Adam Miller and Brian Bradley will now ride for St. John's with Jeremy Pych. Good Luck to both of you! We will be watching your progress....
16 Jan Know When To Climb the Category Ladder
Cyclists have different levels of experience and fitness, therefore it was important for the safety of the riders and to keep the "Fun Factor" in racing to establish racing categories referred to as "Cat". What type of rider should make up each category? Cat 5 Cat 5 or "Citizen" should be relegated to riders that are "New" to the sport who may or may not have trained or aren't experienced in group rides. The races are usually shorter to give "Newbies" a chance to experience racing and an opportunity to develop pack riding skills. An upgrade to Cat 4 usually only involves participating in a number of races to gain that experience. As you can see, there are usually to many riders that sit in this category too long, making it difficult for the less experienced and less fit riders to enjoy racing. Hopefully the new "tracking" of riders by some of the Racing Organizations will put a stop to those who just sit in this category to win races. Cat 4 Cat 4 should be for those riders who feel "Safe" riding in moderately paced group rides and who have now started training consistently. These races should be a little longer and faster than the Cat 5 races. This Category is the "Testing" ground for race tactics and strategies and a place to discover your strengths or weaknesses. Cat 3 Cat 3 Riders should be able to meet these 3 Criteria: 1. You have now trained and identified your strengths and weaknesses. 2. You are extremely comfortable in a racing pack. 3. You can now apply "Race Strategies" to help yourself or a team mate. Many riders linger too long in Cat 4 because they don't think they are physically ready. Actually a move to Cat 3 is much more "Mental" than it is physical provided you can commit an amount of time to training. The big "Key" here is that you are no longer worried about staying upright in a field of riders with a wide-range of bike handling abilities. At this level tactics and strategies start to define those who win. Cat 1/2 Finally a level of racing that either takes a great deal of time and commitment or a very genetically and gifted athlete. It's a category that often races with the "PROS". Many riders jump up to this level of racing and the "Fun Factor" disappears. Ultimately the reason we race is to have fun. Placing yourself in the correct category helps you push the limits of your abilities while having a great time.
1 Jan 2010 Happy New Year!
WOW! It's already 2010. I've lived to see another year! 2009 was a great year to ride and it's time to tell you my favorite moment of 2009 before we start all over again. In a way this is quite historical for me. For the very first time EVER my favorite moment of the year and I wasn't even riding on a bike. I was however watching a bike race.... Drum Roll please.... My favorite biking moment of 2009 was cheering wildly for Eric Burch, Craig Eaton and Kent Woermann placing 1,2,3 at the Tour of KC held at Longview College! This is without a doubt the most exciting moment in 2009 that involved a bike! The strategy, endurance and skill displayed by the Bicycle Shack Racing Team and guys I know was thrilling. The selflessness of Eric Finks blocking in the group trying to chase them down was awesome. By the way, he came in 5th! Those 4 rode like a TEAM should. IF someone had taped that race it could have gone on sale as a "Racing Strategy" edition. I think anyone watching that race would agree with me... It was the "GREATEST MOMENT OF 2009"! Later.....
14 Dec - Good Results for Jeff Winkler at Nationals
One Hundred and Fifty-Five started in the 40-to 44 Year Age Group, representing the best in the country in cyclocross in that age group. Our very own Jeff Winkler placed 11th! Very impressive! Congrats Jeff on representing "US", the state of MO and the Kansas City area in general..... We are proud!
2 Nov - And I thought Friends on the Podium would be Manageable!
If you haven't had a chance yet, click on "Friends on the Podium". These are friends of our who have placed either 1st, 2nd or 3rd in a race and have ridden the Saturday Morning Ride leaving from Longview College Recreation Center parking lot within the last year. I am simply amazed - as I really thought it would involve only an entry on rare occasions. WOW! We really have some of the best athletes on that ride! And I just started this section in the middle of September.....!
1 Nov - Kyle Skinner - Another Saturday Rider Comes Into His Own!
Congratulations Kyle! Rides to a 1st Place finish in the Sunflower Cross Category 4 Race. Hopefully he will go from "unattached" to a Bicycle Shack Racer this year. You will probably look good in green!
