Athletes
ArchiveThe Secret Race. Photo: Courtesy of Bantam Dell During the two years Daniel Coyle spent reporting and writing The Secret Race, he interviewed…
As parents, it’s easy to get caught up in the saga of our own children. Their all-consuming schedules, school, sports, our own fraught expectations. We want them to be smart, kind, and game. We want them to play outside and be healthy. We want them to remember their manners, read…
Josh Tostado overtakes an unsuspecting rider in the early morning Vapor hours. Last weekend, I rode the Vapor Trail 125, an unsanctioned bike ride out of Salida, Colorado. It was my third time at the…
With evidence piling up that Armstrong cheated to win, should he confess and ask his fans, enemies, and cancer-fighting supporters to forgive him? As Brian Alexander explains, that would be the worst move he could make.
In Powderwhore's first ski trailer for its 2012 Choose Your ϳԹ, Chris Davenport is on a boat, one in Antarctica, skiing sick lines, singing and dancing and raising the roof. He’s probably crooning so contentedly because he is in one of the…
File this one under fun: Cal Coast Track Team Daily Jump. Photo: The Daily Jump We recently caught wind of a new DIY fitness trend that’s going viral. You can do it anywhere, anytime, with anyone. By yourself. On a trail. with your kids in…
Noah Davis takes a look at Wade Barrett's transition from professional soccer player to semi-serious ultramarathoner
Gould at the 2012 World Cup in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. Photo: Colin Meagher When Georgia Gould, 32, won bronze in mountain biking at the London Olympics…
Trail running is one of the few sports where the top women can compete with elite men, and often beat them—a phenomenon affectionately known among runners as “getting chicked.” Likewise, it's also one of the few sports that typically favors seasoned competitors, with many ultra trail runners not peaking until…
Finishing 12th overall, Damiano Caruso was Liquigas-Cannondale's top finisher. Photo: Liquigas A quick look at the final standings of the 2012 USA Pro Cycling Challenge reveal a race that was largely dominated by American racers. Though half of the 16 teams in the race were…
Tejay Van Garderen takes time out for the next generation of youth cyclists. Photo: Jen Charrette By Jennifer Charrette When the USA Pro Cycling Challenge wrapped up in Colorado, one million spectators had lined the streets from Durango to Denver. It went down…
During Monday’s 200m sprint in the Paralympics, South African favorite Oscar Pistorius lost. The three-time gold medal winner in Beijing and the feel-good story of the 2012 London Olympics blew out of the blocks but was passed in dramatic fashion after the turn.
Lance Armstrong has always denied Mike Anderson’s claim that he broke his word on a business deal, and that Anderson saw and heard evidence indicating that Armstrong was using performance-enhancing drugs. His lawyer, Mark Fabiani, sent this response to Anderson's allegations.
Our best writing on doping in sports, USADA, and Lance Armstrong's battle against his accusers
Photo: Peter Morning/Mammoth Mountain Before Southern California downhiller Aaron Gwin won the World Cup Overall last year, no American mountain biker had ever earned that title. Then 23 and racing in only his third season…
Meaghen Brown is in France, reporting from one of the world's most grueling footraces
Over the course of their careers, Chris Sharma and Adam Ondra have both been able to lay claim to the title of world's strongest sport climber. But watch this engaging clip from Sender Films' and Big UP Productions' La Dura Dura, and you can see that's about where the…
When’s the best time to use a foam roller, before or after a workout?
Increasingly, race organizers are testing non-elite athletes for performance-enhancing drugs. But is it fair, or even possible, to hold amateurs to the same stringent standards as the pros?
Lance Armstrong. Photo: Oddne Rasmussen/Flickr On Thursday night, Lance Armstrong chose not to enter into an arbitration process that would pit him against the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, saying he's grown…
Ashima on Steady Plums Direct. Photo: 27crags Last we heard from fifth-grade climbing wunderkind Ashima Shiraishi, she was fresh off a spring bouldering trip to Hueco Tanks, Texas, and getting some serious press. The New York Times gave her front-page sports coverage (and…
The U.S. men's soccer team made history against Mexico last night. But what makes one win so impressive?
