Spring Sprung in San Remo

Milan-San Remo, La primavera, spring in Italian.

Traditionally, this is a long and boring 174 miles cycling race with a short climax in the last 10 miles, on the slopes of the Poggio.

Those reaching the top of the Poggio with 10 seconds gap, have a winning chance to survive the descent and final kilometers in the streets of San Remo.

Today’s race was different and much more entertaining. It was the most exciting Milan-San Remo in years.

The fireworks started on La Cipressa with an attack by the UAE team: Tim Wellens, Jhonatan Narvaez, and finally Tadej Pogacar himself. Only Mathieu van der Poel and Filippo Ganna could follow Pogacar.

In his aggressive riding style, Pogacar unleashed a barrage of attacks on the final climb, the Poggio. Yet, he could not shake Mathieu. And at the end “big M” even countered. Ganna wasn’t far behind. It was a beautiful spectacle! The three would eventually sprint for the victory on the via Roma: 1. Mathieu, 2. Filippo, 3. Tadej.

What did I like about today’s race?

1. The traditional script was torn up.
2. Mathieu can give Pogacar a run for his money. It went back and forth. We’ll see different tactics in the future, including for the sprint. The outcome is not predictable. The coming races will be very interesting.
3. The race is more than a battle between 2 super-cyclists. Mille Grazie Filippo.

March 22, 2025

Siri Is Cooked; Chat Needs a Catchy Name.

Many podcasts recently have been covering the delay in the release of a better Siri or a magical Apple Intelligence.

Apple’s Siri-ous Problem - Hardfork
Has Apple Lost its Mojo? - Prof G Markets

I didn’t need to listen to a podcast, to wonder about the shift in how I interface with technology these days.

I didn’t need podcast pundits to tell me something’s shifted in how I interface with technology. These days, I find myself consulting Chat(GPT) or Gemini over doing a Google search. I talk more with Chat than with Siri — a technological relationship shift that happened almost without me noticing.

Siri

Siri Is for Simple Voice Commands to a Small Set of Applications

Siri, if it can decipher my accent, functions as a voice interface for various Apple applications.

Hey Siri, remind me when I get home, to prepare my gym bag for tomorrow.
Hey Siri, play me the Cure’s recent album.

It excels at these simple tasks, acting as a vocal doorway to your Reminders or Music app. But let’s be honest — it’s hardly seamless. It’s buggy and frustrating. Voice recognition technology has improved dramatically in recent years, making Siri’s current performance feel especially painful.

ChatGPT

Chat Brings a Partner in Crime

The Chat(GPT) voice interface shines in rich and dynamic conversations, while providing detailed outputs.

I will be rambling of a few things on my agenda today. I will call out some action items along the way. Please take note. At the end, I will ask you for a summary of the action items. Please provide them in a markdown format as follows: checkbox, #task, item.

Chat handles this prompt brilliantly. I can then copy/paste the output into my Obsidian todo list.

Chat’s Missing Link

The obvious missing piece is integration with native apps like Reminders. The last part of my prompt could have been:

… Please add them automatically into my Reminders application.

Chat currently lacks the ability to execute tasks on my computer or iPhone: e.g., make a phone call, add something to an iOS application, open up the map.

Oh, and it lacks a nice name.

Hey Scarlett or Hey Samantha, ;)

March 16, 2025

Strade Bianche 2025

This year’s Strade Bianche can be summarized in two bullet points:

• Tadej went looking for berries in the ditch, way too early in the season. Luckily his crash didn’t ruin his season, nor his chances to win this race. He “only” suffered a few scratches all over his body, a cut on his hand, and a ruined rainbow jersey kit.
• All it took was one attack on the Colle Pinzuto gravel sector to drop Tom Pidcock for the victory. Viva il re, Tadej!

With Tadej Pogacar in the peloton, professional men cycling has become boring.

He’s just too strong! - Wilfried Peeters (That quote was a decade ago in reference to Fabian Cancellara. It definitely applies now to Pogacar.)

If you want to see some excitement this year, look for Tadej and Mathieu in de Ronde van Vlaanderen, and when Tadej isn’t participating.

I doubt that Jonas Vinegaard and team Visma-Lease-a-bike can challenge the almighty UAE team and Tadej in the Tour de France. Also for Remco Evenepoel, the difference is big, with the new cannibal, a reference used for Tadej, to the goat, Eddy Merckx.

March 9, 2025

Australian Madman

In the world of cycling, there are all kinds of riders, each with their own special brand of suffering.

