As a cyclist you want to protect your head, sure, but that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice style and personality. Check out these unique lids that combine fashion, flare, innovation, and old-fashioned creativity:

If you’re the mountain biking type, the Swedish-made POC Trabec Race is up your alley (see photo above on orange background). The construction of this unique-looking and award-winning helmet is modeled after the human skeleton, proving both impact resistance and long-term durability. The inner aramid filament reinforced EPS core is tough, while the outer PC shell is constructed with seams situated in areas of minimal exposure. An aerodynamic channel system with 16 vents enhances ventilation on hot days.

The POC Trabec design has gotten both a best-in-show award at the EuroBike cycling industry trade show and a prestigious best-of-the-best Red Dot innovative design award, beating out 4,433 other entries from 50 countries. “This helmet is inspired by the spongy bone character and layer-by-layer construction of a skeleton,” explained POC CEO and founder Stefan Ytterborn. “We feel like we have found the right balance between low weight, maximum ventilation, and impact protection.” It looks cool, too.

Want to show off your personal flare and perhaps a secret passion for Donna Summer, the Bee Gees, and (a young) John Travolta? Then check out these step-by-step disco-ball-helmet-creation instructions from San Francisco-based art director Natalie Walsh. Her rationale for such a creation? “Because it’s awesome. ‘Nuff said.” Walsh uses an open-faced motorcycle-style helmet in her demo (picture above), but you can use just about any helmet that has surface area flat enough to glue on small pieces of glass tile. Just note that, as it says on her instructions page, the helmet is meant to be a costume piece. If you want to create something with more real-world functionality, skip the glass tile and use acrylic mirror tiles, which are lighter and won’t shatter.

Perhaps coolest of them all, though, is the still-in-development LumaHelm (bottom right photo, above). The brainchild (pun intended) of 28-year-old Dutch designer Wouter Walmink, who works in Australia’s Exertion Games Lab, this prototype interactive helmet both protects your head and signals your intentions as you ride, making you more visible to motorists. For example, tilt your head (and the helmet) slightly left and the helmet blinks on the left side just like a car’s turn indicator light. Tilt your head slightly back and the helmet lights up red like a set of brake lights.

The LumaHelm looks like a standard commuter helmet (and passes basic safety standards), but takes functionality a step further, utilizing two AA batteries to power a sensor that measures movement of the cyclist’s head, and lights up accordingly [see video here]. Walmink and his team have no immediate plans to manufacture the LumaHelm, but it’s not hard to imagine an established helmet manufacturer having other ideas.

Would you wear any of these helmets? What’s your favorite headgear as a cyclist?

—Jason Sumner, Bicycling Reporter

Photos courtesy of POC; Natalie Walsh; Exertion Games Lab

We recently met a 72-year-old runner at a marathon expo. He was wearing a shirt that said, “Running is 80% mental. The rest is in your head.” We giggled and complimented his sense of humor before he told us that his shirt was no joke.

Without hesitation, he launched into a mesmerizing and lengthy story about how he found running in his 60s but didn’t think he could run a marathon. He ran a few half-marathons but believed he was too old to handle a longer distance. Shortly after his 70th birthday, though, he decided to give it a try. “It was all in my head!” he shouted, before detailing how he has run six marathons and has no plans of stopping as he gets older. 

All too often the barriers in our racing and training are not physical but mental. The body is well-trained and ready to perform, but something in the mind holds us back. Some invisible wall is keeping us from experiencing that breakthrough race we are physically ready to run. If we are to reach our full potential we must train the mind as well as the body.

If you’ve ever thought to yourself, I could have run faster! within moments of crossing the finish line, or you can’t figure out why you don’t race as fast as you think you should, these three tips will help you shatter the mental barriers holding you back and catapult you to greater success as a runner:

1.  Visualize: During your runs, see yourself in your next race running effortlessly. Picture yourself accelerating as the race goes on. Imagine fighting through the fatigue and refusing to slow down as you fly past people in the final mile. The more often you see it in your head the more likely you are to come through on race day.

