Cyclocross

Is awesome!

Lisa & Amanda

Riding a Bicycle

This is a post I put on my personal blog about a month ago.  Why I didn't simultaneously post it here, I don't know.  In any case, here are some thoughts about why I ride.

I recently had a discussion with some friends about why we ride bikes.  The answers were typical for persons in their mid-thirties to mid-forties:  it keeps us healthier than we would otherwise be, we like the competitive aspects, we enjoy the camaraderie of racing and the community bikers we see around, etc.  As I thought about it a little more though, I realized that I ride my bike because it puts me in the world in a way that a car cannot.

The immediate trigger for this line of thought was commuting to work on a bicycle.  I enjoy my commute for many reasons.  I love the way the air feels early in the morning.  I love ticking out a rhythm on my ride in to work.  The cadence of my pedaling can almost be musical, unifying mind and body.  I enjoy looking around at the buildings and houses I pass, the people waiting for the bus, the athletes practicing on the fields.  I cannot tell you how sublime it feels when I find myself riding along the lake front on one of those perfect days when the breeze pushes gently off the lake, driving away the summer heat, and the light causes the water to turn a mesmerizing cerulean hue.

I could go on and on about all the things I enjoy when I am commuting by bicycle; however, I realized that what drives all of these things, what makes commuting by bicycle different than commuting in a car or riding a bus, is that cycling puts you in the world.  You are present in your community and almost by default have to engage it.  When I come to a stop light and put my foot down while I wait for the light to change, I hear the people at the bus stop talking.  I hear and feel the vibrations of the car engine next to me.  I smell the exhaust.  I look around and see what is there, my surroundings.  Of course I am focused on the road, but I am also focused on the buildings and the people and the horizon, the clouds in the sky, the wind, the heat (or cold).  I ride by a high school and see the boys preening for the girls and the girls laughing.  I see a group of men under an awning awaiting the bus, commiserating.  I see the city workers painting the lines.  I hear the train rumble on the tracks as I cross one of the bridges and marvel that the cars seem to go on to infinity.

I tell pedestrians that I am passing on their left and they often acknowledge me and say 'thanks.'  I always reply, 'you're welcome.'  I meet other cyclists and sometimes we ride for a while together, chatting.  I see many of the same riders passing me each morning and enjoy the sense of familiarity that this engenders.  I see mothers running behind jog strollers containing their smiling or nodding toddlers.  I see a father riding with his young daughter who pedals furiously to keep up.  I see the young men and women at the Urban Ecology Center planting and clearing and making the river beautiful again.  I pass walkers and runners and old women in scooters.  Often we look at each other and smile or wave or say 'hello.'

I am in the world when I am on my bike.  I hear the city and feel the city and smell the city and see the city in all of its brilliance and ugliness and the in between.  The meat packing plant sometimes burns my nose with the ammoniac reek.  I pass through places with torn sleeping bags and shredded cardboard that were somebody's home.  I see placarded houses and empty storefronts.  I see and feel and hear and smell everything.  The lovely addition to our art museum with its brise soleil unfurled fills me with wonder.  The fox crossing the bike path puts a smile on my face.  The neighborhoods with old trees canopied over the streets and the families in front yards kicking a ball or riding bikes or chasing around fill me with hope. All of this is my city and I love being part of it.

When I ride I engage my surroundings.  I am not averse to automobiles and like taking road trips, but in the city you miss so much when you drive.  The radio is on or the air conditioner is on and the windows are shut and you look at the road and listen to the news or the music and pay little attention to anything not on the road.  Sure, we all look around, but cars move fast and before you have time to think about what you see (and usually it is just see) you are already gone.  On a bike I move slow enough to think about what I am experiencing, to pay attention to the world around me.  While I move faster than a pedestrian, I am still slow enough to notice the world and pay attention to it.  And I am able to cover much more ground than I could walking.

It is lovely to ride and feel and hear and smell and see the place where you live.  It is lovely to be on a bicycle riding.  That is why I ride.

Hallow's Cross

What an excellent day for Halloween Cross! The wind was strong, the temperature just right, and the crowd fantastic. How could I leave after the Women's races when there was Bat Girl (aka D. Blomme), a silver Musketeer (aka G. Ferg), and plenty of other teammates to heckle, I mean cheer on? Nice job to everyone out there today!