1 Nov - Brian Mitchell - 2nd Place New York City Marathon!
Congratulations Brian! Facing the best in the world, Brian rolls to 2nd Place in the Big Apple! WOW!
11 Oct - Who Said the MS150 wasn't a Race?
Story By Chris Smedley I so much enjoyed riding with everybody. The first day was great. We where blessed with the beautiful weather and a slight tail wind. Starting off together in the mix and slowly picking it up. I should have done the century with you guy's but I guess that left me some energy for the next day. I got kinda carried away with John and a few others on the way back. I was feeling pretty good and the light on top of the lead out vehicle was kinda hypnotizing as we were able to stay behind it until 40-45 miles before we gave up on staying with Tim Colfield.
It came down to John and I trying to bridge back up to him but to no avail. Tim looked like he was sitting up but kept pulling away. He just got through telling me he had nothing left after riding with Jeremy the first day.100 miles @23ave. Just goes to show you. His nothing left still rides away from us.:)
After waisting ourselves, I pretty much hit the wall and took advantage of John's draft as much as possible. As you know though the way the wind was it was tuff to find a draft. With a couple riders just a couple hills back. We had to keep pushing.
We still came in 2nd and 3rd. Couldn't believe some big group didn't catch us before the end. Next Year Bigger, Better Bike Shack MS150 Team!
11 Oct - And From The Desk of the Ultra Endurance Athletes...
These Stories are late but NOT Forgotten. From the Louisville Iron Man our very own Michael Boles finished in 11 Hours 48 Minutes and 30 Seconds the 2.4 Mile Swim (1:16:21), the 112 Mile Bike Leg (5:49:01) and the 26.2 Mile Run (4:34:40). This placed him in the top 26% of those that participated. Of 2,435 he was 640th place! Congratulations Mike! And at the 500 Mile Texas Tejas Time Trial Jeff Winter finished 1st in his age group! There were only 12 finishers in the allotted time. Jeff was 5th Overall finishing the 503.5 Miles in 35 Hours 3 Minutes. His friend Alex Shnyra finished 8th in 38 Hours 44 Minutes. Michael Boles completed 397.5 Miles before succumbing to an ankle injury. This was still the 14th best!
28 Sept - New Link "Friends on The Podium"
I decided to remove the Recreational Ride Section since I never seemed to have time to keep it updated and almost ALL recreational rides can be accessed via the JCBC/KCBC Calendar link on the left. I also removed the 26 MPH Club Link because what was once a rare occurance reaching the elusive 26 MPH speeds on Saturday morning are now happening quite regularly. Even 27 MPH is happening too often to be a rarity. Replacing these sections with just one section called "Friends on The Podium" gives credit to our fellow Saturday Riders who are causing these speeds to be so fast on Saturday Morning. The riders who race and have also riden our Saturday Morning Ride within the last year will be recognized if they reach the Podium in any given Race regardless of who's team they ride on. A Podium Finish is for 3 Places ONLY - 1st - Gold, 2nd - Silver, 3rd - Bronze. The reason being is that I would never have the time to recognize the great results by so many of our riders. (I post the Race Results for ALL places for the Bicycle Shack Racing Team and let me tell you it is time consuming!) Restricting results for just the Podium Finishers might be more manageable. Of course a NEWS Story might come about if for instance one of our friends place 6th in a race with over 100 riders. I would still like to recognize great results even if they don't get on the podium, but the NEWS Story would take care of that recognition. For those who don't race, you may feel much better being dropped by the front group on Saturday knowing who these "Powerhouses" are... Any other ideas - let me know!
22 Aug - Who Got "IT"?
What does it take to reach the “Elite” (PRO,Cat 1/2) ranks?
I asked myself that question than started doing tons of research on the internet to try and determine the possibilities of reaching those milestones. Unfortunately genetics is involved. There are also charts posted for the “gifted” that pretty much know what category you would be competitive in based on your annual mileage. In other words, even if your genetic make-up gives you an advantage, you wouldn’t even be competitive in a Cat 4 race if you only rode 10 or 20 miles a week.
