2012 Tour of Washtenaw

This year the Great American Cycling Series will make a stop right here in Michigan. The event will take place in the City of Chelsea, MI. on May 12, 2012
Epic.

2012 SERIES SCHEDULE

2012 Series Dates

Tour of the Battenkill
Cambridge, NY
April 14-15

Tour of the Dragons
Bennington & Manchester, VT
May 5-6

Tour of Washtenaw
Chelsea, MI
May 12

Tour of the Catskills
Catskill Region, NY
August 3-5

Tour of the Adirondacks
Warren County, NY
September 15-16

Tour of Vail
Vail, CO
September 29-30

BattenFall Classic
Cambridge, NY
October 6-7

Tour of Washtenaw

Great American Cycling Series

BikeReg

Racking stacks of cash.

So here we are towards the end of February. Winter in Michigan is a good time to build bikes, upgrade components and stockpile dough for the March registration madness. This time of year usually includes a modicum of physical activity offset by a heavy dose of planning and daydreaming about the upcoming season. Non-stop thoughts of doing every possible event on the 2012 schedule with no regard to the reality that life will slowly interfere with these aspirations and it will dawn on me that I am not a professional rider. From this was born the venerable poseur who I have become. Thankfully, my Astana team kit will continue to gather dust...


The end of February also marks several upcoming registration deadlines for Michigan events that will test your registration abilities. You snooze, you lose.



First up will be Thursday, March 1, 2012.
Iceman Cometh Challenge registration opens up at 1000 EST.
"The aggregate field limit is 3,700 riders for Iceman."

Iceman Cometh website

16 Februrary, 2012

New registration process this year! Since 2012 will be the first year using the USA Cycling registration system, you'll want to create an account with USA Cycling before registration opens so all of your data will be pre-populated in the system. Creating an account is free and simple to do. Just look for the "sign in" button in the upper right hand corner of their home page (www.usacycling.org).

USA Cycling website


Next up will be Saturday, March 3, 2012.
Lumberjack 100 registration opens up at 1200 EST.
Field limit has been increased to 425 entries.

Lumberjack 100 website:
Facebook page:
BikeReg registration:

2012 Barry-Roubaix *SOLDOUT*

It was only a matter of time. Rick Plite has created another "must-do" event to supplement the Michigan racing calendar. We're fortunate to have an early season event such as the Barry-Roubaix to give our off-season training additional purpose during the winter doldrums. Each year this race has grown incrementally in attendance and the 1500 rider cap was reached with ease. Now we can expect another month of transfer frenzy for those scrambling to get in. Are you IN?


From the BR website:

Sold Out!

As of 2-4-12 at about 6:00 pm we have sold out the event. There is still a chance to get in if someone can’t make it and wants to transfer their entry. A good place to watch for those would be on the MMBA Forums or the Barry-Roubaix Facebook page. You may also create a comment to this post below and include your request for a spot and your email address.

The procedure for transferring an entry goes like this; the replacement racer goes to the Barry-Roubaix Bike Reg site and clicks on transfers. It will ask your name, address, etc. It will also ask which racer he/she is replacing, the class he/she is signing up for and the original racers confirmation code(sent via email when the original party signed up). It will cost the new racer $5 to complete the transfer. The original entry fee is to be handled separately between the two parties

BikeReg registration info:

Barry_Roubaix website:

MMBA Forum:

Strava

I do not consider myself much of a tech when it comes to cycling. For years I resisted using a cyclometer or heart rate monitor and just rode to the rhythm of my body. Over the years the science behind effective training was spiraled to new heights monitoring every possible factor which could relate to performance. I will spare you the details but I am not one to embrace the technology and prefer a simple approach to my riding. Hell, my cyclometer was enough of a challenge for a simpleton like me. I knew a Garmin wasn't in my future but I realized my cell phone was standard issue on my rides. I discovered an app called Strava that is easy to use and the basic app is free with a premium app available for a small monthly fee. The data synch's quickly to the Stava website with detailed information that even I can figure out.
Check it out.

Strava website:

My first ride using Strava:
http://app.strava.com/rides/3916984