I occasionally see pictures of Mark Allen and Dave Scott riding the Queen K with standard 32 spoke wheels. What is amazing to me is that it wasn’t all about the fancy gear for those guys. They would rip the legs off of most people with the “old school” stuff they had–Zipps not needed.

As promised, I took my new Zipp 999 wheelset out for a test ride on Saturday. It didn’t go as smooth as I would have liked (3 flats and eaten by bugs) but I got a good feel of them. Keep in mind, I’ve ridden my old Rolf Vector Comps for about 7 years now. They’ve been my racing and training wheel. The Rolf’s are a solid mid-grade wheel, and I feel I could objectively tell the difference between the Rolf’s and Zipp’s.

I met my buddy, Gabe at Antelope Island causeway entrance and we took off. My first observation would be that they rolled very smoothly. It was nice, but I can’t say the difference was huge. I enjoyed hearing the “woosh” of the disk, so I can say my ego was satisfied. Beyond that, it was pretty uneventful.

If you are expecting a life altering ride on Zipp wheels, you’ll be disappointed. You’ll be lucky to feel any significant difference. If you need the ego boost, do it. If you need the mental edge, do it. But, don’t throw down a huge wad of cash and expect your cycling life to change.

Definitely not worth $2,300 bucks. If I were to buy these things again, I’d buy a Hed 3 front and a Renn Disk. Solid wheels themselves without the incredible price tag. This would’ve saved me $1,000. Plus, I am a bit paranoid about riding on the Zipp wheelset. What if I drop the bike? The wheels would likely be over….$2,300 up in smoke. That would stink.

So, before rushing out and purchasing an expensive wheel, try it out and see for yourself if it would be worth the money. It isn’t for me, and if I have the opportunity to get rid of them for $2,000 I’d do it.

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Click HERE to read my review of the ‘07 Zipp 999 wheelset.

Since my inception into the sport in 2000, I’ve been on a budget. The strings to the wallet tightened up when I married Glenna in 2001. This was not (is not) a problem, and has been a huge positive in my life. However, I still lust over the bike gear catalogs that occasionally grace my mail box. I recently had a rare opportunity to pick up some new Zipp 999 wheels. Talk about a splurge. Thank you Glenna!!!

I was working my way through an illness when I picked them up and was hopeful that my health would turn around before the Buffalo Duathlon. Didn’t happen. My health is coming around and I put them on my bike last night. Above is the picture of the historic moment.

Glenna thought I’d bring them into bed with us or constantly caress them. This hasn’t been the case. The wheels are actually quite ordinary. They feel more like plastic then carbon, but maybe this is how carbon always feels. I’ve occasionally pull them out of storage to give stare. I’d spin them in my hands….yeup, they are wheels alright. These are worth thousands of dollars? If anything, the Zipps have passed the cosmetic test, but will the feel fast and be faster when I ride?

I’m going to test them out on Saturday and I’ll be sure to report how the ride went. I’ve ridden mid grade wheels my whole cycling life and have always wondered if these super charged carbon wonders would do me any good. We’ll see.

Click HERE to read my review of the ‘07 Zipp 999 wheelset.

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I don’t want to say I’m sick, because it’s not that bad. But I’ve been worn down. Thank goodness it was right in time for the weekend. And my goal of hitting 12 weeks of nine hour training weeks still stands. However, I’ve got a canker in the back of my throat. I took off Saturday, Sunday and Monday (yesterday) but hit the pool again today. I took it easy and felt pretty good. My throat is still killing me though. It’s not the sickness kind of sore throat though. Maybe I’m just kidding myself.

Anyway, I’ve been pretty motivated to do well this year, so we’ll see how it goes. I’m a freak when it comes to reading training articles, however, I know that nothing will do me the good that working out day in and out will do. I am constantly pulling myself back into the “now” and focusing the energy in other places. Things will be okay as long as I knock the workouts out.

I’ve got to give some props to Rich at InternetContentDevelopers.com. His tips have taken TriHive from 60th place on the Google search engines to number 7. Whooohooo. Rich’s Web site has a lot of good stuff that you should check out, especially if your trying to do well on the Google or Yahoo rankings.

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What else do I need to say? I felt a little worn down last Monday morning but didn’t want to blow my swim workout. So I showed up at the pool with my workout in hand, but was ready to pull the plug if I felt ill or exhausted.

I felt fine in the water. I hammered out about 2,500 yards and headed back to the office. My body wouldn’t feel the effects of the illness until later that evening.

It has now been a week and a day since the swim. I feel like I’m getting better but have minor congestion. I’m afraid to start up again until I know I’m 100 percent or pretty darn close. This morning I told my wife that I was at 90-95 percent. By the afternoon I would say I am at 75 percent. So, I’ll rest until I know I’m good, which may be another week away.

So, a challenge presents itself. Can I keep things going after a set back like this? It’s easy to lose the enthusiasm and motivation after being wiped out for a week….or two.

You really appreciate health when it has been taken from you.

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This has been the biggest trial I have faced with working out – keeping it going, day after day. It doesn’t start with training, though. I’ve realized that I need to keep things going with all of my high priority items in my life. The Covey methods have helped at times. He just helps you list out your priorities, something that I need to do regularly.

