2012 MBRA Michigan Road calendar

HERE WE GO!



Spring is only 3 months away and road riding is alive and well here in Michigan.
Start your plans today.

MBRA website:

From the Michigan Bicycle Racing Association FB page:
There are a few errors, which will be fixed shortly. The Grand Rapids Bicycle Co TT, is technically not in the MI points series as of right now. The Celebration Criterium is in the MI points series. The West Michigan Stage race will take place on May 19-20.

Year:
Date Title Race Type Status
Mar.31.2012 FRCC Spring Fling #1 Criterium
Apr.01.2012 AAVC Spring Training Series #1 Criterium
Apr.07.2012 FRCC Spring Fling #2 Criterium
Apr.14.2012 FRCC Spring Fling #3 Criterium
Apr.15.2012 Fisk Knob Time Trial Time Trial
Apr.15.2012 AAVC Spring Training Series #2 Criterium
Apr.22.2012 AAVC Spring Training Series #3 Criterium
Apr.28.2012 Willow Time Trial Time Trial
Apr.29.2012 AAVC Spring Training Series #4 Criterium
May.06.2012 Cone-Azalia Classic RR Road Race
May.12.2012 Tour of Washtenaw Road Race
May.26.2012 Das Tour of Frankenmuth Road Race
May.27.2012 Gran Fondo di Thumb Tour
May.28.2012 Grand Rapids Bicycle Co. TT Time Trial
Jun.02.2012 West Branch Classic Road Race Road Race
Jun.03.2012 West Branch Criterium Criterium
Jun.08.2012 Le Tour de Mont Pleasant - Prologue TT Time Trial
Jun.09.2012 Le Tour de Mont Pleasant - Criterium Criterium
Jun.10.2012 Le Tour de Mont Pleasant - Road Race Road Race
Jun.16.2012 Duck Lake Beach TT-State Championship Time Trial
Jun.17.2012 Celebration Cinemas Criterium Criterium
Jun.19.2012-
Jun.20.2012 West Michigan Stage Race Stage
Jun.23.2012 Rockford Criterium Criterium (Tentative)
Jun.30.2012 Criterium Detroit City Criterium
Jul.08.2012 Terry Reisch Memorial Charity Race Road Race
Jul.14.2012 BTR Bike Race Criterium
Jul.15.2012 Priority Health Race for Wishes Road Race
Jul.22.2012 Le Champion Pave Criterium
Jul.28.2012 USPRO National Criterium Championship Criterium
Jul.29.2012 Milford Criterium - STATE CHAMPIONSHIP Criterium
Aug.05.2012 Hines Park Time Trial Time Trial
Aug.10.2012 Cherry-Roubaix Downtown Sprints Other
Aug.11.2012 Cherry-Roubaix - Old Town Crit Criterium
Aug.12.2012 Cherry-Roubaix Road Race - STATE CHAMPIONSHIP Road Race
Aug.19.2012 Tour De Gaslight Criterium
Aug.25.2012 Sylvania Cycling Classic (Ohio SC) Criterium
Aug.26.2012 Birmingham Bicycle Festival Criterium
Sep.03.2012 Debaets-Devos Pro-Am Memorial Bicycle Race Criterium
Oct.20.2012 Mad Anthony CX CycloCross

2012 NUE Series schedule

Tentative schedule for 2012. Who's in?

More info @ usmtb100.com

NUE 2012 State Date Reg. opens

Cohutta 100 Tennessee April 28

Mohican MTB100 Ohio June 2 January 1

Lumberjack 100 Michigan June 16 March 3

Breckenridge 100 Colorado July 14 January 1

High Cascades 100 Oregon July 21 December 31

Wilderness 101 Pennsylvania July 28 January 1

Pierre’s Hole 100 Wyoming August 4 February 3

Hampshire 100 New Hampshire August 19 (Sun) January 15

Park City P2P Utah September 1 February 15

Shenandoah 100 Virginia September 2 (Sun) January 1

Fool’s Gold 100 Georgia September 8 Register Now

Criterium Detroit City

Great video from Saturday's Criterium. Well done Matt and all of those who helped pull this event off. Bike racing is alive & well in the D.