2. Open your mind: Having an open mind doesn’t mean just letting new ideas and beliefs in. It also means letting old beliefs and ideas out. For you to really believe you can do something you must add the new idea that you can while simultaneously subtracting the old idea that you can’t.

3. Compare yourself to others: We normally discourage comparing yourself to others, but in this case if you can find someone who is already running faster than your goals, who is close to you in age, size, and general fitness, it will reinforce the belief that you can do it too!

Just before our new 72-year-old friend walked away to pick up his bib number for his seventh marathon, he offered one last piece of wisdom. “The next time your mind (or anyone else) tells you that you can’t do something, remember that you absolutely can. You just need to believe it.” 

And we thought we were the running experts!

How do you break through mental barriers? What do you see as your mental barriers to overcome as a runner?

—Tim Catalano & Adam Goucher, Running Reporters

Running the Edge co-authors Adam Goucher and Tim Catalano became instant friends while running together at the University of Colorado. After college, Adam went on to have a very successful professional career that garnered eight national championships and an Olympic berth; Tim became a psychology teacher and high school coach in three different countries. They write about their passion for running on their blog, “Run The Edge” and on Facebook.

It’s the final 400 meters in the biggest race of the year. You can see the finish line ahead and the clock counting away the seconds. Your personal best time is within reach, but you’ll need to dig deep, ignore the searing pain in your quadriceps, and commit to one last surge. Your arms feel numb and heavy as you gulp for air in rapid breaths. The clock will not slow down. Will you? 

At first glance, you might think you need superhuman courage to mount a strong finishing kick when faced with these painful barriers. But how a runner reacts in moments like these has more to do with experience than with courage.

The more familiar you become with the sensations of extreme exertion that come in the final parts of a race, the less scary they become. You must practice this feeling well before race day if you are going to perform at your highest level when it matters most. 

Here are three tips to help you develop a winning kick:

1.  Select a specific distance: The type of exertion it takes to run the last 200 meters of an 800-meter race is very different than the last mile of a marathon. Select a specific race and the length of the kick you are trying to develop. 

2.  Simulate the finish: You do not need to run the entire race distance to simulate what it will feel like during the finishing kick. Run a shorter distance at a faster pace to simulate the fatigue you will have when it is time to kick. Then, focus on running hard to the end.  For an 800-meter race, this might mean running an all-out 400 meters and then pushing through the last 200. To practice the last mile of a 10K, run 3 miles at 20 seconds per mile faster than your 10K pace, followed by a hard mile.

3.  Reflect and repeat: While the memory of the workout is fresh, reflect on your finishing effort. What did it feel like? How long did it take to recover? What did you learn about yourself and what you can handle? Could you go even harder next time? If time allows before your big race, schedule two or three of these sessions to really improve your performance.

Here is a real example of the above tips:

Olympian Kara Goucher’s coach wanted her to practice the pace and exertion it will take to contend over the last four miles in the Olympic Marathon next month in London. Last week, at the U.S. Half Marathon Championships in Duluth, Minnesota, Kara ran the first 9 miles at a quick pace but waited until the 9-mile mark to really push hard. Her 2 miles, from 9 to 11, averaged 5:15 per mile and she ran her last 2 miles with an average 5:08. Her simulated finish gave her confidence in her ability to compete in the last stages of the race. Her reflection? She can go even harder!

Consider this new scenario, once you’ve practiced your finishing kick:

There are 200 meters to go now as the relentless clock continues to count down the time between you and that new PR. But you are equally relentless; you have been here before. You have practiced for this moment. You are not afraid. You burst across the line and stumble around on wobbly legs. The new PR feels great but knowing you had the courage and strength to finish that fast feels even better.  

What innovations and improvements to your training have helped you reach a new PR?