Amanda

Hallow's Cross

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CX in Zion National Park?

Talk about your forced dismount! Do you throw the bike down and then rappel? Or rappel with the bike? Or get a teammate to throw the bike once you get down?

Seriously, Jan (aka my beloved) and I just got back from a trip with Trek Travel thru Bryce and Zion. Great trip. Great bikes! And on one of the riding-optional days a group of us did some canyoneering - where these pics were taken. Very fun

Jim Merrifield

CX in TX

Photo courtesy Monskat

October is here which means I could finally get back in the saddle for cyclocross racing. Although many of my teammates are already deep into cyclocross season in Wisconsin, the race series in Texas just kicked off last weekend.

Upon moving down to Austin, TX I didn't know what to expect in the race circuit. I moved in the middle of road season in Wisconsin, which means most of the racing is already wrapped up in Texas due to the hot temperatures. Although my road race season was pretty non-existent due to the move, I've been able to put in a lot of training miles on my Madone. Exploring a new area by bicycle is the best way to truly experience your surroundings. I was surprised by the many beautiful routes I can quickly access from my front door. Every ride also starts with great coffee and perfect breakfast tacos which are in abundance down here. If you didn't think of Austin as a riding destination before, you should definitely consider it for some warm weather winter training.

Needless to say, I was happy to be riding, but eager to get back to racing. After what seemed like a long time searching, I found out that cyclocross is actually pretty healthily supported down here. There is a popular race series, W.N.X (Wednesday Night Cyclocross) on, you guessed it, every Wednesday night in October and November near Dallas and a full weekend series October through December all throughout the state. Texas is big, so in order to accommodate people traveling far to the races, they run the full race schedule both Saturday and Sunday.

This weekend's race was in San Antonio. I packed up my Ion Pro, pulled out my brand new, unused Trek Midwest Team skin suit and drove the 1.5 hours to San Antonio. I didn't know what a cyclocross race in Texas would entail. First off, we don't get much rain here and did I mention it is really hot? I mean REALLY hot. The course in San Antonio was the longest CX loop I've ever raced. It included two double barrier sections on opposite ends of the course, a sandpit, what seemed like a thousand tight turns, plenty of stickers and prickers to puncture tires and a plethora of dust. The temperature was a toasty 95 degrees at race start.

I didn't have a strong start and was held up behind a group of riders as we headed into the first few turns and set of barriers. I was able to ride by the group on the first straight section and hold that position for the next two laps, staying on the rear wheel of first place. I took the lead heading into the bell lap, it was hard racing to maintain position and two of us had pulled away from the rest of the field. Into the last 1/4 of the final lap, I carried too much speed into a right hand corner and slid out on the dusty loose soil. I lost the leader and knew I wasn't going to get back to challenge at the line. I was able to clamor back onto my bike and now I was just hoping I could hold on and finish in second.

I completed my first Texas CX race with a second place finish and a huge smile. It sure feels good to be out representing Trek Midwest Team here in the Mid-South!

You can check out the Texas CX race series here:
http://texascx.com/schedule/

Podium for Amanda!

Looked like a good battle in the Women's Cat 4 race, with Amanda ending up on the podium in third.

Short video of the start, and first time through Pit 1.

Congrats!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcO9qOugQBU&feature=c4-overview&list=UUb5_mEBxCC0cHKPq9NQsPFA





Oh, and Barney ended up on the podium too, in 2nd place in the 55+ Cat 4 race - his first?!
Congrats!
No video though, sorry...

Finally got the monkey off my back!

for 2013
with a win at FurtherCross at Badger Prairie Park.
Fun, hard course. Lotsa lumber out there, fer sure.

short video of the Masters 45+ 123 race, with a lot of the 35+ and 55+ guys mixed in.
taken by Heidi, cheered on by Barney and David S (and daughter!)
with Mike M in the video too, and Eric K out there on the course as well...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8-Ps3VlPaY&feature=c4-overview&list=UUb5_mEBxCC0cHKPq9NQsPFA

Nice work Rob!

Top step.
Great job!

Got some video of the beginning of the race, but not the finish or the podium shot...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRRLQK8TcXk&feature=c4-overview&list=UUb5_mEBxCC0cHKPq9NQsPFA

Racing Down Under

It's spring in Australia and the racing bug has bitten me. I've decided to take out an Australian Cycling license and get back into the swing of things in my new home. Hopefully this is step one to a fun summer.