Cat 1/2 crash video:


Facebook page:

RESULTS

Lumberjack 100 version 2011

No race for me this year. My leg is still jacked (long, boring story) up so I decided to join the fun and help out where I could. I drove up Friday and rode a lap before dinner. It was the first time I have ever rode the trail while NOT racing. I was also digging the trail on my Niner 29'er. It climbed like a goat and rolled super fast on the trail. It was an enjoyable ride and this trail never disappoints. If I were racing I would not have ridden the entire length the afternoon before the event. I went over to Ricos to meet the team and while all my teammates were drinking water I was able to quaff down a few Oberon's without regret. I was kinda enjoying the NOT racing thing. 5am came early on Saturday and we all headed down to the start. No pre-race jitters for me as the team gathered for the 7am start.



The roll out was pretty cool. The buzz of hundreds of knobby tires rolling fast on the pavement was great. The gust of wind created by the pack pushed it's way through the corridor of trees as the riders filed into the singletrack. Check out the video:

A Greyhound train:

Brian Bratney FTW!

Pit debris:

Alex finishing lap 2:




Promoter Rick Plite confirmed that he had plenty of volunteers to help him with the event. Several re-routs had eliminated the need for additional course marshals and I was now essentially free to do what I wanted for 10 hours. With lap times of 3-4 hours it was gonna be a long afternoon. It slowly dawned on me that NOT racing kinda sucked. I met up in the pits with teammates MIKEWOODS!! and Ritzy who had started off the day with a couple of beers. Mike was scheduled to assist at the aid station at 1630 so we gathered to ride a lap and "sweep" the course. The trail had improved significantly with the throng of riders clearing out the debris that littered the trail when I rode it on Friday. Unfortunately, the debris still claimed it's fair share of riders with the first mechanical reported (sheared derailleur)withing 30 minutes of the start. This lap was much more relaxed as we pulled off many times to clear debris and allow racers to pass. At times it felt like I was an Imperial storm trooper riding a speeder through the forests of Endor. Tall trees and a carpet of thick ferns. Truly an amazing trail!

We finished our lap and headed over to the aid station to help out. It was amazing to see the condition of the riders as they were midway on their third lap. All the riders demonstrated a wide range of cognitive facilities. With ~15 miles from the finish there were a few folks who were hurting. As a racer you may feel like shit but as a spectator you truly get to see it. The volunteers did a fantastic job in handling the riders who were limping in at the late stages of the race and encouraging them to finish it out.



Sunday morning crepe-fest. Thank you Jeffro!

MIKEWOODS!! and Camcakes:


RESULTS:

Bike Fail video

It's amazing the shit people do on their bikes! I couldn't pass this video up. Like a train wreck, it's a bit painful to watch but I'm sure you'll kept looking.

Olympic XC course preview in London.

Another homogenized Olympic XC course with the usual man-made features. The video does illustrate some well made rock features to prevent erosion. I noticed a lack of trees (it is England) and this may lead to potential widening of the trail if riders cut the course. Regardless, I would enjoy riding it. Uber-over-the-top soundtrack has me ready to save the world. Check it out.

Obey The Rules...

From the Velominati. Great stuff!
Here are the Top 10 of 85 of the greatest rules to ride by.

The Rules:

Rule 1:
Obey The Rules.

Rule 2:
It is forbidden for someone familiar with The Rules to knowingly assist another person to breach them.1

Rule 3:
No matter how good you think your reason is to knowingly breach The Rules, it is never good enough.

Rule 4:
It is, absolutely, without question, unequivocally, about the bike. Anyone who says otherwise is obviously a twatwaffle.

Rule 5:
Harden The Fuck Up.2,14

Rule 6:
Free your mind and your legs will follow.

Rule 7:
Tan lines should be cultivated and kept razor sharp. Under no circumstances should one be rolling up their sleeves or shorts in an effort to somehow diminish one’s tan lines. Sleeveless jerseys are under no circumstances to be employed.

Rule 8:
Saddles, Bars, and Tires3:
Match the saddle to the bars and the tires to black; or
Match the bars to the color of the frame at the top of the head tube and the saddle to the color of the frame at the top of the seat tube and the tires to the color where they come closest to the frame; or
Match the saddle and the bars to the frame decals; or
Black, black, black


Rule 9:
If you are out riding in bad weather, it means you are a badass. Period.

Rule 10:
It never gets easier, you just go faster. To put it another way, per Greg Henderson: “Training is like fighting with a gorilla. You don’t stop when you’re tired. You stop when the gorilla is tired.”4

Life Cycles Official Teaser Video

Check it out...