—Adam Goucher and Tim Catalano, Running Reporters

Running the Edge co-authors Adam Goucher and Tim Catalano became instant friends while running together at the University of Colorado. After college, Adam went on to have a very successful professional career that garnered eight national championships and an Olympic berth; Tim became a psychology teacher and high school coach in three different countries. They write about their passion for running on their blog, Run The Edge and on Facebook.

The traditional computer mouse as we know it could be on the precipice of a colossal facelift. And if this soon-to-be-released device delivers as promised, it could change everything from how architects draw, to how gamers play, to how coaches analyze running gait or pedal stroke.

Meet the Leap Motion, a “natural interface device” that’s about the size of a pack of gum and sits on your desk in front of a laptop or desktop. Once integration software is uploaded, Leap allows your computer to read hand and finger gestures with a claimed 1/100 millimeter accuracy, or what the device’s creators claim is 200 times more sensitive than the Xbox Kinect or anything else currently on the market.

Now instead of using a mouse or track pad, the Leap allows users to control their computer in three dimensions using hand and finger movements or even handheld items like a pencil. “The Leap is a series of small camera sensors enclosed in a metal case slightly larger than a jump drive, with hard black plastic film on the top,” explains Michael Buckwald, co-founder and CEO of Leap Motion. “The device emits a stream of infrared light particles, which bounce off objects within the sensor zone. Revolutionary math algorithms analyze video footage of how the bouncing light interacts with hands and fingers to ‘sense’ it in

3-dimensional space.”

“The Leap software translates the light-bouncing data instantaneously, making it faster and more accurate than a mouse or touchscreen,” adds Buckwald. “It allows you to virtually reach into your computer and control it with natural hand and finger motions. The Leap is the world’s most accurate 3D motion control device. The Leap can fundamentally change the way people interact with their computers – and we see a lot of its primary use being in the everyday use of a laptop or desktop. But we’ve been blown away with the ideas developers have been submitting for applications –- and in the future Leap Motion’s 3D motion control technology could be in many different devices.”

Availability is set for sometime this coming winter and you can pre-order the device online for $70+ shipping. And while it all may sound a little too good to be true, there are a host of compelling YouTube videos (see below) that offer some pretty eye-popping demonstrations. The company’s in-house promotional video has already received over 5 million views.

As for applications to the health and fitness world, there’s nothing clear-cut yet. But consider the fact that it’s possible to network more than one Leap device to create a larger interaction area than the 8 cubic feet availed by one device. Now if you could create a way for the Leap to track other body parts, say feet, all of a sudden it might be possible to do finite analysis of someone’s running stride, or see if a person was efficiently pedaling on a stationary bike. Then adjustments could be made and further analyzed.

The Leap Motion is the brainchild of David Holz, who has consulted for NASA and was working on a Ph.D. in mathematics before leaving college to pursue the Leap Motion project full time. So far it looks like it was a smart move. The project has raised over $14 million in funding after having been vetted by a number of venture capital firms, not to mention the tech media (see videos below).

Leap is also trying to tap into the development community, and has plans to give away up to 20,000 development kits so programmers can start creating an ecosystem for the device. It’s not too different from the early days of smartphone app creation (and look where that has taken us).

Buckwald would not reveal what he’s seen so far from developers, but insisted it would provide as much wow factor as the Leap itself. “The developer response from around the world has been tremendous, with an incredible variety of amazing ideas,” he said. “Stay tuned for an update on this with more details soon.”

—Jason Sumner, Bicycling Reporter

Photos Courtesy of Leap Motion

The typical image of cycling-specific clothing includes brightly colored skin-tight fitting Lycra printed with the name of a local bike shop or favored pro cycling team. And while there’s nothing wrong with flying the colors of your favorite squad just like a Yankees or Lakers fan, it’s not exactly appropriate work wear.

