TNR Aug. 24th Race News, Events and More

It has been a busy two weeks. Summer continued tonight with the TNR getting modestly shorter to accommodate the already waning light. A light sprinkle before the ride dried up and created no issues for the group.

This weekend hosted three local events drawing thousands of participants to NE Wis. The Waupaca Triathlon was held in perfect conditions with 1000 racers [and about 200 kids] enjoyed great racing and a super Potato Bake. http://www.waupacaareatriathlon.com/ for results and photos. Our own Roy Stumpf had a top 10 finish and Sarah Stumpf took second overall with Deb Ernst pulling in third in her age group. Nice.

The Green Bay WORS race http://www.wors.org/news/ had some great conditions and some motivating bugs this weekend with Steve Peplinski defying his age and winning his age group and class. Too bad he was not 61 when he was forty, well done to Steve and all the local talent.

Race the Lake was this weekend. A 90 mile [more or less] around Lake Winnebago that attracted over a thousand riders and most of the "retired" Cat 1 and Pro riders from the past 15 years. The lead pack pulled in at 3:13!!!, almost 28 mph which is a blazing time for an open road course. Check out http://www.midwestsportsevents.com/ for info on this pound fest. This is turning out to be a wild speed fest in our own back yard. http://www.fdlreporter.com/article/20100823/FON02/8230536/Race-the-Lake-Bike-Race-results for results and photos.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

This Saturday we are having a sidewalk sale. This is one day only and we have lots of gear ready to go. It would be a good time to see the new 2011 bikes as they are coming in as we speak.

The Cloverleaf Triathlon is Sept. 4th and is a great first time race to get your feet wet on. Close to home near Clintonville it is a fun race with no pressure. See http://www.cloverleaflakes.com/documents/Clintonville%20-%20Triatholon%2018%20mile.pdf

The Door County Century is only weeks away. The event has been overhauled with a new and better course and a whole lot more. See http://www.doorcountycentury.com/ for maps and more. Already the ride is well over last years turnout so plan on a big weekend.

Ironman Wisconsin is the same weekend, Sept 11-12, with lots of local athletes. www.ironmanwisconsin.com/

The Fat Tire Fest is coming soon after in Sept. Time to get the bikes cleaned, tuned and please; new cables BEFORE you bike stops shifting.

Lastly; September 21st marks the return of Bairds Creek Hillbounding. Sign up for and see more on our newsletter at http://www.incompetition.com/html/register.psp

Finally, Kevin Kohrman, a longtime local rider was killed this past week leading a bike ride. It was an accident and Kevin did not suffer. Kevin often came to the store and I enjoyed his knowledge and our spirited debates. He was the real deal on a bike having ridden tens of thousands of miles and having done Brevet length rides and more. He took great pleasure in riding but in other things as well. The day before he passed he came in with his grandson. His enthusiasm for him was obvious and he looked forward to rides with him as much as with anyone. We are still a little in shock over this and I just hope that we can all take away a little from this and re-double our efforts to keep riding the safe and fun sport that it is, Kevin would have wanted that.

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20100821/GPG010301/8210596/Kohrman-Kevin

TNR Aug 11 Swim, Sizzle, Sweat and Western Video

Summer is here for real. For the past several weeks we have been locked in this cycle of heat, humidity and storms. While uncomfortable it is also a great time to ride. Biking when hot is about all you can do (other than swim, more on that later) that will allow a high output with less duress.

The ride went off well with the two groups both having good solid efforts and benefiting from the warm muscles and August fitness. Bill Schneider has provided some nice Action Cam shots and Todd R. unveils his new kit over his lean Uber Bod.

Lots to report: The Point to Lapointe Swim http://www.bayfieldreccenter.com/Point_to_LaPointe_Swim.html was this past weekend. Several local swimmers did the event which means swimming from Bayfield to Madeline Island. Great water and great weather made this a fun event, that and no one drowned. See more shots at www.flikr.com/photos/incomp/ .

As you may remember we recently returned from Washington State where we took part in the Raleigh Dealer Show and now we have a video link to it. We really did ride although I found the steep and deep mountain stuff (yawn) a little tame for my blood. Check out http://raleighsummerevent.com/ and be sure and watch the DB Freestyle dudes on the third video, fearless....good.

We are looking for a serious rider who may need some physical therapy. Aurora Sport Medicine is putting on a serious rider clinic and is looking for a volunteer to get worked on/specimen/featured guest, sweet. They start in Mid Sept. Let me know if your interested.

You probably know that Lance will not be doing the WS 100 this weekend but that is no reason not to do the Ore to Shore in MQT, MI. Nice ride on some cool trails. A fast 40 before FTF. The heat is on so get on the bike. See you next week and SO2.

TNR 8-3-10 Sweatiful. Raleigh Dealer Preview

Great weather tonight greeted the group, great weather that is if you like 90 degrees in the shade [there is no shade] with 90 percentile humidity. This is what summer is about and if you keep your wits about you and stay hydrated, don’t go ballistic up every hill and stay out of tar traps it can be a lot of fun. For the twenty or so riders tonight it was a chance to lose some water weight and scour some unneeded rubber off their tires. We are seeing a record number of creaky bikes lately. High temps and high moisture levels form a barrier between bearing surfaces and dissimilar metals that lubricates the metal so that it “gives” forming a squeak or creak. Typically disassembly of the offending area [typically the BB or headset] and cleaning and lubing with waterproof grease cures it. Until then it is not life threatening…… until your riding partners beat you senseless for not maintaining your bike.

I am in the middle of the book ROADIE. It is a great read and is almost like looking in the mirror. I strongly recommend it. Painfully honest, funny and totally accurate it would be a great book to explain to non-riders why we ride.