The cyclocrossers? They’re mud-slinging lunatics who treat an hour of high-intensity pain like a fun afternoon romp. The track racers? Imagine a caffeinated greyhound sprinting inside a wooden fishbowl—that’s them. Spring classic riders? These maniacs eat cobblestones for breakfast and consider freezing rain “ideal racing conditions.” Gravel racers? They’re the rock stars of cycling, riding on dirt and looking effortlessly cool while doing it (mullet preferred). The creme de la creme of the professional peloton are the skinny and tiny jockeys competing for the pink, yellow, or red GC jerseys of the grand tours, with Tadej as the leader of the pack.

And then, there is Lachlan Morton, graveler, king of rock, and and Australia’s cycling equivalent of Crocodile Dundee on two wheels.

The Great Southern Country, a documentary of Lachlan Morton’s Around Australia Record, showcases just how outrageously mad he really is. Four consecutive Tour de Frances? No problem. 400-600 kilometers per day? Light work. 12-16 hours on the bike, every. single. day. for 30 days? Absolutely bonkers.

If you ever think riding a stationary bike in the gym for an hour is tough and boring, just throw this on in the background and prepare to feel very, very soft.

March 9, 2025

Cycling Through Grit: Reflections on ‘Return of the King’

I just watched, while cycling on the trainer in the gym, Return of the King, the full 2024 season, a documentary series about Ted King.

Ted King used to be a professional cyclist, who last rode for the Cannondale-Garmin ProTeam in 2006. Fast forward a few years, a family with two kids, and other responsibilities. The series documents his journey as a gravel racer.

It’s a simple yet powerful story about the toughness of cycling and the determination it takes. Watching it was a great reminder that success isn’t just about winning, but about the journey and the grit. If you’re into cycling, this one’s worth a watch.

March 5, 2025

Fafo

Today, I learned a new term: FAFO, Fuck Around, Find Out. Actions have consequences.

The term recently came up in US politics. Interestingly, it was used on both sides of the isle. Seems lots of fucking around going there in Washington.

March 5, 2025

Safari, Not for Work

TL;DR - If you are using Google Workplace applications, then Safari isn’t for you. Duh!

My experiment to switch to Safari as my default browser at work failed.

The impetus for my experiment was two-fold:

1. I couldn’t figure out a problem¹ with Google Docs font size in a specific Google Chrome Profile.
2. Google Chrome reader mode is crap. I love Safari’s Reader mode.

I switched to Safari, set up two profiles (Personal, Work), and imported my bookmarks.

The first issue I ran into is that you cannot separate bookmarks per profile. That’s not a big deal as you can organize the bookmarks into two folders: Personal and Work. Yet, your favorites aren’t by profile.

There are a number of other nits such as a list-view of the open tabs. However there will always be differences in look and feel. It is just a matter of getting used to it.

I missed search-keywords. I use them frequently to search directly in Jira or in Google Drive.

The bigger issues why I cannot use Safari at work relate to Google Workplace. This is not a surprise, though I expected better from Google. There are a number of issues:

• I frequently needed to reload Google Docs as it got stuck.
• Some features are not supported in Safari, e.g., paste from Markdown.
• Google Meet backgrounds aren’t supported in Safari.
• Some Google Cloud features don’t work in Safari.

I kept running into one after another. If you are using Google Workplace, then Safari is not for you. Duh.

March 3, 2025

My AI-Trained Training Coach

Finding a sports medicine specialist is not easy. Similarly, matching a highly-rated and knowledgeable endurance coach is a lot of effort and not cheap. As my recent experience with a nutritionist validated, most often you get basic recommendations, that you can find with a little bit of reading.

Is There an Expert in the House?

I have been training for several years now. Mostly cycling, but also running, swimming, and lifting weights. I eat a pescatarian diet and stopped drinking alcohol more than 450 days ago. I focus on my sleep quality. I track several health and performance stats. My doctor confirms all bloodwork looks stellar. Scans and tests by cardiologist confirmed great heart health.

My results have been improving. I am getting stronger on my bicycle and I regularly break cycling PRs. In the pool, I am able to swim longer distances. I lift heavier weights.

Except, there is one nagging and stubborn health stat: my weight hasn’t budged a whole lot, at most 10 pounds.

My first idea was a lack of protein. Sure, it is always a bit of struggle to eat enough protein. Yet, there have been a number of studies that show my protein intake is within the range. The rule of thumb, 1g protein per pound of body weight, may be overkill.

My current thesis has been that I may be training wrong. I find it curious how my average heart rate on a long ride, 150bpm, is rather high, especially when compared to other riders. I have no problem riding in the 150-160bpm range for a long period. My cardiologist sees no issues with it either. I suspect my body is accustomed to training in zone 3 and above. Yet, this type of training, isn’t leverage my fat reserves and therefore not impacting my weight.