There is good news for those of us who picked the wrong parents. Mileage and proper training will take even the most average Joe or Jane to fitness levels that 99.8% of Americans will never come close to reaching. It is even possible to get quite competitive in the lower categories of racing with an average genetic make-up. You might just have to work a little harder.
How “FIT” is a racer?
Believe it or not even a mid-pack Cat 5 finisher is fitter than 99.9% of all Americans. They rank above the fitness levels of most Aerobic Instructors. It should be no surprise to many of us who ride our bikes at recreational levels and then enter our first category 5/citizens race only to find ourselves getting shelled off the back of the pack. Even at this lower level of racing you can’t just go out for a few easy rides a week and be competitive. To jump from recreational rider to racer, some form of training is required even if it is just trying to stay with faster riders on fast group rides a couple of times a week. The average speed of a Cat 5 criterium might be between 23 and 25 MPH which far exceeds the 14 to 18 MPH average speeds that religious recreational riders are accustomed to riding. Jumping up a level from 5 to 4 is not that large of a leap for those close to the front of Cat 5 races. Skill levels are usually a little bit better but race speeds and fitness levels could be similar. The next jump to Cat 3 appears to be much greater based on the speeds indicated by the use of timing chips that racers now use. My best guess is that there are “gifted” athletes like Craig Morris and Brian Bradley who were once Cat 2 racers that down-graded to Cat 3 when family priorities lessened their training time OR lesser gifted athletes who have tons of high level training mileage mixed in this group. Speeds and biking skills are much higher at this level.
This brings us to Category 2 and above….
IF you make it this far go home and give your Mother a great big KISS! Yes, genetic endurance can only be passed down from the female side and if you have a great SPRINT at the end of the race you can then also thank your Dad who might have passed you the white twitch muscle fibers and muscular strength. Of course it will take effort on your part to hone those gifts from your parents.
A couple of parents that need to be recognized: Mr/Mrs Winkler, Mr/Mrs Pych, Mr/Mrs Todd, Mr/Mrs Miller and Mr/Mrs Lininger… (Cat 1 – Jeff Winkler, Cat 2 – Jeremy Pych, Phil Todd, Luke Lininger, Adam Miller)
Later……
20 July - Luke's Take on the Tour of the Red River Gorge
"Just got back from RRG and it was blast. My results weren't the best but I wasn't going there to win it. I was just going for the experience. Thursday was the hardest day with 8000 feet of climbing, luckily my legs were feeling the best they had all week (which still wasnt very good). I was sitting mid pack and came around a sweeping left hand corner and the pack pinched down really tight but the dude in front of me grabbed hand fulls of brake and hit the deck right in front of me. I don't have any road rash whatsoever, but my back landed on top of some guys' cranks. I got back going and was working my way through the caravan of cars when about two miles later I flatted. Now the peloton was about 7 minutes ahead and we were only 16 miles into a 71 miles RR. I missed the time cut by like 3 minutes. I didn't really care at this point because I hadn't had any water in the past 22 miles. It was a great experience and I had a ton of fun. I might not have had the best legs or the greatest luck but its all good. I really appreciate the support and everything the team has offered in the past few weeks."
10 July - Luke Lininger in the Big Time!
Just wanted to post and inform those that don't already know, and to let those that do know but may not realize how big of an accomplishment this really is.... Through his hard work and great race results, Luke qualified for and attended a USA Cycling Junior Development camp last month. This is huge accomplishment in itself! Luke rode strong at the camp and obviously caught the attention of the coaches, as he was one of a select few juniors from the camp to be invited to race at one of the premier junior races on the Borah Development Junior Cycling Team!
He will join his teammates at the infamous Tour of Red River Gorge in Kentucky. Red River Gorge is a UCI, 5 stage invitational event for Juniors that will take place July 13-17. The Borah Development team has a complete support staff including an experienced team director, a mechanic, a massage therapist, and team vehicle. They even have someone to do his laundry and its not even his mom. This is big time stuff folks! Luke deserves recognition and huge congratulations for this accomplishment. How cool is this?! Way to go Luke, we are super proud of ya, keep it up!! The Tour of Red River Gorge is essentially the equivalent of the Tour of California or Tour of Missouri for juniors. It is the only UCI Junior stage race in the United States. Translation: A VERY BIG DEAL!
