Heads up! The big Garmin annual spring sale has started, with $200 off the Fenix 8 (first sale to date!), $100 off the Edge 1050, Forerunner 965 at $499, the Forerunner 265, the new Instinct 3, and countless other Garmin products including inReach Mini 2. Plus the Apple Watch Ultra 2 Black Titanium is on sale, and some Suunto & Wahoo product deals too. Full list & thoughts here!
I’m DC RAINMAKER…
Here’s how to save!
Wanna save some cash and support the site? These companies help support the site! With Backcountry.com or Competitive Cyclist with either the coupon code DCRAINMAKER for first time users saving 15% on applicable products.
You can also pick-up tons of gear at REI via these links, which is a long-time supporter as well:
Alternatively, for everything else on the planet, simply buy your goods from Amazon via the link below and I get a tiny bit back as an Amazon Associate. No cost to you, easy as pie!
You can use the above link for any Amazon country and it (should) automatically redirect to your local Amazon site.
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Check out my weekly podcast - with DesFit, which is packed with both gadget and non-gadget goodness!
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5 Easy Steps To The Site
1
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.
2
Read My Sports Gadget Recommendations.
Here’s my most recent GPS watch guide here, and cycling GPS computers here. Plus there are smart trainers here, all in these guides cover almost every category of sports gadgets out there. Looking for the equipment I use day-to-day? I also just put together my complete ‘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!
3
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.
4
My Photography Gear: The Cameras/Drones/Action Cams I Use Daily
The most common question I receive outside of the “what’s the best GPS watch for me” variant, are photography-esq based. So in efforts to combat the amount of emails I need to sort through on a daily basis, I’ve complied this “My Photography Gear” post for your curious minds (including drones & action cams!)! It’s a nice break from the day-to-day sports-tech talk, and I hope you get something out of it!
5
The Swim/Bike/Run Gear I Use List
Many readers stumble into my website in search of information on the latest and greatest sports tech products. But at the end of the day, you might just be wondering “What does Ray use when not testing new products?”. So here is the most up to date list of products I like and fit the bill for me and my training needs best! DC Rainmaker 2024 swim, bike, run, and general gear list. But wait, are you a female and feel like these things might not apply to you? If that’s the case (but certainly not saying my choices aren’t good for women), and you just want to see a different gear junkies “picks”, check out The Girl’s Gear Guide too.
No cycling plans this weekend. Lots of running, though.
1:10 ride with a bunch of all-out 2-minute intervals.
Look at my bike, decide it’s probably too cold to go outside and I don’t want to change out my trainer tire, then do a 30-minute GCN workout from Youtube
I plan to do my TrainerRoad workout this weekend.
Biking a bit on a rail-trail on Saturday with the kids; might check out a small moutain bike park.
Riding 30 miles on rural highway with a friend on Sunday.
Biking is finally becoming more accessible in my area!
Did my first outside ride of 2017 this morning! Sunday is the start of the season for our club, so perhaps I add my 2nd outside ride then… Otherwise it’s just trainerroad for me this weekend
Long Run Saturday, Four Hour Ride Sunday…. oh the humanity.
5k parkrun satuday them long bike sunday
Since the weather is turning bad here I will have to suffer on the turbo trainer again this weekend!
First race in the season for me in the UK. 23 mile time trial with a nasty 17% hill at the end. Basically a kill climb with an out and back first. !
Weather permitting, I hope to get in a few 40+ mile rides in. It’s the best time of the year around here for riding.
An easy longer (90+ km) group ride on Saturday. Flat with a few short climbs of up to 2 km. Knowing my cycling friends, I don’t really believe in the easy part…
Depending on the weather on Sunday, I might go skiing or do an interval Zwift session.
try to reach my first 100km of 2017!
Hopefully we’ll get a 20-40 mile ride in on Saturday morning.
I am heading to Solvang, CA this weekend for an early season tri camp. SUnday we are planning 80 miles with lots of climbing. And thank you.
Saturday: 3x(12@98% + 3) on Zwift. Sunday: Zwift, watching Vasaloppet from start to first lady cross the finish line (approx 4:30 hrs).
My plans involve a combination on/off road ride in the Santa Cruz mountains.
I’ll be spending the weekend cleaning and testing gearing on both my road and mountain bikes.
saturday riding in sunny spain !
I plan to begin my training session for the tour de lou at the end of april. I have a new kestrel ultegra
Going out for the first outdoor ride of the season with the kids.
63 mile charity ride.
With forecast of around -20 celcius… it’s Zwift time! Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon.
Down week for my 70.3 training, so just planning to enjoy the ride
Easy 45 mins Saturday and Indoor triathlon Sunday (just 12.5K bike). Thanks!!
A power meter! Just what my bike has been asking me for…
The weather in Denver is supposed to be around 60 tomorrow, so I plan to take her out for the first spin of 2017–probably 30 to 40 mi or so. There may or may not be a brewery involved as well.
Thanks Ray, and Clever Training!
Its still to cold for outside rides for me in sweden so i will be zwifting :-)
Probably infront of a TV thats showing Vasaloppet on sunday.
The plan is to find one of the very few hills in the Netherlands to do some hill repeats…. under the rain!
Inside on Saturday and maybe outside on Sunday if it warms up.
Flipping a new tire on the bike and a new ant+/bt s/c sensor as well. should be fun!
Well – was anticipating getting outside on the bike this weekend due to the nice warm weather we have been having in the northeast of the US – but alas looks like it will be in the single digits F so might have to wuss out and do an indoor workout
I’m going to do a few sessions on the trainer indoors, as it’s supposed to be cold outside!
I am going to have a fun little spin around on Zwift for about 90 minutes or so on Saturday and see where it takes me as this is a low intensity week for me.