In the past that meant cycling commuters had to make do with less than ideal apparel if they wanted to ride to work, but not spend their day walking around in chamois shorts. But recently that’s changed as a host of clothing makers such as Outlier, Rapha, Levi’s and Betabrand have launched lines of cycling-specific commuter wear.

On the outside it looks like everyday clothing, but look closer and you’ll find features such as pants with angled pockets so items don’t fall out when you’re in the riding position, jackets made of technical quick-drying fabrics, and even cycling-specific boxer shorts made of merino wool for enhanced moisture-wicking.

“Our OG pants (above) came about because I couldn’t find any pants that looked good and were also durable enough to handle the stresses of everyday cycling,” said Outlier co-founder Abe Burmeister. “After a year of looking for them, I realized no one was making them and if I wanted them I’d have to make them myself.”

The result was a pair of sharp-looking dress pants made from stretchable Schoeller 3xDry and Nanosphere fabric that is water-resistant, breathable, quick-drying, and resistant to abrasions and stains (below).

“One of the key things with the OG pants is the four-way stretch,” adds Burmeister, adding that the OG nomenclature is short for “original garment.” “We use a doubleweave fabric that is tough on the outside, while the inside is soft and has a 3-D structure similar to a seersucker. This minimizes skin contact, making them more breathable and comfortable during wear. They also are water-resistant, but not waterproof. Light rain will roll off and more importantly, if they do get saturated they will dry out quickly when you get inside.”

Rapha, which makes all sorts of high-end cycling wear, including the aforementioned boxer shorts (with and without a butt pad; below), says their entrée into the commuter market was spurred by a simple observation.

“You’ve probably seen the same as we have; over the past few years more people are riding bikes more often,” said Chris DiStefano, communications director for Rapha North America. “Our (commuter) collection is for anyone, no matter if they ride a bicycle or not. It is not intended to scream, ‘Hey, I rode a bike today’ once you’re away from the bike.”

Or as it says on the company website, “Rapha apparel and accessories for city riding are designed for fast, all-day riding and to provide maximum comfort without compromising on style.” Nowhere is this more evident than with the Rapha Tailored Jacket (see below), which looks like a snazzy wool sport coat, but is actually a technical piece of cycling wear that includes features such as its “action back” where pleats in the rear of the shoulders allow for extra forward reach while riding.

Perhaps most telling of all, though, is the fact that iconic jeans maker Levi’s boasts an entire line of cycling commuter wear that includes shirts, pants (below) and jackets.  “Made with modern cyclist in mind, all our commuter pant and jacket designs have been re-engineered with just the right amount of additional stretch to increase mobility while maintaining their signature fit,” read a Levi’s issued trend alert that accompanied the announcement of its updated 2012 commuter series.

Highlights include a classic jean jacket (below) that’s bolstered with gusseted shoulders for increased mobility, and antimicrobial protection to help fight odor. And we all know that looking good — and smelling good — is important whether you’re at the office or the pub.

What do you wear on your bike commute?

—Jason Sumner, Bicycling Reporter

Photos courtesy of Outlier, Rapha, Levi’s

Are you getting your recommended daily allowance of core exercise? These five simple medicine ball exercises are just what the doctor ordered. Follow the prescriptions and dosages carefully and you will be well on your way to curing the running blues.  

Note: For beginners, start with a basketball before moving up to a medicine ball.  

Prescription #1: CHOPS

Stand with your right foot back, left foot forward, and a slight bend in your front leg. Hold the medicine ball straight out from your body. Bring the ball up above your right shoulder. Then, using a chopping motion (like you’re swinging an ax). Go from the upper right across the front of your body to the lower left. This should be a controlled motion.

Dosage:  Do 10 chops (down and back up is 1 rep) then repeat on the opposite side with your left foot back and right foot forward.

Prescription #2: MEDICINE BALL PUSH-UPS

In a push-up position with your left hand on ground and your right hand on the ball, do a push-up.  Once you are back at the top, roll the med ball to your left hand. Focus on keeping your hips level to the ground; do not allow them to dip when you switch hands. With your left hand on the ball and your right hand on ground, do another push-up. 