TriHive is one step forward in the consistency category. At times, TriHive has been a high stress outlet. This typically happens when deadlines creep up. But, creating and completing the first years worth of TriHive’s was a huge stepping stone. Finishing college in 2004 was one step forward in this outlet as well. Not a big deal for some, but for me, the one-time wanna be hair band drummer (i.e. Motley Crue) had to learn to focus on things I didn’t necessarily care to focus on. Some of the consistency issues I face are naturally easily conquered by many people. I think the challenge has to do with my short attention span. There are a lot of things that interest me. But, to be very good or to complete a big task requires day-to-day commitment.

I must admit that being married helps ground me at times and helps me stay focused. Some say that marriage is restricting, confining and doesn’t let them do what they want. For me, it forces me to pick a few things instead of many, and then put a lot of energy into them. However, nothing will outshine the family time.

So, I’ve found a few minutes here and there to commit to the 2007 triathlon season. I’m four weeks into my regular training and have already identified obstacles on my path to frequency. I have listed a few below.

Overtraining – On Wednesday night I was running up towards the Bountiful LDS Temple. I knew it would be a tough workout and would require recovery time. I didn’t know that I would totally blown to smithereens. Yesterday, I woke up a bit groggier then normal. In the afternoon I hit the treadmill for an easy 30 minute run. There was nothing easy about this run and it felt like an eternity to complete. I had an hour ride on the trainer scheduled for the evening. After I put baby Kennedy into her crib, I set up my gear in living room to get the ride going. It was obvious I was a bit tired, but I thought that I might have been over the previous night’s hill run.

I realize that I need to start my workouts and see where they lead. If I’m slammed, I’ll back off or stop. This is where I ended up last night, just trying to get started. I hoped on my bike and started to pedal but my PowerTap wasn’t working as it should. I tried and tried to make it work and finally realized the battery was to low to get power readings. I took this as a sign from above and threw in the towel.

The right decision was made. However, I wasn’t sure about this decision until today. I finally feel fresh again.

Tiredness – There are two points in my day where I feel especially sleepy — usually when I’m not busy (mid morning and mid evening for me). Thankfully, I’m at work in the mid mornings and I never have a chance to think about a nap. I don’t even think about it. It’s obviously there on Saturday and Sunday mornings. The evening tired time is a killer. Again, I’ve realized that I just have to keep things going. This usually means that the first few minutes of the evening workout is wakeup time. In the past, I would have resigned myself to the cozy coach. I expect to keep things rolling in 2007.

This is my theme for 2007 – Keep Things Rolling. Fitness will improve dramatically and speed will be gained if I can follow my theme throughout the year. So far, so good.

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This is my editors note from the January 2006 issue. I thought I’d put it somewhere….so here it is.

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A New Adventure Begins

This is how my wife Glenna and I felt as we discussed creating a news source covering Utah triathlon. I have always had a strong desire to serve the Utah triathlon community. Figuring out how to do it within our means was another story. Glenna is very practical or dare I say risk adverse. With a little persuasion Glenna had agreed to support this venture. I have to admit though, putting up my 2006 tri budget as capital played a huge role in my sales job.

Since the birth of our first child, Kennedy in September I knew adjustments had to be made in my life. No more spontaneous bike rides right after work and morning swims would have to be done with discretion. The lunch time run would continue and has become my staple. My late evening hours were going to waste. Since Kennedy’s birth I’ve eagerly awaited my wife to finish the final feeding. It was to late to workout but to early to be completely unproductive. This is where the Tri Hive came in.

Trying to tackle every aspect of the Tri Hive has been quite the challenge. I have gone from copy writer, to copy editor, to web designer to sales person. There have been individuals and businesses offering services and support for ad space, which we are truly grateful for. The Tri Hive would not have happened with out the support of many people.

Many of you have already seen what the Tri Hive is doing via our web presence, www.TriHive.com. The inception has seen a lot of my personal hack jobs, including the web site. I expect the web site to “tidy up” as more resources become available. Ultimately though, our vision has been to create a hard copy that readers could haul around or pass off to a friend. There are a few reasons I felt this way. For one, print advertising typically has more value and a stronger track record then internet advertising. I did not want to create a web site cluttered with ads, bombarding readers with flashy images they would tire of. Secondly, I wanted to be sure the message of the Tri Hive made it into every triathlon home in Utah and abroad. This is why we have made the newspaper a free subscription. We hope to continue with this format as long as advertisers make it possible. This newspaper may sit around your coffee table until the next issue, offering a perspective of one of Utah’s fastest growing sports to everyone entering your sphere.

One of the most important components to the newspaper is our advertisers. I beg you to support the stores that make Utah triathlon possible. Often times we shop at an unsupportive box store, searching for a bargain. Without the businesses that support triathlon there would be no organized triathlon in Utah. Remember that they are the ones who keep race fees down, put food on the run course and make your overall triathlon experience a great one.

I welcome your feedback and hope to meet you on Utah’s triathlon circuit.

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