David Hill thought he was joining a bookstore-sponsored basketball league in Brooklyn, but it turned out to be a lot more than just thick-framed glasses and set shots
A fundraising trip in Tigray, Ethiopia, next February gives 14 runners the chance to train with some of the world’s greatest runners—and help restore sight to more than 1,000 locals
At work. Photo: Quiksilver This past July, 24-year-old Australian Stephanie Gilmore clinched her fifth world title when she won the Roxy Pro Biarritz, the penultimate ASP event of the year. The victory signaled a…
Photo: Srineet/Flickr It is common knowledge at this point that the United States of America is the greatest country in the world, which was verified after the Americans won the Olympics. (104 medals, 46 golds, y'all.) Other perks for winning the Olympics: ownership of the sun,…
One of the most decorated swimmers talks about life in the two decades since she won four medals at the 1992 Barcelona Games
Photo: sam_churchill/Flickr The five things you should know if you were only going to know five things about the final weekend at the Olympics. 1. Jamaica’s 4x100m relay team ran around a track in less than 37 seconds, winning the gold medal and…
There's a reason you haven't heard of Dawn Harper or Kellie Wells, and it has something to do with the color of their skin
Photo: Gary Bembridge/Wikimedia Commons Like the rest of the world, I’ve been obsessed with the Olympics these past two weeks. I’m a sucker for stories of human will and triumph, and the London Summer Games, like all Games, don’t disappoint. Sure, the time-delay sucks and you…
Photo: markhillary/Flickr The five things you should know if you were only going to know five things about yesterday at the Olympics. 1. Usain Bolt won gold in the 200m, repeating his sweep of the Olympic sprint races because of course he did that. No…
Photo: ianpatterson99/Flickr Everything you need to know about tonight's Olympic primetime coverage—without knowing what actually happened. MEN’S POLE VAULTAs with all throwing events, you don’t really have a choice whether or not you want to watch this. It actually ends up being a pretty…
The Wiggins-Froome show on the Champs Élysées. Photo: Wyll Photographie/Flickr Bradley Wiggins can seem to do no wrong. First came his ridiculously successful season, with wins at Paris-Nice, the Tour de Romandie, and the Dauphiné Libéré…
Photo: Erik van Leeuwen/Wikimedia Commons The five things you should know if you were only going to know five things about yesterday at the Olympics. 1. The U.S. moved back ahead of China in the medal standings, currently leading the way with 82 medals compared to…
Photo: Erik van Leeuwen/Wikimedia Commons Everything you need to know about tonight’s Olympic primetime coverage—without knowing what actually happened. WOMEN’S 10M PLATFORMThe Chinese diving team will be looking to bounce back from yesterday’s “disappointing” silver medal in the men’s 3m springboard competition. As is always…
Photo: Erik van Leeuwen/Wikimedia Commons The five things you should know if you were only going to know five things about yesterday at the Olympics. 1. Artistic gymnastics is over. The U.S.—men and women, combined—leaves with six total medals and three golds. China finished with the…
The first big Olympic news to come out on Instagram? Well, a photo revealed that Michael Phelps' girlfriend is a 20-something blonde bombshell. Aside from that shocker, there are other photos that reveal personal details about the athletes. A lot of the…
Photo: tommarsh/Flickr Everything you need to know about tonight's Olympic primetime coverage—without knowing what actually happened. WOMEN’S LONG JUMPThe last American to win this event was Jackie Joyner-Kersee in 1988. Brittney Reese will be looking to change that, as she’s the favorite heading into the…
The world's best gymnast is a 16-year-old African American. Shani Hilton explains just what that means.
In triathlon, where training volume can make it impossible to hold down another job, Olympic hopefuls often live with parents or sleep on friends’ couches, struggling to make ends meet
Meb Keflezighi shut up his doubters in January when he came back from an injury to win the 2012 Olympic Marathon Trials. Here are the songs he's using to get ready for the big race.
Photo: Us Mission Canada/Wikimedia Commons The five things you should know if you were only going to know five things about yesterday at the Olympics. 1. While last night might’ve been the most boring primetime night thus far in London, the U.S. and Canada women’s soccer…
Photo: ianpatterson99/Flickr Everything you need to know about tonight's Olympic primetime coverage—without knowing what actually happened. MEN’S PARALLEL BARSFeng Zhe of China comes in as the favorite. He’s the 2010 world champion and will be expecting to win his second gold after a first-place finish…
Photo: ianpatterson99/Flickr Everything you need to know about tonight's Olympic primetime coverage—without knowing what actually happened. MEN’S RINGS China’s Chen Yibeng comes into the event as the overwhelming favorite. In addition to winning rings gold in Beijing—with what’s maybe one of the best rings routines…
The more we hear from Bradley Wiggins, the more we like him. At a press conference following his historic gold medal in the Olympic time trial yesterday, the 32-year-old Brit downplayed his achievements and vowed that newfound notoriety won't go to his head. Since July, the 32-year-old cyclist has become the…
Testing out the kid-friendly SlackRack. Photo: Gibbon Slacklines With their low center of gravity and natural ability to live fearlessly in the present, most kids are quick studies on the slackline. Just look at 14-year-old Alex Mason, who won the inaugural slackline competition…
Vino (third from left) made all the right moves in London. Photo: Greenwich Photography. The road portion of the Olympic cycling events have wrapped with the conclusion of both the men's and women's time trials. And though results were unsurprising,…
Guor pointing to the flag of South Sudan Photo: Courtesy of Guor Marial Guor Marial has no idea how many interviews he’s done in the last two weeks, but he knows it’s a lot. He is doing them to make sure people are familiar with his…
The goal: cover 15 mountains in fewer than four days and 11 hours. If Sean O'Rourke succeeds, he'll hold the record for the fastest ascent of California's 14ers.
Sitting for three or more hours a day can take years off of your life. When you're active, you won't lose years, but an occasional bump, bruise or sprain can keep you off your bike, out of your running shoes or off the slopes.
