Happy New Year

2010 has come to an end.

For me, there have been some highlights, and some disappointments. Some goals were acomplished, some were abandoned by the wayside, and some never made it out of the starting gate.

Tomorrow begins a new year. New goals will be set, and hopefully the ambition and incentive to work towards those goals will last longer than the snow on the ground.

I hope you all have a safe and Happy New Year, and I wish you all the success on your New Years Resolutions for 2011.

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Merry Christmas!

It wouldn't be Christmas without showing the Specialized Holiday video... I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday!

I Want a Bike

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Christmas Bells

Schwinn is getting into the Holiday spirit this year.  Go to their site http://www.schwinnbellchoir.com/, and hear some Christmas carols played on bicycle bells. 

You can also send a carol to your friends by email or FaceBook. 

What is even better than that, is that for every e-carol sent, Schwinn will donate bikes and helmets to kids across the country.

So, go ahead, share the joy this Holiday season, and help give some bicycles to kids that really need them.

Sunday funnies

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Food Friday: Clif Bar Seasonal Flavors

This year, the wife and I did most of our Christmas shopping from the comfort of our laptops. Therefore, we have had an almost daily visit from the Brown Santa for the past week.

The other day, I came home to find a present for me that was delivered by the Brown Santa.

The folks over at Clif Bar were kind enough to send me a box of their seasonal Clif Bar flavors. And since they were kind enough to send them, I figured I should return the favor and say some kind words about their bars.

Not that saying kind words will be difficult. I haven't met a Clif Bar that I don't like. Granted, some I like better than others - except for the liver and onion flavored Clif Bar (kidding, there isn't a liver and onion flavored Clif Bar - and please, please don't take this as a suggestion to make one).

Every year, Clif releases some seasonal flavors during the holiday season. This year, the flavors are Spiced Pumpkin Pie, Cranberry Orange Nut Bread, and Iced Gingerbread.

Out of the three, my favorite was the Iced Gingerbread.  It reminded me of a soft gingerbread cookie.  I resisted the urge to mold it with my fingers into a more gingerbread man shape. 

Next favorite was the Cranberry Orange Nut Bread.  It is all of the things that are good about the ubiquitous loaves of bread that neighbors leave on your doorstep this time of the year, and none of the bad.  Delicious!

The last - and again, that doesn't mean that I didn't like it - was the Spiced Pumpkin Pie. It made me think of Thanksgiving.  I wonder how it would survive a few seconds nuking in the microwave for that "warm pumpkin pie" sensation? Mmmm....

If you haven't tried the seasonal flavors yet, go find some!  They won't be around forever.  Go visit them at http://www.clifbar.com/.

Happy Holidays!

IKEA gives their employees a bike for Christmas

On Tuesday, at 9:30 AM, IKEA presented each of it's 12,400 employees in the United States with their Christmas gift - a bicycle.

The bikes, which according to Christopher Garcia, 28, regional public relations and marketing manager, would probably run in the range of $200 were given to the employees in appreciation for their hard work this year. The bikes were chosen to reflect the values that IKEA holds dear as a company.

For those employees that did not plan on using their new bike, they could return it to be donated to Toys for Tots.

From my personal view - having worked for companies who range from fairly generous to almost Scrooge-like (my current employeer) in their gift giving, IKEA's gift of the bike is a very nice gesture.

Are the bikes good? Well, no. Looking at the picture, they are on par with what you would find at your local Wal*Mart, but when you consider the logistics and cost of getting 12,400 bikes - it has been said that IKEA recieved a significant discount for purchasing the bikes in bulk - it is understandable that IKEA went with this type of bicycle.

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3rd Annual Bike Junkie's Holiday Gift Guide

This year for the 3rd annual Bike Junkie's gift guide, I thought I would focus on one of my favorite things: t-shirts. I have many, many t-shirts in my closet. If you ask my wife, she would say that I have too many t-shirts. What can I say? I don't have a "dress code" at the real job, and wear t-shirts almost all the time.

What could be better than displaying your passion on your shirt? Here are some shirts that I have found, with links to the companies who sell them. Some of the companies I am showcasing have numerous designs available - and I'm showing my favorites, others only have the one design. Regardless, they all show a passion for the sport.

Happy Holidays!

Cyclocosm -  Cyclocosm is an independent cycling news and commentary blog.  Their shirts tend to reflect their pro-cycling leanings, from the "elements of cycling" shirts (Love the Paris-Roubaix), to their (justifiable) opinion of the UCI and their questionable rulings of recently.  The Giro d'Italia winners shirt is an instant classic.

Punk Rock Racing -  The one solitary triathlon shirt in the gift guide. A subtle play on the Ramones logo.

Twin 6 -  I'm not at all ashamed of professing my love for Twin 6. I have a couple of their shirts in my closet already! They have way too many designs to show here, so I'll show a couple of my favorites.

Stomach of Anger -  Stomach of Anger was created after Andy Shleck's uttered his famous quote during the 2010 Tour de France after loosing the yellow jersey to Alberto Contador because of a dropped chain. They have since expanded their line, including a shirt paying tribute to Jens Voigt's famous "Shut up legs" quote. My favorite has to be their logo shirt.

The Sufferfest -  You watch the videos in your basement during the winter months, why not let the world know that you suffer! Plus, explaining what IWBMATTKYT means will never get old.

Après Velo -  Do you worship at the Church of Cog? Do you believe that Eddy Merckx should be given sainthood? Show people where your true passion lies.

Spoke Apparel -  Show the world that cycling isn't just under your skin, it goes all the way to the bone.

Faction Cycling - Classic pinup girl, Love the saying on the back.

Loving the Bike -  Had to include this one from my friend Darryl. You simply can't say it any better than this shirt does. "Enjoy Your Ride"

Race Shirts - Instead of buying a shirt for your favorite cyclist or triathlete, give them a free shirt from a race that they have always wanted to do! Of course, you'll still have to pay for their entry into the event. Let's be honest, some of the race shirts are downright ugly, but every so often, you'll find one that you won't mind wearing in public. My favorite race shirt so far has to be from the Dirty Dash.

The Plan...

Yesterday I said that I was going to try and loose 10 pounds before Christmas.

What I didn't specify is exactly how I planned on doing that. No trade secrets here, feel free to copy my plan...

Kendall's 4-step plan to weight-loss:

• Eat a plant-based diet. No secret that I went vegan a few months ago, and there are no plans to discontinue eating that way. I will, however try to avoid some of the "vegan" junk foods that I am so fond of. "Vegan junk food", you say? Yes, Fritos and Oreos qualify as vegan - no animal based ingredients. Just because it can be classified as vegan doesn't automatically mean it's good for you. Now, if I could just get those cool vegan superpowers...  
• Suffering. I.W.B.M.A.T.T.K.Y.T. (go here to find out what that stands for). What it means, is I will be spending time on the trainer for the next month. I am also planning on using my weight bench for more than a sock-drying rack. I am also planning on yoga, and may even break out the wii Fit+.
• Portion control. Don't really need to elaborate on this one. Too much of a good thing...
• Set a curfew. Not for me (wouldn't be a bad idea, however), but for my stomach. No more food after dinner.  

There you have my master plan. .