Sweet Sassy Molassy! Say good-bye to January!

Booyah!

The month of January 2011 has come and gone. Thankfully. By comparison, December was über tame with mild temperatures and very little snow. Like a light switch turned on from January 1-31 it has been full-on winter (as it should be here in Michigan) and I am happy to report that February will suck equally, if not more. I rode more this month than ever before, primarily on the singlespeed plying the snow/ice/dirt roads North of town. It is my attempt to shun the trainer and so far it's been working. Bring on February!

2011 ride data:
11 rides
325.82 miles
14.57 avg.

2010 ride data:
6 rides
210.35 miles
15.89 avg. (CX miles)

Happy trails...

Manchester, Michigan dirt road ride

I went out to Manchester, MI. today to check out the route for the Ragin' Raisin Dirt Classic race taking place here in April. Since I was not familiar with the area I decided to drive the route first to check it out and avoid having to pull out the map during the ride. Smart move. The area was very rural with crunchy, snow/ice covered roads. I parked at the High school and rode the 20 mile loop in the pleasant 20 degree sunshine. It is always enjoyable to ride somewhere different and today's adventure was no exception. There were some nice rolling hills with a few sharp climbs and very little vehicle traffic. I will definitely come back to reverse the loop and double it up.

ROUTE:
Click the small elevation at the bottom of the key for a elevation profile.



Sprawling Oak adorned with tennis shoes:

Knolly Bikes 2010 Team short pre-season video

Cool video shot in Oregon. Enjoy.

Ragin' Raisin Dirt Classic - April 16, 2011

TA DA!

Another dirt road race right here in Michigan! This event will create a third choice of dirt road races in addition to the Barry Roubaix and the Grampian Challenge. This race takes place on the dirt roads around Manchester, MI. The course description sounds interesting:

THE CLASSIC. 36.63 miles. Includes two laps of a 15.5-mile loop with nearly 4000 total feet of climbing. Two trips down (or should we say “up) the infamous Bemis Corridor with the devilishly steep “Three Sisters”. Two grinds up the insidious Maple Grade. And just two miles of pavement in the entire course. The rest? Hard-packed gravel - except where it isn’t so hard-packed. Tough enough if the weather cooperates – but who knows what we’ll get in mid-April. Sun, rain, snow, slush – take your pick. Oh, and did we mention the wind?


I was a bit confused when I first saw the title of this event and realized it is taken from the River Raisin which flows through the area. Unfortunately, there is no connection to dried grapes.


I also discovered the Ragin' Raisins are a wrestling team out of Pennsylvania.
Whodathunk?

Enough about raisins.

Although I could not find any results from last year it looks like this will be the second running of the event. With established road and mountain bike events in the area this could be the beginning of a new trend to round out the racing calendar. I hope so. DO IT!

Complete information can be found at Wild Side Events.

Red Bull Mini Drome

From Bikerumor:
York Hall in the East End of London was home to England’s first race on the world’s smallest velodrome. Perhaps motivated by Portland Design Works newest office installation, the Red Bull Mini Drome was a contest of not necessarily fitness, but more so the skill and the ability to stay on the track, especially after fatigue set in (you’re going to want to watch the whole video to catch all the carnage).

Cyclists from almost all walks of life entered the competition, but it was won by none other, than Mongoose trials rider Chris Akrigg.

superprestige Zonhoven 7 feb 2010

superprestige Zonhoven 7 feb 2010 from jef cleemput on Vimeo.

I think "Zonhoven" means "Burying your clavicle into the sand like a lawn jart" ~ Jeffro

Grampian Challenge 10-1-11

Yes, October is a long way off but there is a new gravel road race on the horizon that promises to become a staple of the Michigan race scene.

Here is a description of the event from the promoters website:

The Grampian Challenge will be a culmination off all the things you like about racing your bike in beautiful scenery of Michigan in the Fall. The "Grampian" is a 40 or 20 mile ramble over dirt roads, two tracks, single track, and rail trail. The intent is the ultimate fall bike race combining varied riding surfaces, technical challenges, scenic roads, and some decent southeast Michigan hills.

With so many incredible dirt back roads throughout the state it is no wonder these gravel events are gaining such popularity. They are anything but tame and sandwiched between road, XC and CX events they offer another alternative to keeping things fresh. Do it!

Grampian Challenge Website:

2011 Grampian Challenge from brian hudson on Vimeo.

How much is that old bike worth?

Yes, I know my old beater is worth thousands more than this table indicates. It's just a baseline. This should be mandatory for Craig's List contributors.

Used Bicycle Value Calculator

TDU Stage 5 highlights...

One stage remaining...

TDU Stage 2 photo finish...

The photo finish for second place won by TEAM RADIOSHACK rider Robbie McEwen.

2011 MMBA Expo

SUNDAY! SUNDAY! SUNDAY!