Dosage:  Repeat this for a total of 10 (5 on each side). As you get stronger you can increase your reps. If you have trouble with a regular push-up position you can do the push-ups on your knees.

Prescription #3: MEDICINE BALL CIRCLES

Hold the medicine ball above your head, with your feet shoulder-width apart. Rotate your body in a large circle. Imagine making a complete circle around your body (head to toe) with a slight bend in your knees, but keeping elbows straight. It should take you about 3 seconds for one full rotation.

Dosage: Do 10 large circles to the left, then 10 to the right.

Prescription #4: 4-MINUTE MEDICINE BALL CORE DRILL

(One of Kara Goucher’s favorites)

Lay on your back with your knees bent at 90 degrees. With the medicine ball between your knees, hold a crunch position for 30 seconds. At 30 seconds, flip over into a forearm plank position, keeping body “tight” and straight (don’t let your hips drop). Hold for 30 seconds. Flip back over and repeat.

Dosage: Do this four times to get a total of four minutes. As you get stronger you can increase to six minutes.

Prescription #5: SIDE-TO-SIDE QUICK ROTATIONS

With your feet shoulder-width apart, hold the medicine ball just below your chest and about six inches away from your body. Rotate to the right, then to the left. One side-to-side rotation should take about one second.  

Dosage: Do 30 seconds or a total of 30 side-to-side rotations. 

For best results, add these core exercises into your workout routine three times a week.

Side effects may include: better-looking abs, faster times, improved posture, Enhanced mood and body image, loose-fitting clothing, and jealous looks from runners in your age group.

—Adam Goucher & Tim Catalano, Running Bloggers

Photos courtesy of Tim Catalano and Adam Goucher

The seventh running of the Amgen Tour of California wrapped up Sunday at L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles, with Slovak sensation Peter Sagan taking yet another stage win, while Robert Gesink finished comfortably in the main field to secure the race’s overall crown for what the Dutchman called the most significant win of his young career.

During the event’s eight days of racing, American cycling fans witnessed a dramatically exciting affair that climaxed with the penultimate stage, Saturday’s brutal trip up Mt. Baldy. It was there, on a road so steep some cars literally struggled to get up it, that Gesink shown brightest among a peloton that started with 128 riders. Bolstered by the capable aid of his Rabobank teammates, the lithe climbing specialist reeled in a slew of early race escapees, then charged across the finish line first, winning the stage and taking control of the race leader’s yellow jersey.

Afterwards, Gesink was visibly emotional as the weight of the accomplishment set in. It was a fantastic comeback story for a rider (and new dad) who during the previous two years lost his father to a freak cycling accident, and then had to deal with his own tragedy when a training crash left Gesink with a badly broken leg. As recently as January, Gesink was still in the throes of a difficult rehabilitation, having to re-teach his atrophied muscles how to walk again — let alone pedal away from the world’s top cyclists.

Amazingly, four months later, he was on top of the cycling world, winning America’s most prestigious bike race, and earning himself a prominent place on the favorite’s list for July’s Tour de France. The later point was further enhanced by Gesink’s performance in the Stage 5 time trial, a discipline that features prominently at this year’s Tour, and will surely go a long way to deciding the winner of the final yellow jersey in Paris.

Gesink finished just 39 seconds behind stage winner – and time trial specialist – Dave Zabriskie that day, then defrocked the American of his leader’s jersey two days later. If the Rabobank rider can put together a similar performance at the Tour de France, reigning TdF champion Cadel Evans could be in trouble.

Here are some other notable takeaways from this year’s Amgen Tour of California:

PETER SAGAN IS A STAR – NOW: The 22-year-old won five of the race’s eight stages, showing a diversity of sprinting skills that will serve him well as he chases the coveted Green Jersey at Tour de France. The favorite for that title will be the indomitable sprinter extraordinaire Mark Cavendish, but witnessing this week’s Sagan Show, the Manx Missile knows it’s going to be a fight.