Todd

Lake Geneva CX race

The course was spectacular, my first lap I was not. I hit the first lap too fast and slipped 4-5 times allowing 3-4 riders go by each time. Once I knew the slippery spots I did well, but missed any top 10 placement. All good though because it was quite fun, got the first race of the season under my belt and will make Jay work harder to beat me next time – battle is on!
Speedy Michael took home the win in his race and Greg got a 3rd.
Good to see all of you out there and thanks for the photos, Chad Brown!

Fat Tire 40 2013

Well couple days away from another Fat tire 40.  Rolling on some XXX wheels this time around.  They claim to have "unparalleled awesomeness" which was what I was looking for. (they have a weight limit!)
Also over a cup of joe today in my special mug I was pondering:  roll to the line with a clean bike or dirty? ...and does either choice cast different levels of intimidation?

J.CASSADY

GMSR- final thoughts

I planned to post a race summary today (I was too nervous to post anything during the race), but my team mates took care of that for me!  I agree with Eric, this race is definitely going on the calendar for next year.  The whole weekend was well organized, the races were challenging, and the scenery was amazing.  On top of that, Amanda and I met a lot of great women in the race this year and I'm already looking forward to racing with them again next year!

Lisa

Green Mt Stage Race Final Day

Today was the final day of racing, a 6 corner crit in downtown Burlington. The course was great - had a long uphill to the finish line, brick cobbles on sections of the course, a few technical turns, and a wicked fast downhill to the final corner. The only thing that could ruin the day was the forecast - rain!

Mike and I showed up early to pre-ride the course, and since the course was still wet from rain early that morning, we decided to watch for a bit as there were a number of guys already on the course warming up. Even at non-race speeds, rear wheels were sliding as guys hit the final downhill corner (which had a brick cross walk and large painted strips), with one guy crashing - not an encouraging scene!

But the race gods were smiling today, as the rain that was forecast never came, the course dried out, and the racing was great.

Lisa and Amanda raced first, and they provided a lot of excitement as Lisa, in the leader's jersey, found herself in a group 30 seconds or so back from a lead group that contained her main rivals for the overall. Even though she had over a minute on her main rival, she could not afford for her chasing group to lose more ground, and she was really working hard to keep the gap from growing (I think she was just trying to make the race suspenseful as the spectators were loving the "drama"). In the end she finished with a comfortable margin and was crowned the 2013 Champion!

In our race, two guys managed to escape about half way in, and although the rest of the race was pretty animated (with about 15 guys getting shelled and then pulled), it came down to a field sprint for 3rd. We tried to set up John Van Susteren for the sprint, Mike led him out, and John ended up 2nd or 3rd in the sprint. All in all, a great 4 days of racing - Mike ended up 14th on GC and I ended up 9th.

Post-race Lake Champlain ice cream was the perfect recovery food while watching the remaining races. We definitely plan to go again, and hopefully with even more teammates (hint, hint - put it on your calendars for next Labor Day weekend!). It was a great race, fun courses, strong competition, and lots of fun!

Green Mt Stage Race Day 3

Today was the tough queen stage, 70 miles with a mountain-top finish (check the profile below), with the last 1 km hitting 20%!!  Huge crowds out cheering, chalked messages on the road - a great setting for the queen stage.

Another awesome day for the ladies, as Lisa won the stage and significantly increased her GC lead, and Amanda finished 4th and moved into 5th place on GC with the podium in sight!  Way to represent the team!

Mike and I (and John V) did not fare quite so well. Three guys attacked right after the neutral roll-out, from three of the leading teams, and stayed away to the end, and also ended the GC race as the top 3 positions are now gone. Mike and I were near the front when they went, looked at each other and thought "It is way to early, the GC leader and 2nd on GC are not in the break and they do not seem concerned, ..." and neither of us tried to bridge. Only a couple guys were interested in trying to bring back the break, and with 30+ guys sitting on, the rest of the race was pretty much tempo until the final set of climbs. Once on the climbs the field pretty shattered, and toward the top "paperboy" climbing seemed to be the norm for many of the guys!  At the finish, I ended up 10th, Mike 15th, and John 20th.

Post-race beers never tasted so good!  And you can see Mike in the pic below passed out on this woman's table (note the beer in the arm of his chair) as she is trying to revive him!