Michigan Mountain Bike Association - MMBA.org

Michigan Mountain Bike Association - Facebook

2011 Tour Down Under coverage

While I hunker down here in my little world waiting out the winter months there is the first professional stage race of the year taking place in Adelaide, Australia. The Santos Tour Down Under. In reality, it's only been a few weeks in the lapse of cycling coverage between the end of the Cyclocross season and the start of the Road racing season.

Stage 1 starts at 11:00am local Tuesday
(7:30pm U.S. Eastern Monday)
(1:30am CET Tuesday)

Check it out...



cyclingfans.com
2011 Tour Down Under Live Streaming Video - TDU Live - The Guide to Pro Cycling Live Race Coverage - Watch Cycling TV - Photos, results, wallpaper, news, commentary.


steephill.tv.com



Versus is also covering the race.
Versus.com

Today's ride...

was not easy.


Yah, I'm a big baby. After a week of fighting off a cold I needed to get out for a ride. Today's temperatures and wind chill were single digit cold. I looked forward to trying out my new Endura MT500 show covers. Unfortunately, it was soooo cold I also wore my old neoprene shoe covers over the new covers creating a toasty combination of layers for my toes. My knock-off pogies (a.k.a. moose mitts) worked great today. Overall, my layering choices were ideal for a 3 + hour ride. It was slow going. The snow/ice covered roads were just plain slow. Also, the 34x16 gearing on the singlespeed is getting harder to maintain a 15 mph average so I swapped out a gear to a 2:1 ratio. Hopefully, that should make things a little easier. Although it's difficult to find the motivation to get outside in the morning I will happily forgo the trainer for the outdoor experience. So far, so good.

Trash day on Gale road:


Barn on Vreeland road:


Cairn on the side of the road:

Worst Day of the Year Ride - January 23, 2011

Wheels in Motion of Ann Arbor, MI are hosting this free event. I'm unsure why this particular day would be considered the "worst day of the year" since they all pretty much suck from January 1 through February 28. Although I ride this route often, I get tired of riding alone so I thought this would be a fun group ride.



Here is some info on the ride. Anybody up for it?

The weather outside is frightful, but a bike ride is so delightful. Bundle up and join us on a festive, winter ride around the streets of Ann Arbor.

The fifth annual Worst Day of the Year Ride will take place on Sunday, January 23rd. This free event always promises to be a fun filled, snowy day of riding. We will offer a variety of routes for you to choose from including:

* Polar Bear Ride- 40 miles 12:00pm
* Polar Cub Ride- 20 miles 1:00pm
* Abominable Snow Man Ride- Mountain Bike loop 1:00pm (dependant on trail conditions)
* Reindeer Ride- 12 miles 2:00pm
* Snowshoe Hare Ride- 6 miles 2:30pm

All rides will be lead by ride captains and will be at a casual pace. The Polar Bear ride will have a fast group leading the charge with moderate paced ride captains following the faster riders. You will be provided with route maps on the day of the event. All rides leave from the Kerry Town Farmer's market and end at the Arbor Brewing Company where there will be free hot soup, attended bike parking and cash bar. A full menu will also be available for those that want to purchase additional food.

Register for the event
Learn more about the routes & start times
Winter cycling information
Sponsorship Opportunities

Prizes & Giveaways

In years past there have been giveaways and prizes, and that will continue for 2011. We've been in contact with local businesses & bicycle vendors to gather up as many prizes and giveaways for the event as possible. Prizes will be distributed at the after part by a lottery drawing of those who pre-register for the event. We'll post up prize information as we have it.

Ride INFO:

~40 mile route:

Polar Bear 40 mile Ride

Winter shoe covers upgrade...

Here's my story. A few years ago I had the realization that as the season wound down and the rides became cooler I needed something more than thick socks to keep my feet warm. I needed shoe covers. Being the thrifty fella that I am I bought Sidetrak shoe covers . As much as I wanted to I just couldn't afford to purchase winter riding boots. I used the hell out of these shoe covers to the point where the Velcro was frayed and was unable to hold the neoprene closed. Like a rubber band snapping, it was maddening to look down midway into a ride to see the shoe cover flapping wildly as it was completely unsecured. I couldn't bring myself to use duct tape to cure the problem.





OK, nuff said. Once again, I was in no position to purchase new winter riding boots so I ordered the Endura MT500 shoe covers. There are a ton of glowing reviews all over the web. Check out this review.





Product description -
Endura MT500 Shoe Covers

* Tough Nylon faced Neoprene® upper
* Rear zip with snap-down puller and Velcro® heel tab to ensure snug fit
* Moulded rubber toe cap with ridged/grooved underside to help when climbing steep and/or muddy slopes
* Neoprene meets behind the zip to improve water tightness
* Welded centre seam for smooth finish and improved water protection
* Hard wearing Kevlar® faced base and Kevlar® stitching
* Reflective logo and zip panels at rear

I'm looking forward to testing these out soon.

2011 RACING GREYHOUNDS kit unveil

Dazzam! It's kinda' hard to follow up after the "SHACK" presentation. But hell, we're just a small time cycling club from Michigan. After much celebrated fanfare, press releases and media blitzes it is time to unveil our 2011 Team kit. We (Octane Design) went with a retro look with the Greyhound plaid and cream white color tossed in. Looks pretty good so far...