28 Jun - Breakthrough Tour of KC!
The Bicycle Shack Racers really made my day. This week-end races were attended by people from all over the place and on OUR HOME COURT! I was never so excited to see the Cat 4 Race out of Longview College with a very large field of riders be so Man-Handled by 1st Place - Eric Burch, 2nd Place - Craig Eaton and 3rd Place - Kent Woermann placing 1/2/3 for the Bicycle Shack in the Cat 4 Crit. Eric Finks who place 5th masterfully controlled the chasing group from behind to keep them from riding down the our three riders. It was awesome to see and has left me hoarse from cheering! In the Cat 3 Race Adam Miller took 1st and is a friend of the Saturday Riders. He has the wrong color jersey on - but we rooted for him anyhow! Jeremy Pych stuck with a very strong group of PRO/1/2 riders on a difficult and Hot course. What a great night to watch our friends in action. Then again in Lee Summit on Saturday afternoon it was Craig Eaton taking 1st in Cat 4 and Kent Woermann was up there somewhere because of the strong riding of Eric Finks. Eric Finks took off from the lead group and held a solo lead for a good 15 minutes which allowed the Bike Shack riders to sit in and not pull in the chasing group. They finally caught Eric with just a couple of laps left when Craig Easton shot off the front and held on for 1st place riding just about 2 laps out in front solo! (We hope Eric Finks gets well and recovers from a broken collar bone. With just one lap to go - something happened in the second turn that sent him flying into a cement curb. OUCH!) And today Sunday - down at the Power and Light District - Phil Todd showed the Master's how to race! He broke away on the last lap at the top of the hill taking the bottom 2 corners at nearly 40 MPH and sprinting up a steep hill to beat some very strong Master Riders! It was awesome to watch! (Scary too!) And Kent Woermann missed 1st place by inches taking 2nd on that same uphill sprint in the Cat 4 division! What an awesome display of power this whole week-end by our friends from the Bicycle Shack. It is quite possible that Adam Miller would have won the Cat 3 Race on Sunday afternoon as he was positioned quite well with just one lap to go when someone came and clipped him causing Adam to crash. Luckily he was not injured seriouly. As strong as he was riding, I'm sure he would have won that race...!
15 Jun - BIG Biking Week-end for Longview Area!
Breakthrough Tour of KC! For ALL details see: www.breakthroughtourofkc.com. We start Friday June 26th with the Longview Criterium at 5:45 PM starting with Cat 4's all the the way to PRO/1/2 evening Crits! Then Sat Morning (IF you're not racing) meet at Longview College for the Tour de Lakes ride. We can then enjoy a ton of racing in Lee's Summit from 2:00 PM till 9:00 PM from Juniors to PROS racing a Crit in Lee's Summit. Get out, Ride have some fun and watch Great Racing. Many of the guys you ride with on Saturday morning will be racing that week-end. I almost forgot - Racing continues on Sunday in the Power & Light District! See you there!
15 Jun - It's NOT Impossible - 1000 K Report!
Story By Jeff Winter Our adventure began with the train departing KC Friday night and arriving in Santa Fe , New Mexico , then ended in Herington , Kansas Tuesday evening. Steve Burns, Alex Shnyra & I met up with about 10 others from as far away as Canada and California , and as close as St. Joe & Columbia MO. Day one began like a dream, 7,000 feet in the mountains of Santa Fe , NM , and descended into Boise City Oklahoma , 30mph south/west tail winds blowing us 264 miles with an incredible ride time of 11hrs; 42min averaging 22.5mph. If we were geared with a 60x11 we could have easily averaged 30mph. However, listening to the weather report later that night brought us back to reality…the winds would change for the next two days directly into our faces! Day two confirmed the weather reports; I’ve never ridden 197 miles with head winds 15 to 20mph. Staying in our aero bars, taking one mile pulls was the only way to survive, with a ride time of 11hr 49min averaging 16.6mph we arrived in Kinsley, Kansas, What a day. We hoped that the predictions for day three would be wrong, not only would we be facing those same winds but now a 50% chance of severe thunderstorms too! Fortunately, we made it back before the rains cut loose. Our relief from the wind came the last 20 miles when the route changed to the north taking us to Herington , KS for the finish; 182 miles with a ride time of 12hr 10min and a grueling average of only 14.9mph. Total distance 643 miles with a ride time of 35hrs 41min and because of day one our total average remained high at 18.02mph. What a trip!
