I’m DC RAINMAKER…
I swim, bike and run. Then, I come here and write about my adventures. It’s as simple as that. Most of the time. If you’re new around these parts, here’s the long version of my story.

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UK based here! Canada! Germany! France! Spain! Italy!
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Ray Elsewhere
Did you know I write a weekly column over on Slowtwitch?
Check out my Product/Electronics posts in Ray’s Sports Electronics Mailbag - they are packed full of gadget goodness.
FAQ’s
I have built an extensive list of my most frequently asked questions. Below are the most popular.
- Will you test our product before release?
- Are you willing to review or test beta products?
- Which trainer should I buy?
- Which GPS watch should I buy?
- I’m headed to Paris – what do you recommend for training or sightseeing?
- I’m headed to Washington DC – what do you recommend for training?
- I’m from out of the country and will be visiting the US, what’s the best triathlon shop in city XYZ?
- What kind of camera do you use?
- What are your least favorite countries/places?
- What are you favorite countries/places?
Follow me on Twitter
- RT @NathanPeterHaas: The incredible scene from our finish line today.This giro is challenging, but when I get a second to look, beautiful h… #, 10 hours ago
- @dbess340 Yeah, I'd just go and get what's out there today. I think SRM is overpriced at this point, hence why I'd go PT/Quarq/P2M/Stages. #, 13 hours ago
- @mikeportman Haha...beautiful place! And with an awesome track right there too! #, 13 hours ago
- @dbess340 The Quarq, Power2Max both do. Albeit estimated. But there's virtually no training benefit today. #, 13 hours ago
- @dbess340 They do not at this time. #, 13 hours ago
- @dbess340 SRM is certainly quite good. But pricey. #, 13 hours ago
- And just like that...back at the airport ready for my next flight. A perfect way to spend a layover. #, 13 hours ago
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5 Easy Steps To The Site
In Depth Product Reviews
You probably stumbled upon here looking for a review of a sports gadget. If you’re trying to decide which unit to buy – check out my in-depth reviews section. Some reviews are over 60 pages long when printed out, with hundreds of photos! I aim to leave no stone unturned.
Read My GPS Recommendations.
Here’s my most recent gadget recommendations guide (2012) – covering almost every category of sports gadgets out there. Looking for the equipment I use day to day? I also just put together my complete 2012 ‘Gear I Use’ equipment list, from swim to bike to run and everything in between (plus a few extra things). And to compliment that, here’s The Girl’s (my wife’s) list. Enjoy, and thanks for stopping by!
Understand technology and sport in the How-To Guides.
I enjoy explaining new things to folks – especially showing people how to get the most from their gadgets. Here’s an ongoing list of “How to” guides.
Read my Top 25 most useful posts.
It turns our I’ve written a fair bit of stuff over the past few years – and after it disappears from my front page, a lot of it never really sees the light of day again without Google’ing skillz. Or a photographic memory…which I don’t have. I’ve taken a look back and found stuff that…continues to find a trickle of readers via web searches or forum links.
Have some fun in the travel section.
I travel a fair bit, both for work and for fun. Here’s a bunch of random trip reports and daily trip-logs that I’ve put together and posted. I’ve sorted it all by world geography, in an attempt to make it easy to figure out where I’ve been.
Monthly Archives: March 2011
This day in…the past three years.
Think of this as a mini-time capsule. Like a buried treasure map leading to an infinite amount of knowledge. Each of the items I linked to has either plenty of entertainment or totally useful information (or even both!). And while … Read More Here
The Art of Pacing with a Garmin
One of the primary reasons you’d buy a training device like a Garmin Forerunner or similar would be to allow you to pace more effectively, whether that be in training or racing. While most folks understand that once you turn … Read More Here
Forerunner 310XT Giveaway Winner!