Every Olympic year, a slew of newspapers, magazines, and websites put out photos of scantily clad or completely nude Olympians. ϳԹ did it this year with pictures of Lolo Jones by Robert Maxwell and Trey Hardee by…
Ben Sutherland The five things you should know if you were only going to know five things about yesterday at the Olympics. 1. We’re maybe seeing the beginning of the career of the greatest female swimmer ever. Or, according to others, we’re seeing a 16-year-old on…
Photo: marcopako /Flickr Everything you need to know about tonight's Olympic primetime coverage—without knowing what actually happened. WOMEN'S TEAM GYMNASTICSThe U.S. women come in looking for their first team gold since 1996’s “Magnificent Seven.” Can they become the—sorry Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard,…
For whatever reason, NBC is refusing to show the majority its primetime-scheduled Olympic events live. Well, they're showing them on their hitch-ridden, computer-crashing website, but they're not playing most of the marquee events when they happen. Maybe it's working (numbers are on a record pace) or maybe it's just…
Matt From London/Flickr The 2012 Olympics kicked off on Saturday—if you don't count soccer, which you should—and a lot of things happened. It's not easy to keep up with it all, especially since NBC's streams have been especially screwy, so here are the…
https://youtube.com/watch?v=V0roSxMKeBM The men's road race is one of the first events following Friday night's Olympic Opening Ceremony, and it presents Great Britain with one of its best chances at a medal. Four of the five racers on the British team racked up a total of seven stage wins at this…
This might be the ultimate, unsanctioned, impromptu charity ride. This Saturday, July 28, for the second year running, Liquigas-Cannondale racer Ted King and 2009 U.S. Cyclocross National Champ Tim Johnson will undertake a low-key fundraiser ride. The event will raise money for the Colorado Red Cross in the wake of the…
Photo: Shimano/Cor Vos The Tour de France fizzled to a finish on Sunday, and for the first time in a decade I scarcely cared. That's because watching this Tour was as interesting as watching Lance Armstrong's U.S. Postal/Discovery machine dismantle the race for seven straight years.
The goal: Cover 15 mountains in six days. If Crawford succeeds, she'll hold the record for the fastest female ascent of California's 14ers
This year's Tour de France has been anemic, at best. I mean, the most fascinating story line was the rivalry between Sky's leader Bradley Wiggins and his first lieutenant—and likely the stronger rider—Chris Froome, and in the end it was a drama…
These three athletes are guinea pigs for the latest in athletic science
Height is a distinct advantage in the high jump: tall guys don’t have to put as much air between their feet and the ground to get their center of mass over the seven-plus-foot bar. Which is why it’s astonishing that North Carolina native Jesse Williams, 28, is the reigning world champ. At six feet, he’s at least four inches shorter than most of his competition.
Sagan roars to a narrow victory on Stage Six. In a Tour de France that has thus far been mostly ho-hum because of Team Sky's insipid domination, Peter Sagan, the Liquigas-Cannondale prodigy, has breathed some life into the race. In just…
Lolo Jones Photo: Screenshot of Twitter.com/LoloJones This is the social media Olympics. At least, such are the rumblings all over Facebook and Twitter. Fans and followers have exploded since the 2008 Games. Twitter has jumped from…
“You might even live if you fell off of it,” says Squamish pioneer Perry Beckham. But that doesn't make this gorgeously-edited film of 25-year-old Canadian climber Will Stanhope free-soloing British Columbia's Zombie Roof (5.12d) any less gripping to watch. While the tone of the video is more soulful than…
Women's cycling is neglected throughout the year. But every Olympic season, our interest in most women's sports peaks—only to quickly wane. With Americans set to compete for gold in London and new races on the horizon, is it finally women's cycling's time?
Maybe you've never heard of Lucky Chance—born Toby Benham—but the Australian climber, circus act, and all-around stunt monkey was testing the limits of BASE jumping in 2011 when he survived a horrible mountainside crash in France. What happens when a highflier falls to earth? He starts over—no matter how daunting the prospect.
By Elizabeth Eilers Sullivan A few weeks ago, I had the treat of hearing ultramarathoner and author of the bestselling new book Eat & Run, Scott Jurek, speak in Wayzata, Minnesota, when he came through on his sold-out book tour. Because he happened to…
The embattled cyclist says USADA is out to get him—using powers that it really shouldn’t have. Brian Alexander says he’s right.
How Brother Colm O'Connell became the guru of Kenyan running
For better and (only sometimes) worse, elite athletes are our role models. We admire their discipline and commitment; their strength and skill inspire us to reach higher in our own lives. When I talked to alpinist Hilaree O'Neill last month by cell phone from Everest Base Camp,…
The Olympian on beating Bolt and how he came back from his doping ban
The renowned actor and his son talk to ϳԹ about the fight to bring back the Colorado
After a tough week of deliberations, World Triathlon CEO Andrew Messick explains his decision to keep the seven-time Tour de France winner from competing
Alex Honnold takes a practice run up El Cap. Photo: Tom Evans/El Cap Report Alex Honnold and Hans Florine set a new speed record on the Nose of El Capitan on Sunday, climbing the 2,900-foot face in 2:23:51.