I find it difficult to “just pedal”. There is no mountain I am not attacking with a vengeance. On the long stretches, let’s put the hammer down. To be clear, all this effort is relative. I am far from anything resembling a fast amateur.

How can I get an expert to weigh in on this? After a few unsuccessful Google sessions to find a sports doctor or coach, the light bulb went off. Let’s try ChatGPT or Gemini.

Consulting a Different Kind of Expert

My best results have been discussing my challenge with ChatGPT. Here’s the prompt I used:

I am a 51 year old male. I am 5 feet 9 inches and weigh 188 lbs. I work out 5 times a week. On Saturday I do a 50+ mile cycle trip. During the week, I work out 1 hour per day and alternate: I swim 1000 yards per sessions, I lift weights for an hour, I do yoga, or indoor cycling. I may also cycle to work and back which is 11 miles one way. I eat a pescatarian diet and don’t drink alcohol. 75% of my meals are home made. As a sport medicine specialist and endurance coach, ask me questions to figure out why I am not loosing weight. Ask me other workout or health stats. Ask me one question at a time. Feel free to follow up on previous answers.

The result was a long conversation about my habits, my health and performance stats, my food, and even a grocery shopping list.

ChatGPT asked me several questions throughout:

• Let’s start with your daily caloric intake. On average, how many calories do you consume per day, and do you track macros (protein, carbs, fats)?
• Have you measured your RMR/BMR before, or noticed signs of slowed metabolism?
• How intense are your workouts, particularly cycling and weightlifting?
• Does this match how you feel after your rides? Do you feel depleted, strong, or unusually hungry afterward?
• What do you eat after your ride, and when do you have your first meal after a long ride?

It identified two issues: my workouts are too intense and poor post-ride energy compensation.

My post-ride nutrition is primarily fast-digesting carbs with little protein. This is great for quick glycogen replenishment, but it doesn’t support muscle recovery and may lead to hunger spikes later.

What’s Likely Happening?

1. Blood Sugar Spikes & Crashes
   • Gummy bears + alcohol-free beer = quick energy spike, but no protein or fat to slow digestion → crash + hunger later
   • This can lead to higher calorie intake later in the day, even if it’s not tracked.
2. Muscle Recovery Isn’t Optimized
   • Post-workout protein is critical to preserve lean mass and promote fat loss.
   • Without enough protein (20-30g post-ride), your body may break down muscle instead of fat for fuel.
3. Subconscious Overcompensation
   • Even if you eat a “small” meal, your body will crave more calories later due to the intense ride and lack of balanced refueling.
   • This can lead to eating back your deficit over the next 24-48 hours.

It is very plausible.

Until now, my conversations with my doctor or a nutritionist never even got to this level of analysis.

My Action Plan for the Coming Weeks

ChatGPT suggestion the following action plan:

🔥 Your Action Plan for Fat Loss & Endurance Optimization

1️⃣ Post-Ride Nutrition Fix

• ✅ Eat 20-30g protein within 30-60 min after long rides
• ✅ Replace gummy bears & alcohol-free beer with a balanced meal:
  • Greek yogurt + fruit + nuts
  • Protein smoothie (whey/plant-based) + banana
  • Cottage cheese + honey + seeds
  • Scrambled eggs on whole-grain toast

2️⃣ Increase Daily Protein to 120-150g

• ✅ Eat protein-rich meals every day
• ✅ Include lean fish (cod, salmon, sardines, shrimp) and plant-based sources (chickpeas, lentils, eggs, Greek yogurt)

3️⃣ Adjust Cycling Training for Fat Loss

• ✅ Increase Zone 2 training (aim for 50-60% of ride time in Z2)
• ✅ Keep higher-intensity (Z4-Z5) in controlled intervals