CHRIS HORNER IS A FIGHTER: Though the Innovation for Endurance contributor came up short is his title defense, the RadioShack-Nissan-Trek star didn’t go down without showing amazing resolve. After laying an egg in the time trial, Horner attempted cycling’s version of a Hail Mary, attacking from way out on Stage 7, never giving up on his hopes to win the overall title. Some pundits argued that Horner would have been better off just going for a stage win that day, but by making his all-or-nothing bid, Horner solidified his stature as the people’s choice.

GARMIN-BARRACUDA - BRIDESMAIDS AGAIN: The Boulder, Colorado-based outfit is arguably the most popular cycling team in America, but they’d almost surely trade a few fans for a big win. Yes, they’ve had their share of significant days, winning multiple team time trials and the best team prize at last year’s Tour de France. But their record in California now includes three second-place finishes for Dave Zabriskie and two third-place efforts for Tom Danielson.

Team GM Jonathan Vaughters summed it up succinctly after his team failed to defend the Yellow Jersey on Saturday, writing on his Twitter feed, “Very frustrating day for us. Lots of coulda/shoulda…” Garmin still has a chance to score a major prize at the ongoing Tour of Italy (Giro d’Italia), where Canadian Ryder Hesjedal is currently second overall. But Hesjedal lost time and the leader’s jersey on Sunday, making it a tough weekend on both sides of the Atlantic for the Argyle Armada.

FITS AND STARTS FOR AMERICA’S YOUTH MOVEMENT: Many thought one of the U.S. cycling’s young guns, specifically Tejay van Garderen or Andrew Talansky, would rise up and walk away with this year’s California crown. But both riders faltered under the pressure of Gesink’s blistering race-winning pace. However, there was a new name added to the mix – Joe Dombrowski. The twig-thin 20-year-old from Virginia finished the Tour’s most menacing day just 18 seconds behind Gesink, announcing to the cycling world that he’ll someday be a force on the biggest mountains of Europe.

LONDON CALLING: Final selection for the men’s U.S. Olympic cycling team is still almost a month away, but Dave Zabriskie made a compelling case for the squad’s lone spot in the time trial race. Zabriskie was the convincing winner of the California TT, and is the obvious choice to chase gold in London.

What did you think of the 2012 Tour of California? Who will you be watching this summer at the Tour de France, the London Olympics, and at the U.S. Pro Cycling Challenge?

—Jason Sumner, Bicycling Reporter

Photo: RadioShack Nissan Trek cyclists in Stage 7 of the 2012 Tour of California

Some 128 riders will toe the startline when the seventh running of the Amgen Tour of California professional cycling race starts this Sunday in Santa Rosa. Each will have their own objectives for the ensuing eight days of racing that will cover 733.5 miles on a southerly trip through the Golden State. But within this international peloton that includes riders from 21 countries and five continents, there are a few who deserve a little extra attention. Here’s your cheat sheet on the top riders to watch and why.

Chris Horner – RadioShack-Nissan-Trek: The Golden State native and reigning Tour of California champion is on the short list of favorites for this year’s race. But to pull off the repeat, Horner will likely have to come from behind during the event’s toughest day. Expect the 40-year-old RadioShack-Nissan-Trek rider to lose time to his key rivals in the stage 5 time trial, meaning he’ll have to be at his best during the race-deciding 78.3-mile stage from Ontario to the summit of precipitously steep Mt. Baldy.

Tejay Van Garderen – BMC Racing Team: Among a highly promising group of young American pros, it would surprise no one if the 23-year-old Van Garderen had a breakout ride and won the race. The native of Montana came close to that Eureka moment last year, finishing third in Colorado’s USA Pro Cycling Challenge and fifth at the Tour of California. Like Horner, Van Garderen is both a capable time trialist and exceptional climber. The BMC rider, who was fifth earlier this season in the prestigious Paris-Nice stage race in France, will also benefit from the expert support of veteran teammate and fellow American George Hincapie.