Sat 30 May - Kory Does The Big Apple!
Story By Kory Dillman OK. So I wasn’t on the Saturday Morning ride. That’s doesn’t mean I can’t tell you story, though, does it? I didn’t make the ride this week (or any ride this week, for that matter) because I’ve been touring the east coast by car. I left Kansas City on Tuesday evening, headed for the greatest city on earth, or so they say, and then stops in Philly, Baltimore, where I am this morning, and DC before turning west. I arrived in Long Island City, which sits just across the East River from Midtown Manhattan, late on Wednesday night. I had no idea just how crazy this place truly is. Zoo York barely begins to describe the insanity. I’ll spare you the details of congested roads, rows of apartment buildings that bloat out the sun, people from every corner of the world, potted roads too rough for driving, and all the other craziness that I saw. The real story are the bike messengers. WOW! These guys make the Saturday ride look like a walk in the park. I’ve heard stories about the daring maneuvers and break-neck speeds. But, you have to see it to really appreciate just how good these guys are at riding a bike. Each one that I watched was on a fixie with no brakes! Imagine skirting through traffic at 25 MPH with barely enough room for the bars to squeeze through (they ride really short straight bars to boot!), and no brakes. I winced when I saw the first one. He came sliding along at easily 20 MPH, squeezed between a moving car and a parked car, and then rocked forward, moving all of his weight in front of the bike, in order to come to a stop at an intersection. Even then, he didn’t really stop but more adjusted his speed so he could dash between two on-coming cars. I was certain that he was going to be splattered. But, after a quick slide of the back tire, he was back on the pedals and screaming down the road. I picked my jaw up just in time to see another rider do a similar maneuver. Watching these maniacs ride through traffic with that much speed gave me a whole new appreciation for RIDE. Of course, watching them motor along also made me long for a ride. But, alas, I didn’t bring a bike with me. I look forward to the story…if only to dream about being there with everyone. I should be back next weekend (I HOPE!) and will be ready to roll. Have a great weekend! Kory
Sun 24 May - 600 K - The Jeff Winter Story
600K Ride Report by Jeff Winter Anyone who has ridden this route before knows that you have to be ready for anything, and doing it unsupported means you have to carry a lot of “stuff”. My 18lb carbon fiber team pro Fuji now weighed over 30 lbs loaded with all but the kitchen sink. About 10 of us set out Saturday morning at 3am from Grandview; The Route: Spring Hill- Paola- LyCygne- Amsterdam- Butler- Appleton City- Humansville- Weaubleau…..And of course back, a total of 375 miles. Dr. Steve Burns, Alex Shnyra, & I set out with our goal of achieving this as close to 24hrs as possible. To do this we had to maintain a 17mph average & keep our 8 control check points at 15 minutes each. The 3 of us would have to work together, Alex is the strongest up hills, Steve is a master of the aero bars, pulling us on quick descents and the flats, & I grab all the city limit sign points with a little sprint action, (most Randonneurs don’t have sprint in their vocabulary so its like taking candy from a baby). Alex unfortunately had early cramps at about the 68 mile point, but quickly seemed to recover, only to be stricken with them again in the Ozark like hills heading to Humansville. When Steve & I returned to LaCygne, (the 310 mile point) we had our 17mph average still in place, but we were off our time goal by about an hour. Things quickly went awry heading back to Paola for both Steve & I as sleep deprivation and fatigue really slowed us down. Paola back to Grandview was, for both of us, at “survival speed” as the cool night temperatures & intermittent fog hindered us. Total miles 375; average speed 16.4 mph; total time 26hrs; ride time 22hr 55min. I can’t wait to hear Alex’s story, from what I know he overcame leg cramps, dog attacks, and a wrong turn that added over 20 miles, and he still came in around 30hrs, This from a guy who had never ridden over the century mark before the start of this season and only in his 2nd year of cycling. Congratulations to all who completed this daring event.
