More Lycra than a Bike Race!

OK, I think the winter season (and all the skiing) is finally over, but will be sorely missed!   That is until my Equinox is out on a the road - the triathlon season is almost upon us!  But back to the lycra -

Credit:Tom Lynn
Here on the Birkebeiner trails in Hayward, WI XC Skiers wallop a close second to cyclists for flaming colors and designs. This is NOT how yours truly suited up ( as you can see below) but the 13 miler found me first in my age group - can't get better than that (for me)!   It was a ski-perfect day with high sun and amazingly perfect trails.  Not a bad way to enjoy my first experience skiing the Birkie!  Sometimes it can be 10 below zero with bone chilling wind.  The rest of the year these trails resound with mountain bikers yelping their way around miles and miles of hills and beautiful WI scenery.  So bring on the lycra from January through December - it's an all round answer to wind, sweat, cold, sun, snow, heat and rain!  We couldn't be happier with lycra, but now let's get on our 2 wheels and pedal our butts off for 6 months!

Goals for 2010

New Year, new decade. New plan? After a year of planning a wedding, I'll pass. No plans this year. Well, no new plans, I should say. Oh, I'll still be racing. You better believe it. Here are some of the races and travel plans on my schedule (I've done them all before, so if you have questions, leave me a comment).

Cross Country

Local races psycowpath.com which are run by myself and my hubs. The Greater Omaha area is blessed with multiple trail systems. I can ride to five of them from my house! Our series has eight races, both XC and marathon. Come on out! 

Missouri & Kansas heartlandrace.com/index.php The trails down there are awesome, technical, rocky and tight. My favorite! And the races are well supported with great swag and an awesome vibe. Missouri is really a hotbed of cycling with the Tour of MO the last couple years and CX nationals. Now it's our turn! 

Marathon / Endurance

Dakota 5-0, Sept. 5 
 dakotafiveo.com a 50 miler out of Spearfish, SD. It's well supported and has a huge party after wards. Top female gets a Garmin 705 + cash. Camp at race start (which is at 7:30 in the AM!)

Firecracker 50, July 4
  mavsports.com a 50 miler out of Breck, and always on the 4th. It features a neutral start for each cat. down the parade route with thousands of screaming fans and vacationers. A true rock star moment. Whole race is above 9000 ft., topping out at 11,000. It's a twenty-five mile loop you do twice. Very well supported. They promise a bigger, badder party this year. Awesome fireworks later at night.

Laramie Enduro, July 31
  laramieenduro.org a 70 miler near Laramie, Wyoming. It's well supported and has a variety of terrain from open prairie to mountain singletrack. This is the race I finished despite tearing my knee open after crashing (Don't worry, it was at a dumb crash. The race isn't very technical) and I want to go back and do it sans injury.

Festivals

Black Hills Fat Tire Festival, 5/28-5/3 bhfattirefestival.com a multi-day mtb weekend full of all kinds of two-wheeled goodtimes. Racing, guided rides, social gatherings to eat and drink. It really features the trails around Rapid City, SD.

Vacation

Fruita / Moab - we go every spring. We should become guides. We kinda are, always recruiting new peeps to come out and experience high desert riding. I can't get enough.

New Mexico - we're throwing around the idea of going here instead of heading west this year. We're told there's a lot of riding around Albuquerque.

So, yeah, it's jammed packed. That's how I like it!

Come on Summer!!!

Hurry, only 20 minutes to Start Time!

Happy New Year!!  Only in Lake Michigan, Milwaukee WI do you have just 20 minutes to get down to Milwaukee's lake front to take your first "bike ride and swim" for 2010!  Take a look at last years event and build up your courage!  (sorry, you have to sit through a 30 second lottery commercial).   AND, NO, you won't find me in the crowd.  I'll spend some of this 8 degree day warming up on some XC ski trails.  It is even too cold, snowy and icy for this Trek babe to ride!  Stay warm and have a Happy New Year's day no matter how you spend it!

Unexpected

My normal workout routine has been blown off course this vacation - in some unexpected ways. 

Expectedly, and as a bonus, on Christmas Eve, Chris was off work, so I took a dawn patrol ride with my friend, Jen.  We braved the cold (while we certainly do not have the weather most of the country is enjoying this time of year, 45 degrees is chilly when heading downhill), and rode some local hills.  It was a nice change to have a bike ride mid-week, which dark has prevented me from doing since October, and I was thankful to have my best riding buddy able to join me.

Twas the Night Before....WHAT?

This is what the Rampaging Santa's in Milwaukee WI looked like as they delivered humor and good cheer along with candy and presents this year.  I have heard that Chi town started this upbeat tradition over 10 years ago.  What do YOUR Santa's do in YOUR town?

These guys and gals raise money for the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin besides handing out goodies as they ride along city streets.  There's a lot of bubbly good cheer that goes down before, during, & after - but Santa has to keep warm and toasty!  Not to be outdone, Beantown has it's own "Santa Speedo Run" - is that right, Caitlin?  I won't post their photos (they aren't on bikes!) but I bet you can google for funny images.

