I am nervous and excited. It is the same feeling I get before a bike race, but Greg and I are going to try a new kind of bike "race", at least new to us. Our bike race will cover 5000 miles for 100 days, starting March 1st in Crescent City, CA.
We will post short updates to this TMT blog; and, if you want more detail you can follow us @ gregandheidibike.blogspot.com. We would love to have people come ride with us; so, if you can, check out where we are and come ride some (slow!) miles with us.
Happy cycling,
Heidi
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Going for a lunch ride
I thought it was cold here in WI. After seeing this http://news.yahoo.com/photos/the-coldest-village-on-earth-slideshow/
I am going to brave the 7 degrees and ride my bike.
Michael Mayer
Friday, February 15, 2013
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Wiscoland road cycling in the spring
smelly cows spray bottles
hairy legs in tight fabric fit
spring onto the road soon
hairy legs in tight fabric fit
spring onto the road soon
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Biking to Work Helps Kids Concentrate
This is an interesting post from The Atlantic Cities that gives us another reason to support the Wisconsin Bike Fed's Safe Routes to School program (as if we really needed one). Kids who ride to school concentrate better!
http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2013/02/kids-who-walk-or-bike-school-concentrate-better-study-shows/4585/
http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2013/02/kids-who-walk-or-bike-school-concentrate-better-study-shows/4585/
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Wind trainer, weights, skiing and beer brewing - it must be winter in Wisconsin
Jim Merrifield
Time once more to get ready for the season ahead. Try to hit that magic combination of ingredients - weight lifting, XC skiing, intervals, yoga, rest and perhaps more importantly, beer brewing. After all, I want to come into the season looking forward to racing every weekend for the next whole lotta months. I do not want to be burned out and as an "aging athlete", it is no longer about trying to come into the new season fitter and stronger than last season. It is more about hanging on for dear life to what little is left. But how best to do that? I have never found a winter devoted to XC skiing to get me there, fun though skiing is. Weights and wind trainer sessions have been more effective - but boring and can readily lead to burnout. Especially if I obsess about - what is the workout of the day? In years past, I had a coach to do the thinking for me. That made sense for a while and kept me from over-thinking it all. Now I am on my own, and while I have a pretty good understanding of what works for me and how to read my training performance, it is way too easy to overthink it all. Better to obsess about something that is easier to control and less critical (in some respects at least) - beer brewing! It satisfies the former chemist in me (PhD in organometallic chemistry) and has put me on a quest or 4 - to clone some of my favorite beers. And I like complex beers. So far, I like my barley wine (enough to give it a name - Essence of Mirth) and my smoked lager is killer. Working on a Delirium Tremens clone but am not close yet. One of my current works in progress that I am reasonably pleased with is a Belgium quadruple bock. I have pretty much settled on the grains and hops but am playing with fermentation temperature profile and yeast combo. Here is what I have so far after 4 attempts:
2 gallons water heated to 155 and added
1 lb Caramunich
0.5 lb Biscuit malt
0.3 lb Aromatic
0.25 lb Special B
0.25 lb Chocolate malt
0.5 Victory malt
Steeped at 150 for 60 minutes. Sparged with 160F (about 3 pints)water and then added
12 lbs amber LME
Heated to boiling and added
1.5 oz Styrian Golden pellets and boiled 60 minutes
At same time added 1/8 lb dark raisins, 1/8 lb dried cherries, 1 long cinnamon sticks, about 15 cloves and about 15 peppercorns, all in a boiling bag.
15 minutes from end of boil added 0.25 oz Styrian Golding and 0.25 oz Hallertau
1 minutes from end of boil added 0.25 oz Styrian Golding and 0.25 oz Hallertau
Added 1lb hard dark rock candi and then cooled with chiller
Added 2 gallons cold water to fermenter and filtered wort in.
Added 1 lb dark Belgian candi syrup (180L)
Bring final volume up to 5.25 gallons
Pitched yeast (Wyeast Trappist HG 3787, Belgian Ardennes, 3522 and Belgian abbey, 1214) at 66F.
Initial SG = 1.098
3 days at about 68 then ramp the fermenter up to 80F and then allow to come back to 68.
Bottled about 1 month later - SG = 1.020 Best aged for at least 6 months.