TADA!

Crank Brothers Take-Two

I totally DIG my Crank Brother Egg Beater pedals! I have 2 pairs of the Egg Beater C and a pair of the Candy's. I don't plan to change over to anything new at this time. In the past I broke a wing on one pedal and it was repaired by Crank Brothers without any hassle. Below is my post about that experience. Good job Crank Brothers!
BLOG post:

Damn, I broke another wing the other day so I repeated the drill and sent the pedals back for repair. These (and all my pedals) have seen a lot of mileage and I'm aware that they are well beyond their 2 year warranty so I wasn't expecting much. Crank Brothers contacted me to advise me they received the pedals and offered me the following options:

Hello,

I have your pedals here and we can def. get these going for you by replacing
the body and rebuilding them. The body is $10.00 and the SPA/rebuild is
$20.00/pair and includes machine cleaning and rebuild kit.

Or we can offer you an upgrade to the new model Egg Beaters and some prices are
below:

Egg Beater 2 $55.00

Egg Beater 3 $70.00

S/H is $9.00 for either the service or upgrade BUT No Charge if we get a c/c #
before this Thursday as a Holiday Special.

let us know if you have any questions and give us a call and the receptionist
can take your c/c info.

Cheers,

Warranty and Service Dept.
rich@crankbrothers.com
Crank Brothers
310 Broadway
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
949.464.9916
*Any product left at Crank Brothers for over 30 days becomes property of Crank
Brothers and could result in loss of item.

Although Crank Brothers offer for new pedals was pretty good I chose the Spa treatment for my pedals. My refurbished pedals arrived after a week at the Spa and they appear to be relaxed, rejuvenated and ready for some more miles.

Moose Mitts

I have grown tired of having cold hands. I have been using Columbia ski gloves combined with a thin glove with reasonable success. I found that the bulky gloves was akin to wearing boxing gloves and it was a pain in the ass when I needed to have a minuscule amount of dexterity. I also noticed my hands became very cold when riding singletrack and contact with the aluminum brake levers conducted the cold directly to the hand. Rather than look into another glove I decided to look into the moose mitts or pogies. I saw several homemade examples on the interweb. Yes, those are coffee cans. Brilliant!


I also discovered that Mike Flack over at Trails Edge (right here in Michigan) has developed a cottage industry around this simple concept. He now offers a drop bar version.

Standard Version $59.99 pr.
AMF Threadworks Bike Mits

I checked around and found similar models of pogies for ATV, motorcycle & snowmobile use:

$18.95 pr. + S/H
Ebay LINK:

Moose Utility Division:



I'm all for supporting the local LBS but in this case I had to go with the less expensive option. I rode with them yesterday using a lighter glove and experienced great results. The Trails Edge Moose Mitts go further up the arm but I am happy with the overall size of these. There is plenty of room although they don't seem to be too bulky. So far, so good and my hands are much happier now.

Protecting Your Hands article:

"I gotz plenty of room...."

1990 Miata (click the image to enlarge)

Cyclocross Belgian National Championship Elite 2010 - Final 2 laps

Visit cyclingdirt.org for more Videos

Yehuda Moon...

...Customer? What Customer?



Yehuda Moon & the Kickstand Cyclery

Today's ride...

...was the cats pajamas!


Railroad trestle over the Huron River:


Delhi Road over the Huron River:


The sign eating tree. Seriously, the tree is growing around the sign!


A special package waiting for me...

Fetish Cycles...

...has some mighty fine looking rigs. BUT, after poking around I found their website layout/photos are kinda lame. On one hand I can dig the smaller, less polished appeal of Fetish. On the other hand, I found a mixed bag of frame build photos that appear like customers had sent in to Fetish. IMO, it does little to promote the product. Also, why do companies continue to schlep their products with pretty models posing on their products. Criminy, show us a shot of someone actually riding a bike. Save the models for low riders, motorcycles and hot rods.

Nice.


Nice.


They even have a Centerfold!


Check it out at Fetish Cycles

2011 Tailwind USAC MTB schedule

OK, the time has come to start hatching a plan for 2011. Every year at this time I drive myself crazy with this arduous process. I toss around the idea of trying "something new" and create an ambitious schedule that has me racing every possible event in the country and in the end I'm usually satisfied with whatever I was able to pull off. I cite this mid-winter affliction as a common case of pre-season over ambitious-nous. I'm sure I'm not the only one out there going through the same thing. AMIRITE?


Word on the street is that Robert Linden (of Tailwinds Enterprise) has passed the torch to a unnamed successor. Tailwind is a primary promoter for mountain bike and cyclocross racing here in Michigan. Regardless, it appears as if the schedule is similar to previous years and now includes a relay race. Should be interesting...

Tailwind Enterprises LINKY:

Today's ride...

...was much better than yesterday's trainer ride. Apples and oranges.

Bored:


Not so bored: