Rear Derailleur:  Shimano 105 w/ billet casters
Brakes Levers:  Shimano 105
Brake Calipers: (Front); (Rear)  Shimano 105
Front Race Wheel (Fastest Option):  Zipp870 Disc Tubular
Rear Race Wheel (Fastest Option):  HED/Specialized Tri-Spoke Tubular
Front Race Wheel (Alt. Race Option):  Zipp400 Tubular
Rear Race Wheel (Alt. Race Option):  Zipp400 Tubular
Front Race Wheel (Training Option):  Bontrager Race-Lite X Clincher
Rear Race Wheel (Training Option):  Bontrager Race-Lite X Clincher
Crank:  Topline Cranks (170mm)
Chain-ring:  Big 56, Small
Bottom Bracket:  Sampson Titanium
Seat:  Flite (Titanium Rails)
Speedplay Zero Stainless (Blue) Pedals

Bernie's Zipp 2001