Thanks all for the awesome entries in the FR310XT giveaway. There’s literally over a thousand hilarious stories in there. Everything from folks running over into a canal while watching ‘cute girls’, to endless cycling dismount failures, to quality time spent … Read More Here
A look at the 2011 Multisport Expo in Washington DC
Nestled in between all the craziness that was this weekend (racing a half-marathon, then baking 17 dozen cupcakes for a competition, and finally supporting The Girl in her triathlon cake domination), I had a chance to sneak out to the … Read More Here
National Half-Marathon Race (Pace) Report
You know what’s the nice part about a running race? You don’t have a massive pile of junk that you have to setup anywhere. It’s really rather simple actually. You’ve got shoes, shorts, top and a race chip. Perhaps you … Read More Here
Week in Review–March 26th, 2011
I’ve long since wondered what to do with all the random tidbits of things I collect each week – or the little thoughts that don’t quite make for a full post. But I finally came up with a solution: The … Read More Here
This weekend: Race Pacing & Cake Competitions
Quick side note: If you haven’t had a chance to either enter the FR310XT giveaway, or at least read the various ‘Funny training stories’ entrants, definitely take a moment and do some browsing (or entering). Some hilarious stories in there … Read More Here
Garmin Forerunner 310XT Giveaway
Because it’s almost Cherry Blossom time here in DC (one more week!). Because you’re probably contemplating getting back outdoors for workouts (except you lucky fools in Hawaii, you don’t count). Because it’s pretty…and maybe just a little bit because you … Read More Here
The Swim Watch Battle: FINIS Swimsense vs. Swimovate Pool-Mate Pro
Ever since I reviewed the FINIS Swimsense and the Swimovate Pool-Mate Pro a few months ago, there’s been significant interest in understanding how the two devices compare. The two watches aim to solidify themselves in the still young market of … Read More Here
One week: So many cool new things
The next few weeks are going to be rather busy in the sports technology world (remember my 2011 predictions?). There’s a ton of companies either announcing new products, major changes to existing products, or new services. While both these companies … Read More Here
Flight, Run, Soccer, Bike…oh, and tailgate.
A busy weekend was in store…but first, I had to get myself home from a brief 24 hours in Charlotte. Actually, I think it was more like 22 hours to be exact. Either way, a 45 minute flight is so … Read More Here
Week in Review–March 20th, 2011
I’ve long since wondered what to do with all the random tidbits of things I collect each week – or the little thoughts that don’t quite make for a full post. But I finally came up with a solution: The … Read More Here
Sport Tracks adds Zeo Support and Training Analysis
I like seeing integration between hardware and software companies. It allows all of us to access our data in ways that the hardware vendor may not have originally envisioned. One of these days I’ll write up a post on the … Read More Here
Bikes of India: A review in astounding cyclery
Back in November and December during a few different trips to India I took quite a few photos of cyclists. Now, if you remember some of my previous posts about things that occurred on the roadways of India, than you … Read More Here
Results of the 2011 DCRainmaker Survey
You may remember back in January I asked you to complete a brief survey about what you wanted from my little place on the internet. At the time, I didn’t quite know what to expect when I put it out … Read More Here
Spring meets DC, and I meet the 1980’s.
The last few days have been a great preview into spring weather around the nation’s capital. The weather has been nice and warm, all while still being cool enough to not finish up runs/rides drenched from the heat/humidity. Additionally, my … Read More Here
Week in Review: March 12th, 2011
I’ve long since wondered what to do with all the random tidbits of things I collect each week – or the little thoughts that don’t quite make for a full post. But I finally came up with a solution: The … Read More Here
A brief update pictorial on Polar’s upcoming Keo power meter
For a quick Friday post I want to focus your attention towards a group of photos released by Polar on their FaceBook page on Thursday. These are the first photos showing their new pedal-based power meter that they previously announced … Read More Here
Analyzing your swim technique in the pool with the GoPro HD
As part of my never ending quest to improve my swim from not-so-great to ‘better’, I’ve been recently playing around with the waterproof GoPro HD camera in the pool. This allows me to record video of my swimming (as well … Read More Here
15 Must-Read Posts For New (And Vintage) Triathletes
It’s that time of year. I noticed it tonight when I finished up my first brick-run of the season: The fake cherry tree on the side of my house had just started blooming. It’s not a real cherry tree per … Read More Here
Going old school: Using a bike trainer from 1976
As I’ve mentioned in the past, I have an eBay alert setup for any time the word ‘CompuTrainer’ is listed within a description on eBay. While I’m not really in the market for a 3rd CompuTrainer, I’m always entertained by … Read More Here
Swimming through the registry
This weekend was a pretty big hodgepodge of activities. I covered all the usual sports, and a few other activities that with careful regulation – could probably be categorized as sport. First up was a Friday evening swim. I’ve been … Read More Here
Umpteen ways to measure your heart rate
For reasons unclear to me, this week has turned out to be the week of heart rate related devices plopping onto my doorstep. So let’s rundown a quick preview of stuff I’ll be posting more in depth over the next … Read More Here
How I train, upload and get analysis from my Coach
I’ll admit it upfront – I’m really lucky. Or rather, I’m really lucky to have a coach who’s so incredibly detail oriented that he’s thrilled to pour through whatever I upload – be it data files, text commentary, or photos … Read More Here
The lost photos archive
Over the last few weeks my cell phone has been acting a wee bit slow when I go to take photos. After a bit of searching I found that it may be because I have too many photos on it. … Read More Here


















