Mamilian

News April 17, 2020

Ironman Drama

I enjoyed the H.E. double-toothpicks out of this post by DC Rainmaker. It was clever enough that I actually invested some emotional energy in triathlon. Totally unexpected. Now to backtrack a little bit, most of the reasons why I found it interesting pivot around the software integration side of the conflict. When I’m not sporting the Lycra, I’m an independent software developer. So it’s easy to stand in at least two pairs…

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By Andrew Van Til

Blog April 17, 2020

YIL: Zwift on Apple TV is not bulletproof

When I started Zwift’g I went with the Apple TV as the host platform because it was the cheapest way to get everything working well. I’ve been using it this way for quite a while now, and I’ve never had any problems that weren’t related to Zwift Companion flaking out on me, or the PSYCHOTIC* remote that comes with the Apple TV. That confidence was shattered yesterday when the app just crashed…

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By Andrew Van Til

News April 16, 2020

$4100 is a lot to pay for a bike with an aluminum seatpost and heavy wheels

I like seeing my family, but I also like disappearing for hours, and hours, and hours on endurance road/gravel rides (watch to the end to get the reference). But, this Salsa Warbird GRX 810 is definitely not the bike for me. Sure it’s light, and you can make it a lighter by ditching those 1741g DT Swiss C1800 Spine wheels, but this is a $4100 bike. Yep, a $4100 bike that also…

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By Andrew Van Til

News April 16, 2020

All turned around

I suspect that Cycling Tips draws the wrong conclusion from the dataset provided by Strava. This could be because it’s not as catchy a headline, or that nuance is hard. Either way, I think the real output of the data they analyzed should be “which bikes do faster riders prefer” instead of “The top 20 fastest road bikes”… It’s also interesting that the Canyon Aeroad is top of their list, and I…

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By Andrew Van Til

News April 16, 2020

I hate to nitpick…

OK, that’s totally a lie. I love nitpicking, but I generally treat the output as an “inside the head” thought, and not the kind that comes pouring out. But, since the echos of our breakup are still reverberating, I couldn’t let this go… These are not new features of the Charge 4. My Charge 3 had them… I can only speculate as to why Ray didn’t get this right, he’s generally spot-on,…

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By Andrew Van Til

News April 15, 2020

Diet and Asthma

I have exercise induced asthma, which I primarily manage by taking medication and carrying an emergency inhaler whenever I expect to do strenuous exercise. I have seen reports that diet plays a role in the treatment of asthma before, so this meta-analysis isn’t really new news, but it is interesting to me considering some recent lifestyle changes. Unfortunately, I’m not really equipped to validate the conclusions that the authors drew in their…

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By Andrew Van Til

Blog April 15, 2020

The hardest 27 mins, that felt like 5, I’ve ever ridden

I did my first Zwift race over lunch yesterday. It was surprisingly crushing, fun, and the time slipped by much faster than a similar style workout. Trying Zwift racing has been on my mind for a while, mostly because I miss the competitiveness of the group ride (stupid COVID!). But I’ve been avoiding it because I generally only have around an hour at lunch to bang out a workout, and the pull…

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By Andrew Van Til

News April 14, 2020

Stop taunting me CBD

CBD infused recovery products were all over CABDA a few months ago, and they were more than happy to hand out samples – all of which are still sitting on my desk. I would love to try them, there is a massive potential for benefit both in the proven areas (i.e. reducing anxiety and improved sleep) and areas that require more research (e.g. reduced inflammation, improved recovery, etc.). But the reasons why…

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By Andrew Van Til

Featured Review April 14, 2020

Panaracer Gravelking EXT 38c – 700c Gravel Tire

With so many options to choose from, selecting a good mud tire for your gravel bike is a daunting task. Whether you want a dedicated tire for the slop, or one tire to run in all conditions. The Panaracer Gravelking EXT is a great option, with very few compromises required.…

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By Andrew Van Til

News April 13, 2020

Strava now agrees that distance is distance, at least for April

I never understood why virtual rides didn’t count towards Strava’s challenges. Of course it’s possible that this stance, is at least partially informed by my state as a flat-lander. I think it’s stupid that they ignored virtual metrics, like climbing, from the monthly challenges. Riding on the trainer is at least as hard as riding in the real world, and the goal here (at least as I understand it) is to encourage…

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By Andrew Van Til