I will be racing a Fat bike race up here in sunny Leadville Colorado.
Brick – 4 hour bike and 1 run
I will ride zwift new volcano roadp
Wet weather expected ahead, short hilly rides over the weekend with a jog after each ride.
Next week I’ll start a tour from Munich to Copenhagen, 1250km in 7 days. So I guess this weekend will be pretty lightweight on the legs :-)
200+km
I will do a light 1 hour trainer session on Saturday, and on Sunday evening a big team training at the PowerWatts Nord studio – that one will hurt!
Virtual ride on 100 km of beautiful scenery video climbing.
TrainerRoad on Saturday, fun outside ride on Sunday
1hour bike hour run
Just and easy ride planned for Sunday – nothing special, just trying to maintain some base mileage.
Plan to do a couple hours of Zwift this weekend to prepare for an indoor 5-hour spinathon next weekend! May try to record a time in the current round of the ZwiftBlog Strava Smackdown.
Plan an 1.5hr Trainer road ride
and a XC ski with the family
3h bike + 14k running
Cyclingplans ? ..waiting for my friend to return from his cycling trip …
A nice 50 mile ride on the Army post I work on, great since there is no traffic on weekends.
You need to drink wine more often when typing up your giveaways!
Still a bit too cold around here for outdoor riding this weekend. I will be on my Wahoo trainer doing TrainerRoad workouts. Thanks for all your helpful reviews!
Watching out of the window and wait for better weather :/
It’s been cold and windy in Connecticut. I took the road bike out yesterday and got all bundled up. Hoping to get in some more riding in this weekend to prepare for the Lime Rock crit in 2 months. The crazy winds mean half my ride is spent at 12mph on the flats and the other half is spent getting Strava PRs on every segment.
Maybe a short ride over the weekend but I am training for a half marathon and I have an 8 mile tempo run today and an 8 mile long run Sunday, so not sure a ride is going to happen. It is my birthday tomorrow so having a little birthday fun is definitely on the agenda.
I have a PMA test session planned on saturday morning on my home trainer.
But on sunday it will be my first bib of the year with a cross country skiing race : la traversée du massacre
60K Saturday, 122K Sunday, 36 celsius temperature over these roads…
No more cycling until I win one of these incredibly frustrating giveaways…
No biking for me this weekend but I will be performing with my Bachata (latin dance) team.
If the weather holds I’ll join my regular group for a century ride on Saturday and hit up a 60 miler on Sunday morning.
Training for a half marathon at the end of the month, so cycling is limited to “recreation”. Will try to get in 40-50 hilly miles. Rain predicted.
Long rides on the trainer (zwift)!
I did some careful stretching exercises, trying to rehab my back from a weightlifting injury. I want to be ready to ride soon.
20kms on Sunday: Duatlo of Famalicão-Portugal.
Hard Sufferfest session on the trainer Saturday afternoon and a more mellow Zwift session on Sunday.
Phoenix – TrainerRoad in the cave!
High cadence 20-miler round and round the prospect park loop
… Fat Bike run this weekend by -15 C…
Don’t plan on riding due to cold temps, but I do plan on shopping for a new road bike at the LBS.
Hopefully a 3 hour-ish ride on Saturday.
– 17C degrees, feeling like -28C this week-end in Montreal.
I guess a little bit too cold for any ride ;-)
Stomach training for me then: cheese raclette & pancakes!
I will probably do a TrainerRoad session on Saturday (but my legs are still hurting from this morning’s), followed by a gentle outdoor ride on Sunday if the weather allows.
Few hours in the basement grinding away and catching up on a few shows… Should be fun.
2hrs30 on Saturday. Might be on the trainer as it’s supposed to be only 40 degrees here in Richmond.
Zwift for me, since the weather is still somewhat horrible..
Trainingscamp at mallorca
Hoping for ride through Rock Creek Park and/or CCT in the DC area.
Four hours on Saturday and more on Sunday if it’s not too cold.
Interval on Saturday and easy ride on Sunday
Cold front coming through here this weekend, so I’ll be on the indoor trainer.
Long ride Saturday that finishes at a great coffee shop that caters to cyclists. Discounts for wearing a helmet are a beautiful thing.
Something easy both days.
Weekend at the beach, no Cycling just a bit of running in the sand.
Getting be bike out for a long overdue clean and then plan a ride for next weekend
I plan on getting my bike up out of the basement, dusting it off and setting up the trainer on the screened-in porch so I can start cutting some weight as I prepare for a running race in DC.
Ride trainer and watch the races
2 hours of Zwifting is my cycling plan for the weekend. Thanks for the giveaway!
Planning moderate length ride Saturday and a sufferfest ride Sunday (forecast to Rain here).
I haven’t yet, since it’s Friday; but I plan to do some light cycling on the trainer to augment my half-marathon training
So cool thanks!
Getting out on the mountain bike trails now that the snows melted! Nice break from the indoor training sessions!
IM70.3NZ today so i guess there will be a bit of a ride to warmup for the run ;) probably no riding on sunday!
Hill climb training…getting ready for French Alps in July
Riding up Mt Baldy
Just some light riding on the trainer. Once I have the power meter, though…
I’ll probably drink too much Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ale beer from New Belgium Brewing tonight than try to burn it off by riding the new volcano climb on Zwift a few times on Saturday morning….
Some Zwifting on Saturday
Gonna prepare my bike for the first cycling training this year!
Planning for an organized cycling event and teaching a group riding class.
just headed out for a spin.
Firstly I need some nice weather. Then we can talk about real cycling. Otherwise it will just be indoor.
My shin is busted, so I can’t run right now. Instead I’m going to do two trainer rides over the weekend because it’ll be raining both days.
This weekend is beginning to look a lot like a drizzly 30 mile ride from home!