GMSR Stage 2

Nothing like epic racing then throwing the feet up, taking in calories, and enjoying some of the most fantastic scenery for two days with two to go for Lisa Johns and I at The Green Mountain Stage Race. Our time here has been peppered with comments like "check out the sweet Trek bikes" and "wow, really like those Trek kits" and "check out the yellow jersey riding the sweet Trek bike with the teammate wearing the cool kit." Oh, did I mention Lisa Johns has held the yellow jersey through Stage 2?! In her home state of Vermont no less....must be all the maple syrup coursing through her veins. TMT couldn't stop there so I thought I'd I tuck a few hot spot sprint points in my pocket and finish strong today. Stage 3 will be a big day ending on the notorious and grueling App Gap slated to have grades of up to 20%...Gulp!

Green Mt Stage Race Day 2

Today was the 50+ mile circuit race which had 700 feet of climbing per lap. The weather in the morning for Amanda's and Lisa's race was on the cool side and dry, but in the afternoon for Mike's and Eric's race it was muggy and raining (mostly a constant drizzle - enough to soak everything and make the bikes dirty).

Lisa and Amanda defended the leader's jersey and Amanda took a few sprint points in the sprint competition - another stellar day for the ladies!  Mike says "Girl Power!" And post race (see the picture) they are both looking pretty sharp and ready to hit the queen stage tomorrow!

The plan for the men's race was to see how things unfolded given the strong competition, and if it came down to a field sprint, to set up John Van Susteren (our LAPT "teammate" for the races!).  There were lots of attacks and mostly short-lived breaks, although last lap Mike was in a strong 4-man break that looked promising, and with John and I blocking it looked like it might go all the way, but one of the teammates of a guy in the break attacked and dragged what was left of the pack up to the break. In the end 2 guys managed to get away and stayed away by 8 seconds, and we set John up for the sprint where he took 4th overall (2nd in the field sprint). Now just hoping the legs recover for tomorrow's mountain top finish!  

Green Mt Stage Race Day 1

Racing is underway at the Green Mt Stage Race! The opening stage was a 5.7 mile Eddy Merckx style time trial with the first half uphill (climbing about 500 feet) and the second half flat to slightly downhill until about 1k to go when the course dove down and then right back up to the finish line.

All-in-all a good day for TMT - Lisa took 1st and will be sporting the leader's jersey tomorrow (awesome!), Amanda finished 13th, Eric finished 6th, and Mike finished 9th. I expect Amanda and Lisa to post some more details, and maybe even some podium shots!

Bikes and More Bikes

Our temporary bike storage facility in VT does not quite match the fancy pro teams, but we managed to fit all 4 bikes, 5 extra wheel sets, plus Amanda's bike bag (stuffed with more gear!) into the lawn mower shed!  

Green Mt Stage Race: Pre-race Prep

Mike reloading during our drive out to Burlington, VT, for the Green Mt Stage race. I think it was our teammates Amanda and Lisa who suggested that donuts are excellent nourishment prior to a 4-day stage race, and clearly we (Mike that is) paid close attention to their suggestion! :)

We arrived in Burlington late Wednesday afternoon and began scouting out the courses today. Should be a fun four days of racing, and we'll see how Mike's donut pre-load works out for him!

Dirt Bike Racing!

On top of the Open Singlespeed podium at the Rock.

After road season, there is always a bit of a lull in the racing calendar until 'cross starts up.  Every year I fill that lull with mountain biking and this year I've added some WORS races into the mix.  Before I started road racing, WORS racing was my main focus for the riding season.  While I typically hit a WORS race here or there most years, I've been doing them on a bit more consistent basis this year.  It been really fun getting back to racing dirt bikes...and the wins I've been picking up along the way are keeping me coming back for more!

It started in June with the Cam-Rock race.  There were a number of TMTers in the comp class race, including Seth, Micha, Dave S., and Michael H. (sorry if I missed anyone).  I had an great race on the belt-driven Trek Sawyer.  The CORP crew has done a great job with the trails in Cam-Rock and the course this year was the best yet. 