Life Cycles OFFICIAL Trailer from Life Cycles on Vimeo.

Life Cycles Film.com

Everybody's working for the weekend...

Oh yeah...


After a week long deluge of moisture from above it's kinda difficult to imagine myself enjoying a dry ride let alone a dry race this weekend. Dry being the operative word. Who knows, last weekend turned out fine and I don't want to rain on anybody's parade.
Here is the local line up for this weekend:

Saturday, April 30, 2011
Willow Time Trial - New Boston - Willow Metropark, Michigan USA
WEBSITE:
MBRA website:

...or if you prefer something less paved.

Mark your calendars. On Saturday, April 30th 2011, the North Oakland Single Speeders will be hosting the second annual “Gravel Grinder” in Oxford, MI.
This is a group ride and you are invited to come and enjoy some of the best dirt roads in Northern Oakland County. Choose your weapon.
For 2011 we are going with a 100k (62 miles) route, plus an option to bail out early and finish with a respectable 35 miles.
FREE.


Sunday, May 1, 2011
Cone-Azalia Classic RR - Milan, Michigan USA
Cone-Azalia BLOG:
MBRA website:
This is a cool race that is affectionately named the “The Gent-Wevelgem of the Midwest”. With it's sprinkling of dirt roads and moist conditions this could be very interesting.

Fort Custer Stampede XC - Augusta, MI
SWMMBA race info:
Registration:
A classic Michigan mountain bike race.

Four events in two days. Get out people!

FROM STEEL: The making of a Soulcraft

Great video from Soulcraft bikes. Handmade is so cool...

FROM STEEL: The Making of a Soulcraft from michael evans on Vimeo.

Paris-Roubaix with the Mavic Neutral Assistance team

POV action from this year's Paris-Roubaix. So much effort goes into supporting the riders on such a demanding course. Cool perspective.

Pontiac Lake Time Trial - April 23, 2011

Tailwind Racing website:



Each Spring I go through the emotional torture most commonly referred to as "pre-registration". Like clockwork the Yankee Springs Time Trial usually goes off without a hitch unaffected by early season trail conditions. The sandy trail on the West side of the state is ideal for early spring and summer riding. The Pontiac Lake Time Trial is held the following weekend in SE Michigan on a trail with much different soil (mud) conditions. Early season conditions can be hard on the trail, drivetrain and overall mental state. After a week of snow, rain & cold temperatures the question remains. To race or not to race...?
More later.

UPDATE:
Like a sign from above the weather cleared for a stellar day of racing. I arrived in time to help set up the team compound and BS with old & new friends. Unfortunately, while this was going on I should have been standing in the registration line as the new operators were struggling to process the increasing throng of racers. The line continued to grow but after a long wait it was business as usual. At least the sun was shining! In a nutshell, I tend to suck at the short, intense effort known as a Time Trial.

I guess a better warm up may have helped but it's usually the same result for me. A fast start followed by a blow up a few miles in and I spend the rest of the race recovering. Pontiac Lake is a demanding trail with sharp climbs, rocks and plenty of roots. The trail was in great shape although I went down on the greasy climb after the switch-back section. My legs felt OK although my bike handling skills were kind of sketchy. I kept falling off my line and lost rhythm in the process. Anyways, I was passed by several guys in my age group on lap one and quietly rode a smoother second lap to finish out 5th in the 50+ Expert class.

The RACING GREYHOUNDS were well represented in many of the classes and a huge shout out for the awesome team support and relaxed vibe. FABOO!
Team compound (aka The Tootsie Roll)

Jeffro carefully tending to the ribs:

Cameron took third in the Elite class. I guess Christian (1st place) had other places to be:

Roper won his age group riding a singlespeed!

Pusher and Janice:


RESULTS:

What's going on?

It has been a while since the last update. The weather in Michigan has SLOWLY been more Spring-like and the rides have been getting better.