4️⃣ Grocery Shopping List 🛒

• 🐟 Protein Sources (Low Mercury, High Protein)
  • ✅ Cod fillets (at least 2-4 servings)
  • ✅ Salmon (wild-caught) (fresh or frozen)
  • ✅ Sardines (canned in water or olive oil)
  • ✅ Shrimp (high-protein, low-fat)
  • ✅ Eggs (for variety & muscle repair)
  • ✅ Greek yogurt (plain, high-protein)
  • ✅ Cottage cheese
  • ✅ Tofu/Tempeh (if you want plant-based variety)
• 🥦 High-Fiber Carbs & Veggies
  • ✅ Quinoa or brown rice (to pair with protein)
  • ✅ Chickpeas & lentils (extra protein & fiber)
  • ✅ Leafy greens (spinach, arugula, bok choy)
  • ✅ Broccoli & bell peppers (high in nutrients)
• 🥑 Healthy Fats (For Balance & Satiety)
  • ✅ Avocados
  • ✅ Nuts (almonds, walnuts, pistachios)
  • ✅ Olive oil
  • ✅ Chia & flaxseeds (great in yogurt/smoothies)
• 🍓 Post-Workout & Snack Fixes
  • ✅ Bananas & berries (quick energy + vitamins)
  • ✅ Protein powder (whey or plant-based) (for quick post-workout recovery)
  • ✅ Whole-grain wraps or bread (for easy post-ride meals)
• 💡 Next Steps: 👉 Try this plan for 2-4 weeks and track:
  • ✅ Energy levels
  • ✅ Hunger & cravings
  • ✅ Weight & body composition changes

Let’s go!

March 1, 2025 alc2025

I Still Remember the Day of the Verdict

The Netflix four-part documentary series revisiting the 1994 murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman and the trial of O.J. Simpson is riveting.

When I moved to California in the mid-nineties, I landed smack in the middle of the trial.

O.J. Simpson was a big deal here, yet, he was largely unknown in Europe. Juice who? What’s a Heisman trophy? A Bronco is a car? Oh, the black guy in the Naked Gun movie. That was the extent of what I knew about O.J. Simpson.

I arrived in the summer of 1995 in California. The shock of the murders and the excitement of the white Bronco chase from 1994 was well behind us. Also, the novelty of being able to watch a trial from your couch had worn off. Among my friends, the trial had become background noise.

I barely watched anything about it. While I knew who Judge Ito and Johnnie Cochran were, the Kardashian last name didn’t mean anything to me until a decade later..

The trial and public attention shifted when LAPD’s Mark Fuhrman took the stand. For many, Fuhrman’s racist comments evoked memories of 1992 when LAPD officers beat Rodney King, which eventually resulted in the LA riots. Johnny Cochran knew Fuhrman had dealt him a winning hand.

That brings me to the day of the verdict. The jury reached a decision in record time, in less than a day. Not guilty!

I can still remember that October Tuesday in San Jose. The weather was warm. In the evening, my friends picked me up in a 70s Ford LTD convertible to go to downtown. Would there be celebrations? Would there be riots? They were prepared for everything: they were packing! It was one of the first time America’s gun culture hit me in the face. Young men and women don’t walk around with guns where I grew up.

I will always equate the verdict of OJ’s trail with my innocence shattered.

February 27, 2025

Execution Is a Dash, Planning and Project Management Is a Triathlon

Move fast and break things. Unless you break things, you aren’t moving fast enough.

Mark Zuckerberg’s adage gets thrown around all too quickly. There’s some truth to it—if you’re never breaking things, maybe you’re not taking enough risks. And without risk, there’s no innovation, and no profits.

But aspiring to break things can make us bad engineers. It leads to half-baked products, brittle code, and software that falls apart with the next update. Execution requires speed, but speed alone isn’t enough.

The Sprint Versus the Triathlon

Execution is a sprint—a dash to the next release, milestone, or customer. Speed matters.

But product development is an endurance sport. It is not about version 1. Version 1 is often the easiest product you will create. No customer-reported bugs. No requests for enhancements yet.

Like a triathlon, product development requires balance. A triathlon is about balancing your energy between three disciplines: swimming, cycling, and running.

Planning and managing a project works the same way. You balance between various aspects of the product: adding new features, maintaining the product and supporting existing customers, and evolving the development and deployment infrastructure. Optimizing one area while neglecting another will eventually hurt your product’s overall performance. Planning is finding that balance.

Training for the Long Game

It is important to include rest days and tapering periods in your endurance training schedule. The same is true in product development. Take time to reflect, conduct a retrospective, or allow the team to recharge between releases or sprints. Technical debt is like muscle fatigue - ignore it too long and you’ll face bigger problems.

Long endurance races demand preparation for changing conditions. Triathletes train in various weather scenarios—from choppy waters to sudden downpours while on the bike. They adapt.

The same is true for product development. The team needs to be ready and flexible to adapt to changing market conditions or competitor moves.

The product lifecycle shares many parallels with triathlon competition: equipment maintenance (infrastructure upkeep), understanding different terrain (market segments), nutrition plans (resource allocation), and mental training (team resilience).

While developers often feel they’re sprinting, product and project managers should approach building products like triathlon coaches—with an eye on both immediate performance and long-term endurance.

February 19, 2025