I got out front right away, likely due to the singlespeed forcing me to hit it hard on the opening climb.  After the first section of singletrack, it seem that some of the guys were gassed, so I went to the front to set the pace.  There was lots of slower traffic during the first lap, as we started behind the older comp wave , but things opened up during the second lap.  As we started the last lap, I had to let the two geared-bike racers that I was riding with go as the climbing was starting to wear on me.  Seth pulled up to me about halfway through the lap and I hung onto him as long as I could.  Micha was coming up as well, but managed to hold on to the finish before he could pull me in.  I won the singlespeed class and a lot of other TMTers had some great finishes.

I wasn't able to get to any of the July races, but I made it to the Kewaskum race just before Trek World.  This is a course I used to race on a regular basis, but there were some new takes on the open sections as well as some nice singletrack on top of the ski hill.  I battled for the first two laps with my good friend Jereme.  I was able to create a small gap at the end of the second lap and the open section had me checking the gap for the rest of the race.  I was able to hold Jereme off for the last two laps to take a hard-fought win.  Thinking back, Jereme and I probably had a couple of races just like this 11 or 12 years ago!

My third WORS race of the year was last weekend at the Rock in Franklin (formerly known as Crystal Ridge).  I wasn't able to get into a good position from the start and had some work to do to try and get back up front.  Late in the first lap I passed a couple of singlespeeders right before we started the start/finish climb.  As I started the second lap, I was able to catch the guy who is leading the series.  I came around him on a stretch of double track and kept the pace high in the singletrack to open a gap.  I didn't know if there was anyone else still up the trail, so I did my best to pull back as much time as I could.  Turns out, the second-lap pass was for the lead, so I ended up with my third WORS win in as many starts!

For those of you looking for a tune-up for 'cross season, get out and give a WORS race a try.  Lots of fun, great atmosphere, and some tough racing.  Next up is tomorrow's race in Suamico!

Great Day for a Ride

Amanda, Mike, and I are in the final couple weeks of preparing for the Green Mt Stage race in Vermont, and we had a good training day today - about 100 miles and 6500 feet of "leg breaking" climbing! And also joining the "fun" were Gordy, Diane O, Diane S, and Dave Z (not Zabriske!). Great day to be out riding the hills of western Dane County, and pretty darn scenic too (as the picture so amply captures!).

Eric

Gravel

Last Sunday while most of the team was at the state championship road race, I ventured off with a long-time riding buddy for a 90 mile ride west of Richland Center  The route included 20 miles of gravel and 8,000+ ft of climbing, including some incredibly steep pitches.  Typically, I don't drive anywhere to go for a road ride, especially anything longer than 30 minutes.  But I'm glad I made the drive out for this ride. 

Cross bikes were the equipment choice of the day.  I went for 25c Bontrager AW3 tires.  While I had no problem with them for most of the ride, the steep, gravel descents had me wishing for something a bit wider with some knobs.  Had to do some moto-style cornering a couple of times, but made it through without any incidents. 

The riding, as well as the scenery was incredible.  It was hard to believe that I was still in Wisconsin.  It was also the first 5+ hour ride that I've done this season.  I'm not sure what took me so long to get around to spending a long day in the saddle this year, but it was well worth the wait.

Two for One, Baby!

 

Eric’s forgot to mention a lot of details in the story he posted yesterday.  Like it was UNBELIEVIBLE how much fun that was. It played out exactly as Eric thought it might.  I think it was like his plan C or D option.  I’m sure it was one of them.    We captured two titles in style.  First the 45+ from the winning break (Dale) that was away for over half of the race and the 50+ from a break in the final 5 miles (Eric) of the last lap. It was two great efforts and certainly great experience for me to witness and attempt to assist.  It was great to be part of it.

 

 

 

WI State RR Championship

Good turn out, about 36 guys for the Masters 45+ race, and unseasonably cool temps (low 60s) and windy (stiff headwind on the back stretch). A 2-man break went early, but were not a real threat to stay away (especially considering it was the first lap). At the top of the finishing hill on lap 3, Dale rolled off the front, not really attacking but rather just keeping a steady tempo over the top. A guy from IL joined him, the field let them roll off, and next thing you know they had opened up a decent gap by turn 1. Shortly after they got away, they caught up with one of the guys that was still off the front from the early 2-man break, and then Mike and Eric pretty much rode tempo on the front, chased bridging attempts (of which there were several), and they effectively shut down everything. The winning break was gone!