Tom Danielson – Garmin-Barracuda: One of the world’s best pure climbers as witnessed by his ninth place finish in last year’s Tour de France, the 34-year-old from Boulder, Colorado, is a threat in any race with big mountain climbs. But after a breakout victory at the 2005 Tour de Georgia earned him the moniker of “next great American cyclist,” Danielson has struggled to live up to the hype and actually win big races. He’ll have to buck that trend if he wants to exceed his third place finish at last year’s Tour of California.  

Andrew Talansky – Garmin-Barracuda: Another member of American cycling’s Generation Next, the 23-year-old from Banner Elk, North Carolina, had the breakout ride of his career earlier in the season, placing second at the testing Tour of Romandie. In California, Talansky will share team leadership roles with Danielson, giving the Garmin squad a lethal one-two punch that could be a difference maker.

Levi Leipheimer – Omega Pharma-QuickStep: After being struck by a car during a training ride earlier in the season, there’s still some doubt whether the three-time Tour of California champion will even start this year’s race. But the guess here is that despite suffering a broken leg in the accident, there’s no way he’ll sit out an event that kicks off in his hometown of Santa Rosa. As for his chances at overall title No. 4, it’s unlikely the former Innovation for Endurance contributor will have regained enough form to compete at the highest level.

Rory Sutherland – UnitedHealthcare: The Tour of California includes six teams that race primarily in North America, cycling’s equivalent of triple A baseball. Expectedly few of those team’s riders hold out much hope of competing for the overall crown against the major leaguers from the European peloton. The lone exception could be UnitedHealthcare’s Sutherland, who was seventh overall in 2011, and has been training hard in California during the lead-up to the race.

Tom Boonen – Omega Pharma-QuickStep: Imagine Kobe Bryant or LeBron James showing up for a hoops tournament in Belgium, and you get some idea of how big a deal it is for Tom Boonen (above) to be racing bikes in California. “Tornado Tom” is by far the biggest sports star in his native Belgium, a stature further bolstered this spring with his conquest of both the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, the world’s two toughest one-day races. There are too many big climbs in California for big Tom to win the overall, but the former Tour de France green jersey winner will be in the hunt for victory in any stage that ends in a sprint — and will be a crowd favorite wherever he goes.

Peter Sagan – Liquigas-Cannondale: Like Boonen, Sagan is not built to win overall stage races. But the 22-year-old Slovakian sprinter nicknamed “Terminator” is one of the sport’s rising stars, already owning three Tour of California stage wins. Expect Sagan to add to that tally this year.  

And the winner is… Following a spring campaign where he served primarily in a support role, Chris Horner is coming off a solid at-home training block, and now gets to ride for himself as RadioShack-Nissan-Trek’s team leader. We’re obviously big fans of Horner here at Innovation for Endurance, but the cagey veteran is also one of the sport’s smartest riders, and that’s why he’ll win his second straight Tour of California title. Look for Horner to hold his ground in the stage 5 time trial, then take time on his rivals during the ensuing pair of big climbing stages. And with the overall win, Horner will make a strong case for a place on this summer’s U.S. Olympic team, an honor he’s long overdue.

—Jason Sumner, Bicycling Reporter

Photos by Getty Images

I have a confession to make. Even though I’ve written about exercise for nearly 20 years and valiantly practiced what I’ve preached, I’m really no different than you are.

I have a love-hate relationship with exercise—meaning, I love the results when I do it regularly, but I often hate having to exercise to achieve those results. It’s a situation that only gets worse as the warmer weather creates a thousand new distractions bent on pushing me off-course. If that’s you as well, then know this: You can easily avoid every possible fitness pitfall this summer by having a few innovative ideas in your arsenal.