Sun 17 May - Bicycle Shack Breakfast Ride.
Story By Chris Smedley What wonderful weather! The food was good. No wind, a bit cool but comfortable with the clear sunny sky. That was one of the best breakfast rides we have had. There were 23 hungry people all together. We lost one to a mechanical and flat(Pat Ditzler). He decided that by the time he got out there we would be done eating so he headed back. I didn't time the ride right or he would of had time. I thought it was just 20miles. It was 23miles which added 12 minutes to our ride time. We arrived a couple of minutes late but they held our tables. I think I owe Pat breakfast next time. I enjoyed visiting with everyone including a new visitor from France - Bernard. He told us how he used to drive a car in the Tour de France and raced some in his younger days. He bought one of the bike shack jerseys to take and wear in one of his favorite ride in France 6/3. On the way back we got a lesson on how to hit gravel and stay upright just long enough to go head first into the ditch and woods from our buddy Joe, alias AJ or as Bob would like to call him now CJ. I think he ate to many of those cinnamon rolls and his judgment was impaired. I decide to pack a couple extra $10's for there is always some dummy that forgets his money. Then I realized I was the dummy this time for I forgot to take it out of my jeans and put it in my jersey. so I went up to Captain Bob begging for money. He hooked me up. I owe him too. Thanks so much for going I look forward to the next time. I'll let you know - Normally Sun at 8:00, 50ish miles.
Sun 10 May - Jeff Winters/Steve Burns 440 K - Crazy!
Total Miles: 279 (for a 254 Mile Route), Total Ride Time: 20 Hrs, Average Speed: 16.4 MPH. I don't know how you guys do it - but Congrats to ALL that made it! You to Alex, whoever you are.....
Sat 25 Apr - Congrats to Those 300 K Riders!
About 30 hardy souls set out Saturday 4/25/09 at 6am from the Perkins in Liberty to attempt another 300 K (about 185 Miles for us Americans). Jeff Winter and Company (Steve Burns) completed the distance with an overall average around 17.4 MPH. Riding time: 10hr 28min, Total time: 11hr 20min. I believe that a number of riders finished despite the strong winds, but I don't have their stats. Check with Jeff Winter or Steve Burns the next time you see them to get all the details. Sounds like it was quite the adventure.
Mon 20 Apr - A Second Opinion The Non-Headliners!
Story by Joe Thieman Some of us will never make the headlines or newsworthy blog of Mike Neven’s Elite mph team. This for the unworthy individuals that consistently show-up for the Wednesday and Saturday rides, hoping we will increase our mph by the decimals, bringing up the rear, extending our O2 saturation beyond humanly possible, being passed by kids up the hills on training wheels and ole men in walkers and enjoying a $5.00 Subway after the ride, these are the true dedicated Bicycle Shack riders. We are the creators of lame excuses, and never tracking our mph, because what does it matter, we are in last place but we finished. Hail to dedicated slower riders called: Marks, Dales, Joes, Garys, Bobs, and yes, even Chris. These are the true Bicycle Shack riders that average between 18 to 21+ mph’er.
Sat 18 Apr - Congrats! Excellent Spring Fling by Bicycle Shack Racing Team!
Remarkable domination by the Bicycle Shack Racing Team at Spring Fling 2009. With 45 to 80 riders in each of the Men's divisions, the Bicycle Shack Racing Team placed 3 or 4 riders in the Top 10 of each and every category. WOW! Congrats to all who participated and helped make this happen.
Sun 12 Apr - Score: Common Sense 0 -- Fleshe Won!