Fast forward to the last lap: Given the break included Dale and two IL riders, Trek Midwest had the state championship wrapped up!  Dale and his break-away mates duked it out on the uphill finish, with Dale taking 3rd but 1st WI rider! Back in the peleton, Eric attacked on the stretch between turns 1 and 2 with John van Susteren following (but unfortunately the rest of the pack followed him!), so then Eric attacked again (thankfully John decided not to chase the second time!) and with one IL guy in tow, the two stayed away to the end (Eric took 5th, 2nd WI). And the rest of the pack sprinted it out for the remaining places, with Mike finishing strong in 10th.

All in all, a great day of team racing! 

Dale on the podium.

TMT's WI State RR Champ!

Knuth - Putting on the Heat

Eric Knuth pulled off a mid-week Trek Midwest Team victory at the Intelligentsia Cup Prairie State Cycling Series Road race in Sharon, WI.  He did so in classic style with a solo attack  5k from the finish and held off a hard charging group that finished only a handful of seconds later.   The victor picked up a nice winners jersey and a handsome cash prize. 

The race was Wednesday July 17^th at 1:10 pm with a heat index over 100F.  It was a small group but the racing was good.  There were some well-known guys such as Gene Tolli, Wayne Simon, and Mark Swartzendruber making up a quality experienced group.  The race started out relatively easy as everyone was trying to assess how much the heat was going to be a factor.  A couple of early attempts were made with no success.  

Eric rolled off the front at 50 miles to go.  He was hoping for some help that never came and was solo for +10 miles until he was eventually re-absorbed.   Meteyer attempted a counter attack that Gene joined in but it was shut down quickly.   A few miles later a two man break with M Swartzendruber was allowed to go up the road.  It worked its advantage to about a minute when teams and a few of the individuals committed some horsepower to the front and worked together and reeled it back in.  One from the break refused to be caught and the pack kept him at a 30 second advantage until  the final lap with 10 miles to go.    

A few more attacks were made that helped to soften the group.  Meteyer attacked at 7k to go and forced a chase that chewed up about 1.5 k.  Soon after he was caught , Eric made his move at 5k to go.  The pack was indecisive on the chase, I think they were hoping Eric would crack in the heat.  By 3k to go, Eric’s advantage was out to 20 sec or so.  Still no real chase but the lead out was picking up the pace and the gap was closing as the sprinters were hoping to make the catch at the line.    But Eric was too tough, not giving into the heat and not giving up.  The pack was too little too late.  

Eric crossed the line in first with about 5 seconds to spare.   It was a great effort and a well-deserved victory in some really unbearable heat.  It was a gutsy move that took some real toughness to pull off.   Way to go Eric!

Thanks for reading,

Mike Meteyer

Eric’s victory podium.

 Meteyer working on his day off

USA Cycling Elite/U23/Junior/Para road nationals

Some great racing around Madison’s capital by Seth and Micah today. The 80km criterium seemed quite long!

And, the U23 Bontrager Pro cycling team brought home a 3^rd  for their race! Great support Matt and Mark.

2 to go in Downtown Waukesha!

Tour of America’s Dairyland photo from Milwaukee Journal Sentinel online:
http://www.jsonline.com/multimedia/photos/212695281.html

Colorado - it’s not all training!

Pics from the Butterfly Pavilion – about 15 minutes from Boulder. Fun little afternoon side trip after a nice recovery ride. Got to be careful of overly friendly butterflies!

Colorado vacation

We were not on the bikes when we came across this little guy but were scouting the Friday climb and there he was. Probabaly a juvenile not too long away from mom.

More Colorado vacation

Colorado training vacation

A couple months ago, I was chatting with mates Forrest and Shelley. They were thinking about a Trek Travel training camp in Boulder, CO. Sounded like fun but wasn't really thinking in that direction. A few weeks later, I am re-thinking EVERYTHING as retirement musing has become retirement planning (as in starting to work part time in the not too far distant future) and thinking the Boulder trip sounds like FUN! And my beloved (the canoe racer in the family) said it sounds like fun also. So to make a long story short, we now are 4 days into a 7-day climbing camp. We drove out from Janesville, WI, leaving Saturday at 5AM and rolling in about 6:30 PM and then off into the hills the next day. We have had a couple epic days. Tuesday started with the Morgul Bismark loop then up Coal Creek 8 mile climb, over to Nederland and down Boulder Canyon into town. Not a LOT of miles but winds and heat - 20 mph winds and 95 in Boulder. A bit cooler in the high country but still mid 80s and I am SO not used to it. SO glad to have very good support from the guides as I have been going thru water like a sailor on leave goes thru beer (and yes, some of that too). The Estes Park loop the next day was much better - less winds and a little cooler and did not overdo it on the climbs so the 20 miles at 4% did not seem so bad. Unfortunately, my order for a change in wind direction for the descent apparently had not made it thru. Today was a nice easy recovery day on the flats before we do Left Hand Canyon tomorrow. Gonna have to eat my Wheaties in the AM!