Time once more to get ready for the season ahead. Try to hit that magic combination of ingredients - weight lifting, XC skiing, intervals, yoga, rest and perhaps more importantly, beer brewing. After all, I want to come into the season looking forward to racing every weekend for the next whole lotta months. I do not want to be burned out and as an "aging athlete", it is no longer about trying to come into the new season fitter and stronger than last season. It is more about hanging on for dear life to what little is left. But how best to do that? I have never found a winter devoted to XC skiing to get me there, fun though skiing is. Weights and wind trainer sessions have been more effective - but boring and can readily lead to burnout. Especially if I obsess about - what is the workout of the day? In years past, I had a coach to do the thinking for me. That made sense for a while and kept me from over-thinking it all. Now I am on my own, and while I have a pretty good understanding of what works for me and how to read my training performance, it is way too easy to overthink it all. Better to obsess about something that is easier to control and less critical (in some respects at least) - beer brewing! It satisfies the former chemist in me (PhD in organometallic chemistry) and has put me on a quest or 4 - to clone some of my favorite beers. And I like complex beers. So far, I like my barley wine (enough to give it a name - Essence of Mirth) and my smoked lager is killer. Working on a Delirium Tremens clone but am not close yet. One of my current works in progress that I am reasonably pleased with is a Belgium quadruple bock. I have pretty much settled on the grains and hops but am playing with fermentation temperature profile and yeast combo. Here is what I have so far after 4 attempts:
2 gallons water heated to 155 and added
1 lb Caramunich
0.5 lb Biscuit malt
0.3 lb Aromatic
0.25 lb Special B
0.25 lb Chocolate malt
0.5 Victory malt
Steeped at 150 for 60 minutes. Sparged with 160F (about 3 pints)water and then added
12 lbs amber LME
Heated to boiling and added
1.5 oz Styrian Golden pellets and boiled 60 minutes
At same time added 1/8 lb dark raisins, 1/8 lb dried cherries, 1 long cinnamon sticks, about 15 cloves and about 15 peppercorns, all in a boiling bag.
15 minutes from end of boil added 0.25 oz Styrian Golding and 0.25 oz Hallertau
1 minutes from end of boil added 0.25 oz Styrian Golding and 0.25 oz Hallertau
Added 1lb hard dark rock candi and then cooled with chiller
Added 2 gallons cold water to fermenter and filtered wort in.
Added 1 lb dark Belgian candi syrup (180L)
Bring final volume up to 5.25 gallons
Pitched yeast (Wyeast Trappist HG 3787, Belgian Ardennes, 3522 and Belgian abbey, 1214) at 66F.
Initial SG = 1.098
3 days at about 68 then ramp the fermenter up to 80F and then allow to come back to 68.
Bottled about 1 month later - SG = 1.020 Best aged for at least 6 months.
Friday, February 1, 2013
Jens Voigt's Madone 7
Cyclingnews.com has a nice piece on Jens Voigt's Madone 7. It also reminds those of us over 40 that speed and age are not mutually exclusive.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/pro-bike-jens-voigts-radioshack-leopard-trek-madone-7-series
http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/pro-bike-jens-voigts-radioshack-leopard-trek-madone-7-series
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Party this Friday for Madison’s National Cyclocross Championships at Machinery Row
Party at Machinery Row this Friday night from 6-9pm.
Come meet the pros and enjoy free beer, mussels and frites. We are also holding a raffle to benefit the Madison Cyclocross scene as well as an effort to construct a dedicated multi-use bike park in Madison. This year, as many of you know off-road cycling came under fire by Madison parks. It is our hope that with a little fundraising we can continue to hold weekly Cyclocross practices and offset the majority of the costs. When meeting with others in the Cyclocross community it became evident that there is a strong demand for dedicated areas to ride bikes off road within the city. We aim to partner with Alpine bike parks of British Columbia to propose and construct one or more facility. These facilities are aimed at serving the entire community, not just mountain bikers. The proposed facilities would include:
Cyclocross course
Dog park
Community gardens
XC ski course
Cross country running
Kids\beginner MTB area
Pump track
DH Jump lines
Weekly short track MTB race series
Weekly Cyclocross practice\clinic\races
Host high school MTB\cross country events
We plan to host a fundraising event to further discuss the bike park idea among the entire community in the coming weeks.
So come and have a beer and kick in some cash to these great efforts if you can!
For more info:
Luke Batchelor-Clark
Machinery Row Bicycles
608-442-5974
Winter Carnival - Friday, February 1st!
Join the Bike Fed and hundreds of your fellow bicyclists for a mid-winter celebration of bicycling at our Winter Carnival at Ray’s Indoor Bike Park! There will be beer. There will be delicious Carnival-themed food. There will be bike-themed carnival games. There will be fun for the whole family!
$25 Admission gets you:
FREE riding at Ray's from noon to 5:00 p.m.
Games and prizes
Raffle for sweet bike gear, frames, and more!
$10 in tickets towards great food and drink
Stunt team performances
New! Nonmembers will receive a FREE annual membership (valued at $35),
Current members will receive 50% off Bike Fed merchandise at the event
RSVP TODAY to save $10!
It's a carnival of bicycling fun to be had by everyone!
Wisconsin Bike Fed Winter Carnival
Friday, February 1st, 2013
Noon – 5:00 p.m.: Open riding
5:30 – 9 p.m.: Food, drinks, carnival games and more.
Early online registration discount only $25 for adults ($35 at door), $12 for children ($15 at the door)
Invite your friends via the Facebook Event here.
Volunteer at the Carnival and ride 2 days at Ray's for FREE! Volunteers gain free entrance to the Carnival, get to ride the day of the event AND get a free pass to Ray's to use at a later date. To view the available volunteer opportunities and sign up, click here.
(Note: Free admission does not include $10 of tickets.)
Stay the night!
The Four Points Sheraton Hotel is just around the corner from Ray's and is offering a special rate for out of town attendees. Simply follow this link for hotel information. Mention Ray's Indoor Bike Park and you'll get a fantastic room with a shuttle from the hotel to the event!
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