Deb and I just returned from the Raleigh America Dealer Show in Cle Elum in Washington State. The beautiful Suncadia http://www.suncadiaresort.com/ resort hosted the show. In addition to first rate accommodations and food out of this world we got to ride our choice of hundreds of bikes both road and mountain. We also met with the big wigs of the oldest bike company on earth [123 years old] some highlights: Again the Di2 Dura Ace bikes were a hit. Expensive but totally cool, if you ever get the chance………Raleigh has a Single Speed, Cr-Mo BELT DRIVE 29r that got a lot of play, neat to beat and ultra quiet for those clandestine trail rides through the camp. Shimano was there with the NEW XTR 10 speed setup. Very pretty and very customizable. The new Dura Ace Carbon pedal was there, just when you thought it could not get lighter! They had a slew of internally geared urban and utility bikes which are not glamorous but very high tech and very efficient. I see one in my future.
We had dinner with the head of Raleigh who jetted in from England. Great guy who is enthusiastic out the new Pro Team they are building with hopefully a TdF bid in the next few years. All in all a great time and a great learning experience. Check out the pictures on Flikr http://www.flickr.com/photos/incomp/ and the DB Freestyle Team Riders, who are totally nuts by the way. Enjoy the heat as we go again next week. SO2

TNR July 20 Riding the Storm Out and DCT news

Last night about 15 riders did an end around a rapidly approaching storm and avoided getting wet by just a few minutes. We need to work on [more] the group staying as a group. A consistent OUTPUT would go a long way. We can talk that one through. The good news was that Todd did not break anything and had enough time to get home and fill his lawn mower.......so his wife could mow the yard. Sweet.

The Door County Triathlon [DCT] this past weekend was a big hit http://www.doorcountytriathlon.com/ with nearly 2000 athletes completing the race. Saturdays sprint race was flawless, fast and fun with great conditions and a great field. Sunday the Half Iron enjoyed calm, warm water and a light rain that kept everyones cool. Roy, Bob, and Kim pulled off the win in the relay, nice.

Check out the shots, Deb and I head to Seattle next week for a bike show and seminars and some great riding. Stayed tuned for info on that. Meanwhile, dodge the rain, keep riding and SO2.

TNR July 13. A Dandy Day to Ride

For the twenty or so riders this ride was sweet. Nice sustained riding with an even effort kept the bunch[es] together. Nice weather and no crashes rounded out the great day.

This Saturday and Sunday the Door County Triathlon [DCT] takes place with a record field. Expect hot weather so start hydrating early. The 1/2 Ironman will feature the brutal Bluff Pass hill which will test your mettle. Good luck whatever you do and we will see you next week. These are the best days of summer, get out and enjoy them.

Check out the group and the gams, whooeeeee.

SO2

Why Wood and Helmets Don't Mix

I love this hot sticky weather. There is nothing better than slipping on a sleeveless jersey and heading out the door with no socks and being warmed up almost instantly. Today was just like that, humid and hot, the roads still wet from last nights soaker. I jumped on my fixed gear not wanting to get my white Record Ace dirty, I like white bikes, but not cleaning them after a wet ride.

There is a small pea gravel trail running through some woods that I like to cut through to get to another road I frequent. There are several areas of boardwalk on the trail that cross the wet spots and today they were particularly slippery. As I descended the final bridge my front wheel washed out and spit me down, hard. I have crashed dozens of time over the years, in racing falling is part of the game but this time it caught me off guard, I never even took my hands off the bars as I slapped my head onto the 2 X 6 railing that serves as an edge to the boardwalk.

That would normally been bad enough but the Deer Flies descended on me like a dog on a pork link . Jumping up I noticed a chunk of wood with a fresh break alongside the trail. Like a Karate Master breaking a board, my noggin split the wood off the edge. The flies created enough of an urgency to make me get out of there toot-sweet. After getting back on the road I pulled my Giro helmet off which had suffered two cracks. My brain also got sloshed around a bit but the nice thing about wet boards is that they don't leave much road rash. I was lucky.

I was more upset about not keeping the bike up than hurt and I believe in the "get back on the horse" mentality so I circled around and decided to ride that trail again. I could see the skid marks and the broken chunk of wood. [that I carried the few miles home.] The point is this: The helmet did it's job. Earlier this week we taught a bike fitness segment at a local high school. It is kind of sad to see 60 kids who think it cannot happen to them, who don't think it matters. I wish they could have seen this one. Keep on riding, wear your helmet and be prepared. I like to think that my positive outcome this morning was because of my skill level but it was probably mostly luck, but wearing that helmet was not! Enjoy this hot weather and as always SO2 [stay on two].

Bike Movie Updates and DCT info.

A special showing of the Ride to the Sky Movie is coming back to Green Bay. See the details at
Movie details: http://www.ridethedividemovie.com/
Marinette Event: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/115509
Green Bay Event: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/115511
It is a cool flick about the Leadville 100 and Lance's big win there last year.

This is the latest update from the Door County Triathlon. It is filling fast so do not delay. As of Tuesday night, there are exactly 1,828 registered participants in the Door County Triathlon – 944 in the Sprint and 884 in the Half Iron.

This means that there are just over 50 spots left in the Sprint and just over 100 spots left in the Half Iron.

If you have friends, family, co-workers or acquaintances who plan to participate, call them and urge them to REGISTER TODAY. Since this event has a HARD CAPACITY LIMIT, there will be no “squeezing in” additional participants after the events are sold out.

Thanks for your help with this event!
www.doorcountytriathlon.com