Have yourself a Merry Christmas, A Happy Holiday and A Prosperous New Year!

Riding for Charity

 

"Trek 100", 2009 turned out to be a cold and windy day in Wisconsin (unusual in June) but it was the 20th Anniversary of riding for a very special charity, the MACC Fund (Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancers).  So inspite of the weather many smiling faces were "ready to ride".  The sunny side of the 2009 event was the venue:  it was hosted at Trek World Headquarters in Waterloo, WI.  How special was that?  VERY!   

On the other hand, 2008 started out to be a perfectly sunny day and ended with a BANG - thunder, lightening and threats of tornados - riders had to be sagged off the course if they were at the tail end of their ride at the end of the day.  So what was special in '08?  Lance led the pack!  He's in yellow and black in this photo and cheerleading the MACC Fund, Trek and all the riders that were ready to roll! 

Trek 100 attracts around 2500 - 2800 riders from around the world, literally, 39 foreign countries were represented in 2009; along with riders from over 25 states.  Were you there, were you one of us?  If not, put it on your calendar for June 12, 2010!  It's a happening - bikes, brats and beer.  After all, it's Wisconsin.

Meals on Wheels

Last weekend I participated in Cranksgiving. It's not a new concept but we've only been doing it for a few years. Basically, it's a scavenger hunt for food items, which are then donated to the local Food Bank. We're given the list 5 minutes before we start, with the restrictions that we have to get the 10 items from ten different stores.The categories are men geared/SS, women geared/SS, trailer. New this year was if we brought a turkey back, we were entered into a drawing to win a sweet Chrome messenger bag. My buddy won it. Like idiots, we bought our turkeys from the most farthest away point and had to haul them back. I had mine in my pack but Martin (that's him above and me next to him) had to carry his in a bag. To fit it all, we had to tape the family pack of TP to our packs. I was lugging at least 50#. I was really hoping my carbon stem wouldn't suddenly break. But it all worked out. I got 3rd in the WG category and received a super cool spray painted crank arm. It was so bling, yo. 

All in all it was a great event and we set a new record for food, $ and participants. I loves me bike peeps.

Flying Bikes

Now you've seen it!  Bikes in the sky over Whitewater, Wisconsin.  These are just a few of the many

     

bikes that flew over their Main Street all summer long.  Not a bad community event: it brought me (by bike) to town to see them, bike ride through the whole City, buy ice cream, lunch and snap some colorful photos.  

Famous? You Bet!

Although I've had to be out of the saddle for several weeks and away from the keyboard I've been thinking about all of the wonderful experiences and opportunities I have had with Trek over the summer.  My Equinox has been a dream to ride and the races I participated in were really memorable.  But it was also exciting to meet biking celebrities that have been an inspiration and are notable names in the biking world. First and foremost in my mind was the unforgettable, motivating diva of Triathlons, Sally Edwards.  She has been a professional racer, an author, and inspirational leader to thousands of women for more than 20 years.  She "starts" every single athlete in the Trek Triathlon Series and she finishes with the very last woman to cross the finish line, no matter the time!  When we met I felt like I had been one of her best friends all of my life!

I was lucky enough to be with her at a Women's Specific Design night at our local Trek Dealer, Wheel and Sprocket.  What a fabulous lady with an inspiring message and a great program (good food, drinks and camaraderie added to the mix).  You must try to get to and participate in a Trek Women's Demo Tour in your area. 

While I am on the subject of a demo tour if you live in the greater Midwest you might get to meet another famous lady:  Lindsay Bradley!  She is on the road with the Demo tour in my area - all the way to Colorado and south into New Mexico.  Want to try out new bikes, know more about the Trek WSD gear and bikes?  If you are curious then meet up with Lindsay or one of the other super Demo gals at your local Trek bike shop or dealer when a Demo comes to your area. Check online.

next page for another Legend.......

Cyclocross IS Amazing!

Thanks are due to Roxy and RJ (Rebecca) for encouraging this WWR member to try a bike race.  A few posts back, RJ explained the whole process of cyclocross - it sounded FUN, take a peek!  That very same day I received a notice that the Wisconsin Cycling Association had started their fall series, one of the races was last Sunday just a few miles from home, how could I not take the bait?   I bit, went to the race, participated and now I have the bug:  I loved it.  Thanks to RJ for the primer, I loved the hills and the obstacles!  Here's a 10 yr old - all trek'd out!

What did I like best?  No peloton - that always frightened me; a short time-frame; beautiful scenery among the wild flowers and rolling hills; off road - no cars; close to home - no travel involved.  WOW, a great first cyclocross race.  For me it was showing up!  So I came in last in my group, so my old mountain bike was 25 lbs. heavier than everyone's, so it was freezing out and I was not dressed right, so I had never seen a cyclocross event - so what?  Just showing up and completing the course was my high for the day, the week!

Now for photos and advice:  Try a new bike venue, you'll love it and be amazed.  Oh, yes there is a photo of a 10 year old girl - she was faster than me - so the olderst (me) and the youngest posed for a photo.  Go Girl!

See more......