A week ago I took a digger. I wish I could say it occurred during some epic battle out on the trail or road. Nope, it happened while riding a flat, dirt road here in Washtenaw County. I was cruising at 20 + mph with a strong tailwind and I must have also been daydreaming because I never saw the pothole that waited for me. It went something like this: pothole, handlebar twist, right hand slipping off the hood, front wheel sideways, sliding on road along the left hip, thunking head/helmet on road hard. Denial. WTH!
Regardless, my bike and I survived. I did come across this product while tending to my wounds. Pro riders have been using these tube bandages for years years and I'm happy to find these now on the store shelves. I recall using mini-pads and nylons back in the day! The Telfa non-stick pads also work very well.
Curad Hold Tite:


Sadly, the Ragin' Raisin race that was schedule for April 16 was canceled. I hope to see it on the calendar next year.
Ragin' website:



The Michigan MTB season kicked off Sunday, April 17th with the Yankee Springs Time Trial. Hats off to the WMMBA chapter for pulling off another well organized event. This event always reminds me of how it felt at the first day of school. Everybody checking out everybody. Congratulations to my teammates who had a strong showing in several categories. Even the tandem class!
Yankee Springs TT website:
2011 RESULTS:

Michigan was also well represented at the 18th running of the Paris-Ancaster race in Ontario, Canada. Clint Verran (Paint Creek Bicycles)and Mike Simonson (RBS/TREK/NOTUBES)placed in the top 20. Rich Stark (Two Wheel Tango) won the Singlespeed class. Great work all!
Mike's race report:
RESULTS:



While all this heated action was taking place I had a date with my bride which included a trip down to Slows Bar-B-Q located in the heart of Detroit by the old Tiger stadium. Absolutely fantastic food and beer selection. It's all about choices...
SLOWS Bar-B-Q:


Today it is snowing. It was a good day to work on some things and I decided to mess around with the helmet cam on the singlespeed. Be advised, this video is 3+ minutes of boredom although it gave me a hub-high perspective that should be pretty cool on the singletrack. Hopefully the trails will dry out soon from this latest round of moisture. In the meantime the roads are in great shape for riding.
Fork cam video:

Gravel Grinder 100K Saturday, April 30, 2011

Mark your calendars. On Saturday, April 30th 2011, the North Oakland Single Speeders will be hosting the second annual “Gravel Grinder” in Oxford.

This is a group ride and you are invited to come and enjoy some of the best dirt roads in Northern Oakland County.

For 2011 we are going with a 100k (62 miles) route, plus an option to bail out early and finish with a respectable 35 miles.

FREE.

Pure crazanity!!

If I was any good at Photoshop I would have added a turd pile over that dude's shoulder on the State of Michigan. I'll just say it. The weather lately is making me crazanky. Seriously? I hate it when other people talk about the weather although I have come to discover it is constantly on my flipping mind. Precipitation, temperature, wind speed and direction, 7 day forecast, sunrise, sunset, etc., etc.....

Regardless, the paved roads are where it's at right now. Off road conditions are too soft to mess with. Here are a couple of items that have really shined for me on these gloomy days.
The first is Finish Line Wet Lube. For me, this product has performed well over the winter months as well as during the wet season commonly referred to as Spring. Give it a try.


The next useful item is a set of bombproof road tires to get those long training miles in. I would recommend the Continental GatorSkin tires. I ride in the morning before work and I cannot risk screwing around fixing flats far from home with the possibility of running late for work. These tires have been amazing. They are durable and hold up to wear very well. I went with the 25cm width for a bit more surface area and I ride gravel as well as the beat up roads around here. Try them, you will be glad you did.


Right on! Tomorrow's forecast calls for better weather and some base miles.

Thursday: Areas of fog before 8am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 52. Calm wind becoming east between 5 and 8 mph.

Some assemby required...

The Spring weather lately has been marginal at best. What better way to spend a cold, rainy day then to build up a new bike. I've discovered that next to actually riding bicycles, building them is pretty damn satisfying. This is not one of those pimped out builds that ends up at the NAHBS or displayed on the roof rack of some rich dudes Lexus. I was looking to build up a race worthy rig at a modest price. Middle of the road, that's how I wagonwheel.

I enjoy the hell out of my 29'er rigid singlespeed and I was looking for a similar ride, except with gears. I opted for a 2x10 drivetrain and a White Brothers carbon fork which I felt was a good fit for the trails here in Michigan.

I started off with a sweet looking 7005 aluminum Niner EMD frame. No scandium or carbon fiber here.


Daniel built up some sweet wheels for me. The silver & black spoke combination with the red and black nipples looks great.


