Editor's Note:
As this issue goes to press, the Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy, are just beginning. If you watched those early events last February, you know that as a general rule, the more extreme the sport, the bigger the audience. Remember the daring and graceful performance of Shaun White, a 19-year-old snowboarder from California, who is known as "the flying tomato." White's thrilling performance took the Gold for the United States in the men's halfpipe. You might also remember American snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis, whose agonizing wipe-out when she attempted a hotdog move in the last seconds of the snowboard cross, cost her the Gold. Whether you're shooting the luge at the winter Olympics or "catching big air" like the dirt biker on our cover, it takes a lot to be the best in an extreme sport. How does science help athletes reach their peak in terms of body, mind, training, equipment, and ultimately performance. And how do super stars avoid serious injuries while taking sports risks? You'll find out in this extremely exciting issue! But first, the news. . . .
-- Elizabeth Lindstrom, ODYSSEY Senior Editor

Features

1 Cyclist + 1 Bicycle = 1 Extreme Sport
Ask a dozen sportscasters who's the greatest quarterback, pitcher, or tennis player of all time, and you'll probably get a dozen different answers. Ask the same question about cycling, and chances are you'll get only one: Lance Armstrong. Armstrong is the undisputed champion of the world's most grueling bike race, the Tour de France. Two hundred of the world's top cyclists compete in the annual event. On July 23, 2005, 50,000 people stood in the rain to celebrate Armstrong's seventh victory. No other rider had ever managed more than five. "This is a dream come true," Armstrong said.

Few Americans understand how the Tour de France is run or why it is so grueling. At least . . . .
by Faith Hickman Brynie

Chemical Edge: The Risks of Performance-Enhancing Drugs
It's May 2004. American sprinter Kelli White, 27, has just lost every medal she had won during the past four years. She has also lost her chance to compete in the 2004 Athens Olympics. The athlete's use of the stimulant Modafinil, a prescription drug, as well as evidence that she used erthropoietin, an endurance-enhancing hormone, ultimately led to her downfall. In a statement issued by her attorney, White laments, "In doing this, I have not only cheated myself, but also my family, friends, and sport."

According to news accounts, White was first introduced to performance-enhancing drugs . . . .
by Marissa Saltzman

Ouch! When Extreme Sports Hurt
As he zoomed across the finish line in the qualifying race at the 2005 Winter X Games, snowboarder Chris Klug caught the edge of his board the wrong way. The Olympic medalist flipped into the air and came crashing down onto his shoulder. It took eight screws and a metal plate to repair his broken collarbone.

Klug was lucky. The injury delayed his Olympic training by about a month, but he was winning races again by autumn. Other athletes are not always that fortunate.
by Kathiann M. Kowalski

Get Geared Up!
Whatever your game is, always wear the proper safety gear. It's specially designed to guard against the perils of your particular sport.

Let's see how modern hockey gear helps protect players while letting them perform at the tops of their games.
by Kathiann M. Kowalski

Rip-Roarin' and Ready to Fly!
Morgan Skiperdene is barely old enough to drive, but she's already been flying above the waves for five years. This 16-year-old honor student from Cape Hatteras, NC, is one of the best women kiteboarders in the world. By harnessing the force of the wind, riders like Skiperdene can soar up to 50 feet above the waves.

In late May 2005, Skiperdene placed first in the Expression Session, a freestyling event. She also placed first in the Boarder Cross at the Nissan Velocity Games. The Boarder Cross is an exciting event that requires kiters to . . . .
by Kristi Lew

Extreme Napping
Around the world. Nonstop. Alone. If you are the first one over the finish line -- assuming that you survive! -- you win.

That's the basic format for a race known as the "Vendée Globe," the ultimate challenge for . . . .
by Valerie Biebuyck

A Unicorn Listened
Frin walked alone. The towering trees around her were, like herself, descendants of Earth. The trees had thrived here on planet Fairlight and grown massive, but Frin felt as if the people of this world wanted to keep her small.

The first humans had arrived on Fairlight just over 200 years ago, traveling in thousands of little white ships nicknamed "covered wagons." They had fallen from the sky like a bright hailstorm, and had taken root on this new world as if they had been born for it. Their animals thrived and adapted, and their settlements spread until they had developed a distinct Fairlight culture.
a story by Gareth Owens

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Science
A physics student and a martial arts black belt have teamed up to explore the science behind kung fu. Are you ready to build some knowledge -- and break some boards?

Stacks of lumber shattered with a single chop. Cement blocks smashed by the force of a kick. Is the extreme sport of kung fu some kind of trick? In fact, it is a dramatic example of the principles of force and energy.
by Nick D'Alto

Activities

Doing the Einstein Flip
A Cambridge (UK) physicist and a teenage BMX champion have designed the world's wildest bicycle stunt. Read about this amazing ride -- and then test its science yourself!
by Nick D'Alto

Zoom Into Astronomy: Earthshine!
by Noreen Grice

Departments

Science Scoops (News): The Mysterious Carnivore, Getting High, Singing Icebergs, California Teen Wins Science Competition, I, Wakamaru.
by Stephen James O'Meara

What's Up (Planet Watch and You Can Do Astronomy)
Planets and Summer Stars!
by Noreen Grice

Stargazing With Jack Horkheimer (Cartoon): Why Do the Stars Move Hour After Hour?
illustrated by Rich Harrington, text by Jack Horkheimer and Stephen James O'Meara

Brain Strain: Airplane Antics
Barbara enjoys high-risk sports. Ben prefers to play things safe. Ben and Barbara are in a friend's modern airplane that is traveling at a constant speed. The weather is good and the ride is smooth.

After asking the pilot for his permission, Barbara proposes an experiment that is not recommended for your average air traveler.

"I claim that I can get closer to the back of the plane simply by jumping up very high and letting the plane fly under me," she says to Ben. "What do you think?"
"That doesn't seem right to me," he says.

"Of course I'm right, and I'll prove it," Barbara concludes confidently. She moves to the center of the plane's aisle and gets ready to jump.

Is Barbara right? Will she get closer to the back of the plane simply by jumping upward and letting the plane fly under her? Or is Ben right to doubt her?
by Clifford A. Pickover

Sci-Chat
In the November 2005 "Can We Live Forever" issue, we announced our "Lonnnnng Life Short Story Contest," which asked readers to write a story about the possibilities of living forever. We enjoyed reading all your engaging stories!

Our judges have selected . . . .

Animal Angles: Short and Swift
Cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) are named for their spots (the Hindu word chita means "spot") and known for their speed. The fastest land mammal in the world, cheetahs can accelerate from 0 to 50 miles per hour in three seconds. Moving at four 25-foot strides per second, they can reach about 90 mph. Now that's Olympic sprinting!
by Ruth Tenzer Feldman