Jim Merrifield

The Tour of Galena

Amanda, Arrietta and I enjoyed a fantastic weekend of racing at the Tour of Galena.  The race courses really played to my strength (lots of climbing), and I ended up taking 2nd in the omnium!  Arrietta placed 5th and Amanda was 6th.  We had a great time racing together, and we will definitely be back next year!

Lisa

Our version of the TREK100

Between today's TREK100 event, the great weather, tail wind, flat IL county roads and Gary's SAG (and lots of other good reasons I can't remember right now), we thought it would be a good idea to do 2 of our planned 50 miles days in 1 100 mile day. So tonight we are in Taylorville, IL, fed, showered and ready for bed. I'm glad we took the challenge, but I'm also happy not to do another 100 mile day again (at least until we get home)!

Bucket List

Didn't know these items were on my list, but after the ride, I can recommend adding them to yours. 

Riding on a volcano.  Check. 

Riding in Iceland.  Check. 

Season so far...

I came into this season with soft but certain goals; to improve my fitness, to improve my finishes, and to challenge for  for M123 points race.

I've accomplished, in my opinion, the first 2 goals.  I feel great, I'm riding stronger  than I have in a long time and smarter than I ever have.  There have been a couple mishaps, a couple mental let downs, but overall I'm satisfied.  As the points chase came into focus, I've had full support of the great groups of guys I ride with who have sacrificed there own results at times to help me.  I've learned to trust every man I race with fully....something that I've never experienced racing before.

I can honestly say though, for the first time that as important as all the racing, the points, the personal gains, the training are, they have all been replaced as THE biggest focus this season.  A little 6 month old beautiful girl has won that race!

No matter how I've done so far or how I will do in the rest of the season, everything is sweeter when I see her after I'm done.  The losses evaporate, the wins taste sweeter, and the off days just that.  Her eyes are like giant saucers each time the pack whirs by and I glance her way. She has brought much needed balance and focus to my life and thus to my riding.  When given the choice between taking a weekend trip that may have sealed my points but taken me away for 2 full days......I chose to stay home and play peek-a-boo and tickle her belly.   

As I said to my wife the other day about my racing: what happens happens, it's only racing.  

I'm just happy all aspects are going the way they are going.

 

We might be home in time for Ride 2 Recovery!

No promises, but if I did the math right, and weather holds, we will be in TN and KY for a week, MO for a week, and then IA, IL and WI during the last week.

Still a lot of miles left, but we can see the end!

Bike camping in MS

Who woulda thunk it, eh?

Devil's Lake ride

Nice holiday ride out to Devil's Lake. Started out with a tailwind and partly sunny skies, and came home with a headwind and sprinkles! Still a nice way to spend the day!

Heading north in Mississippi

We have two more days in Mississippi, then we'll be cutting through the NW corner of Alabama and into Tennessee.
Feels like we are start to head home!

Wheel & Sprocket Crit--Masters 1/2/3 (Final Four Laps) May 18, 2013

A Nice Reminder Courtesy of Wheel & Sprocket

Gravelicious

Some rides require great awareness. Not of just how are 'you' doing. Awareness of where you are. Awareness of what you are currently riding on or riding through. Awareness of - when did I last eat or drink. Awareness of - can I hold a corner on marbles at 30mph Yes, awareness of your physical capabilities. Sometimes your mind plays tricks on your awareness. You might not be at the front now, but maybe the leaders took a wrong turn or got a flat tire.... That is what helps make Almanzo such an amazing event. You never really know what is going to be thrown at you here drettig

Thursday's BTWW

Amanda got her hands dirty wrenching on bikes and even installing new tires for people today at Alterra’s Bike to Work Week station. Trek Midwest Team with be there again 7-9 tomorrow, so stop by on your bike and get a coffee and a smile!