For example, one of the most common excuses I hear is, “I don’t have enough time.” Can’t do your usual 30 minutes of cardio? Then just break it up into two smaller sessions of 15 minutes—or even three, 10-minute sessions—and do them whenever it’s convenient. You’ll still burn the same number of total calories, but better yet, you’ll elevate your metabolism two or three times instead of once. Since your body burns calories at a faster rate for an additional hour after intense exercise, you’ll get that extra calorie after-burn several times instead of once.

If weight training’s more your thing, then just do one set of each exercise in your routine instead of the typical two or three sets—research has shown that one set is actually 90% as effective at building muscle as three sets. Then, reduce the time you wait between sets to one minute or less. Unless your goal is strictly to build strength, the fuel muscles use for anaerobic activity—called creatine phosphate—returns within 30 to 60 seconds after you lift. Applying both of these techniques can turn a 30-minute weight training routine into an equally effective one you can do in less than 10 minutes.

Here’s another classic summer stumbling block: “I don’t have easy access to exercise equipment or a gym.” Even if you’re away on vacation in the most remote locale, you always have the tools to pull off four of the top 10 most effective exercises for building muscle and burning calories: squats and lunges for your lower body, push-ups for your upper body and skipping rope, which burns over 800 calories an hour! Not coordinated enough to skip? Then just mimic the movements minus the rope—you’ll still burn roughly the same amount of calories.

Here’s my biggest excuse: “I want to have fun outside, not exercise.” That’s when I remind myself that there are countless ways to turn leisure time into exercise. Everything from chasing your kids around to playing with your dog can be a workout, so long as you perform the activity at a pace that’s challenging to your current fitness level. Best rule of thumb: If you can talk while doing it, but you wouldn’t be able to sing, your pulse is most likely right between 60 and 80% of your maximum heart rate (MHR)—the ideal spot for burning fat.

If you have a favorite innovation that helps you stay on top of exercise, then I’d love to hear about it, so do us a favor and post it here. Who knows? You may find out that you’re not alone dealing with a certain problem, but more important, you may give someone else the solution they’ve been desperately looking for to stay in shape.

—Myatt Murphy, Fitness Blogger

Fitness expert Myatt Murphy, CSCS, is the author of the best-selling books Testosterone Transformation (Rodale, 2012), The Body You Want in the Time You Have (Rodale, 2005), The Men’s Health Gym Bible (Rodale, 2006) and Men’s Health’s Ultimate Dumbbell Guide (Rodale, 2007). His work has appeared in innumerable magazines and online.

“When you say you are ‘slow,’ do you mean compared to the 93% of people who can’t run a mile without stopping, or the majority of Americans who never exercise?” We asked a runner this question at a recent race expo. She was trying to convince us that she was a “slow runner” and we were trying to convince her that there is no such thing as slow. (To be honest, we made up the 93% number. Fortunately, she didn’t ask us where we got our statistics.)

Sensing that she needed more convincing, we tried another approach. “If a woman qualifies for the Boston Marathon, does that make her fast?” She nodded enthusiastically.  

“What if she finishes the marathon in last place? Does that make her slow?” The look of compassion on her face communicated that she felt sorry for these two men desperately trying to impart anything close to wisdom. We wished her good luck in her race and requested that she let us know how she did when it was over.  

Two days later we received an email informing us that she had improved her best time in the  half marathon by over two minutes. She went on to explain that even though she was slower than most of the other competitors in the race, she was faster than any previous version of herself. The runner she was three months earlier would have looked at the runner she is now with admiration and respect. Now she wanted to train harder than ever to be an even faster runner in her next race.  

She ended the email with this thought, “From Olympians to runners just trying to finish a 10K, we are all fast. Runners at every level are pushing their limits and trying to see how good they can be. The only way to be slow is not to run at all.”

We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.

—Tim Catalano & Adam Goucher, Running Bloggers