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
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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!
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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 2023 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.
Tag Archives: Cycling
101 Runs on the Wall
This weekend turned out to be pretty darn busy, lots of running, running around, and everything in between. It started early Saturday morning with a run with the Pacers group. The plan was 10 miles easy, but somewhere along the … Read More Here
A list of cool tri/running/cycling wallpapers
Back a bit ago I was stumbling around Garmin’s site trying to find something or other and I bumped into their nifty collection of wallpapers that you can download. From there I got curious and started poking around other companies … Read More Here
Someone left a floater
Due to a flip-flop in the weekly schedule of runs, both the Girl and I were in position to be able to enjoy a nice 10 mile run with our friends on Saturday morning. Normally the 10m run run occurs … Read More Here
A night with the Cervelo Technical Folk
Last Friday I got an invited to hang out with some folks from Cervelo for a night at the local tri shop (Bonzai) going through a fairly detailed technical presentation, primarily focused on aerodynamics of bikes. I happily accepted the … Read More Here
Time Trialing with the subway
Sunday night after I got home from New York City around 5PM I still had one minor item left to knock out…a 2hr and 45 minute ride. Now, I could do this indoor on the trainer – but I’m sick … Read More Here
Me and the clock…and cupcakes.
Let’s be honest, for any competitor, it’s all about the clock – even when racing against others, you’re still racing against the clock. But, over the past few months the clock has played a new role in my workouts – … Read More Here
Why I will not ‘Share the damn road’
Last week I got an e-mail from a group asking to ‘share links’. This is when one blog/site wants you to link to them, in exchange for them linking to you. These are somewhat common requests, and normally, I ignore … Read More Here
Snow and Stuff (or stuffed with snow)
The last two days have been pretty busy. Really busy. It was all about trying to fit in every possible last detail before heading out on a awesome series of trips. All while at the same time trying to fit … Read More Here
Running around
I’m starting (though semi-resisting) to get back into a rhythm. Albeit at the moment that may or may not include much time getting wet in the pool. But I do drive by it occasionally – that counts, right? Saturday morning … Read More Here
A look inside Lance Armstrong’s bike shop
While down in Austin this past week I had a chance to checkout Lance’s bike shop, which is called Mellow Jonny’s. Before I went I checked out the website – which honestly came off a bit over the top. They … Read More Here
Three sports…one training day
The day was labeled “Race Simulation” on my training calendar. And had it been a nice summer day with birds chirping, it might have been just dandy. But in reality, here’s what it looked like: Given the weather forecast was … Read More Here
Balls and Racks
Over the last month or so I’ve been toying with different methods to carry gel on my bike. While this may seem like a relatively straightforward concept – it turns out it’s really not. At least not once you consider … Read More Here
4 Hours
It’s funny, if you take a four hour workout and put it on a weekend, it really doesn’t seem so bad. Say from 9AM to 1PM – you’re done around lunch time, and you have the remainder of the day … Read More Here
The long..long road ahead
While the ride was technically scheduled at 118 miles – just two miles short of my all-time 120 mile high, the weather conditions forecasted made it clear it was going to be a long…long ride. Despite temperatures into the rather … Read More Here
Many, many, many miles of Cornfields
When I received my schedule earlier this week for the next few weeks, this little nugget was in the e-mail body: I thought to myself…hmm, what is this ‘Queenstown 120’ he speaks of. I have no such race by that … Read More Here
A Power Primer – Cycling with Power 101
If you watched any of the Tour de France this summer, you probably heard the commentators and on screen graphics showing ‘Watts’, and if you went ‘What?” – this this post is for you. As part of laying the groundwork … Read More Here
One way ticket
Typically my weekly long ride involves a long out segment…and a long back segment – all on Skyline Drive up in da mountains. However, this week…I’d be purchasing a one-way ticket. Instead of normally turning around at the 50ish mile … Read More Here
75 Seconds to Evaporation
Yesterday’s brick and track workout was a hot one. When we arrived at the school, the little reader board temperature thing said 98*F. Though that felt a bit high, a quick check later on revealed it was instead 90*F with … Read More Here
It’s cheaper than a night out…century rides.
After attending a wedding Saturday evening, the girl and I were mixing up our nutrition for our long ride the next day when I realized that I had just gone through an ENTIRE CONTAINER of my sports drink (EFS) for … Read More Here
Two rocks and a chain
Now normally after a weekend I would talk about my typical Skyline drive bike ride, for example, we’d start with the night before with mixing up drinks… …using a KitchenAid blender of course. How else am I supposed to mix … Read More Here
Wanna buy a Kenyan bike?
Last week before my flight back to the US, I swung briefly through a Kenyan mega mart of sorts on the way to the airport. My coworkers wanted to pick up some coffee (nearby regions are known for it) at … Read More Here
Goin’ compact on Skyline
One of the biggest benefits of having a coach is when he or she can look back at months of data and finds a way to assist you in getting better. In my case, it was almost a year’s worth … Read More Here
Skyline, Pork and Penguins
Today was (and still is) a busy day. We were on the road shortly after 6AM for the first Skyline Ride of the season. For those not familiar, Skyline Drive is a long 100 mile road that rides along the … Read More Here
Bikes, Bubbles and BBQ’s
I’m now back on my ‘normal’ time zone, at least for another week anyway. This means a fairly relaxing Saturday. My only workout for the day was a 4200 yard swim, which ended with a 500 time trial (TT). This … Read More Here
Two puddles of water and a desert
Wednesday brought a bit of improvement in the throat situation, which was good – as I had two workouts scheduled. But due to the conference speaking and other work schedule, I wasn’t able to tackle these until until around 5PM … Read More Here