Here are the specs for the tech/weight weenies out there:
Sram x9 6 bolt 135mm QR disc hub rear hub, Sram x9 6 Bolt 9mm QR disc front hub-32h w/No Tubes ZTR Crest rims 29" w/ half black Wheelsmith DB14 spokes, half silver Wheelsmith DB14 spokes , and Wheelsmith black alloy nipples and red alloy nipples-Model Year-2011-Manufactures listed weight=N/A-Actual Weight=Front-767 grams, Rear-982 grams, total weight 1749 grams-Date weighed-04/04/11

*Weight does not include rim strips and valves

After about 5 hours of assembly I now have my dream bike. The drive train components are primarily SRAM X7 and the cockpit is Truvativ Stylo. This will be my first non-Shimano component bicycle of recent times. I have finally made the jump to tubeless tires and hydraulic brakes which will require some new maintenance skills for me. Fan-freaking-tastic!
Now the wait begins until the singletrack dries up.




NinerEMDolicious photos:

Barry-Roubaix, The Killer Gravel Road Race. March 26th, 2011

Barry-Roubaix website:


Here's a great clip on how the race played out at the head of the pack:

Watch more video of Barry-Roubaix: The Killer Gravel Road Race on cyclingdirt.org

Now from a mortal's perspective:

WOW, what a stellar kick off to the race season here in Michigan. Promoter Rick Plite and his crew executed another exceptional race with attendance hitting close to 1000 riders for this years gala event. The premise for the race is simple. There are three distances to choose from (23, 35, 65 mile) and any bike is welcome. It was obvious that the 18 degree conditions outside had little impact on people showing up and this was realized when I rounded the corner to enter the park and was caught up in the following mess:

By the time I got parked and picked up my number plate I was already 40 minutes behind schedule. This left me about 20 minutes to get ready. It dawned on me that cold weather riding usually requires an additional 30 minutes of prep time to get layered and warmed up properly. I spun on the trainer for a meager 10 minutes and headed over to the start line just as they said, GO! I settled in with the roll out and prepared myself for the Sager road section that sucked for me so badly last year. I was tickled to discover the benefit to riding the first wave was that the riders were able to clear the "technical" sections cleanly without the mayhem that surely happened behind our wave. The sandy roads of the course were frozen hard and smooth. Barry County has some truly amazing roads! In usual fashion I was promptly popped off the back within the first few miles and played leap frog with as many groups as I could.
At mile five I avoided disaster as I flatted the front tire on a fast sketchy downhill. I changed the flat as I watched what seemed like hundreds of riders fly past. Back on the road I soon realized I forgot to attach the front brake cable and had to stop to re-attach it. Doh! It was somewhere around mile 20 that I realized in my haste to get to the start line that I had failed to toss a few gels into my back pocket and had absolutely no nutrition for the 65 mile haul.
At the base of a lengthy climb some homeowners were blaring "The Eye of the Tiger" which seemed appropriate as I dragged my ass up the climb. The next 10 miles I rode with a good group of riders as we exchanged pulls and reeled in swarms of riders. As I approached a final climb towards the end of lap one I shifted down and dropped my chain off the inner chain ring. Another stop. Damn.
I eventually finished lap one feeling pretty good although my tank was running low. As I made the turn for the second lap I had a feeling in my gut that I was in for a struggle. I was desperate for energy food as I scoured the road for an unused gel packet or Clif bar. Due to the cold conditions, there was a great deal of gel packets and chemical hand warmers littering the road dropped from the back pockets of fumbling riders. I eventually found a unused GU packet and tore off the top and as I squeezed the heavenly goodness from within I realized it had been run over and the bottom corners had been blown out. My left hand was now covered with semi-frozen sticky goodness which bonded my fingers together like crazy glue. I then stopped at the aid station and gobbled down a frozen banana. Unfortunately, they were all pre-peeled, frozen and uber-slippery. I just couldn't bring myself to cram one in my back pocket for later.
The frozen roads were now thawed, soft and very slow. I was very slow and each hill was getting progressively harder to climb. I was cooked. I was thankful that I had a good supply of glycogen stored from a week of rest and that I was fully hydrated.
I finished at 4:20:xx and was 80 out of 145 in the 65 mile class. I'll take it. Some races are flawlessly executed and there is often very little to reflect on. This particular event made up for those flawlessly executed races and I think karma should be in balance now for me. My bike was set up perfectly for this course. I had no clothing malfunctions and my layering was spot on. The lessons learned I can only hope to remember prior to this race next year.

In a nutshell, this race is a true test of a riders early season fitness. What a blast!

RESULTS & PHOTOS