Story by Jeff Winter The Fleshe’ (pronounced Flesh), for me is a very mysterious and misunderstood 24 hour ride that is done only near the Easter weekend world wide. There are so many rules to this ride that only someone like Bob Burns our local RBA director would be able to explain it. One rule (I think) is that there can only be 3 to 5 on a team, but a finish with less than 3 will mean disqualification for all and a minimum of 225 miles must be ridden. The last 20 miles must be done in two hours or less the 23rd & 24th hour. Enough of that (I probably even got most of those rules wrong). Spencer Klaassen, two of his buddies Eric, & Brian from St. Joe & me (Jeff Winter)set out at 6pm Thursday night from “Pappys” in St. Joe. The weather forecast was for rain to start about that time with the possibility of heavy rain, a possibility of thunder (they did not say lightning but I guess I should have figured out that one), a low temperature of 38 degrees, and strong North-North East winds up to 30-35 mph. I’m sorry to say that for once the forecast was spot on. Rule: #1- Believe the Weather Forecast and make intelligent decisions based on common sense. #2- Wear a rain coat. (Of course you would not have to remember rules 2 – 5 if you followed rule #1).
#3- Choose a route that you don’t have to go into the strong, cold North-North East wind the last 150 miles of the ride (did I mention the 30 to 35mph cold N-NE winds). #4- Bring your sunglasses because when lightning almost strikes you it is so bright that you will be blinded for about 30 seconds. #5- Ride with someone who on a day like this will not add an additional 20 miles onto the route just for fun, (could that be Spencer)? The Route: St. Joe MO, Atchison KS, Tonganoxie KS, Wellsville KS, Bucyrus KS, Louisburg KS, Drexel MO, Garden City MO, Kingsville MO, Odessa MO, Grain Valley MO. 245 miles.
Did you know that during lightning storms - That earth worms as big as king snakes lay all over the roads of Kansas. That Eric’s bike is heavy enough to break the back of possums that get in his way. That during hypothermia your body will uncontrollably shake in a last ditch attempt to warm you, but getting back on your bike with semi trucks speeding by will make you forget about how cold you are.
Lastly I’d like to thank Spencer for inviting me on another great adventure; the one thing I can always count on when I ride with him is that it will not be just another boring ride.
Mon 9 Mar - Bike Shack Racers Put on a Clinic at the Spring Fling!
I was positive that I was going to keep this site more of a Recreational Ride site - but I can't help myself when many of the "Big Green Bike Shack Racing Machine" guys, who ride with us on Saturdays are out there in Lawrence dominating the Spring Fling crits. Far to many riders to mention and far to many stories to tell. So click on the Bicycle Shack Racing Team website and look at the results of Spring Fling #1. What you don't see are quite a few riders NOT mentioned since they worked like super domestiques leading out sprinters or closing gaps. Do yourself a favor and the next time you see a green Bike Shack Racing jersey ask them about the races. Hopefully they will want to brag a little and tell you how well they all worked together! Keep it up Bike Shack you are looking good!
The 1st ride starts at 7:45 AM from Longview College Recreational Center Parking Lot - Very Social! Just 10 miles around Longview Lake approx. speed 12/13 MPH. The 30 mile ride starts at 8:45 AM. Approx. 17 to 20 MPH. Rides go all year provided the temperature is above 45 degrees!
Sunday Dog Ride - Medium/Fast!
Leaves JP Coffee Shop at 8:30 AM. I heard this is a good ride from a number of sources!
Tuesday Lee's Summit Ride
Starts at 6:00 PM from up the street at the Church parking lot near the Amtrak Station in Lee's Summit.
Wednesday Bike Shack Ride
Starts at 6:00 PM from the Bicycle Shack.
Thursday Night Ride
The ride leaves Casey's at Pink Hill and Woods Chapel Road for most of the summer. Start time 5:45. 35 mile loop. Fast!
Definitely a NEW Saturday Record.... No Not Speed - The Record is that there has been No Saturday Ride since Nov. 28th, 2009 and it doesn't even look good for next week-end. Anybody going crazy? Going crazy! Going crazy! Glad that I don't race anymore - I HATE training indoors! Spring Fling races start Feb 27th... we will know who the die-hards are - that's for sure! "Die-Hards" - definition: "Those who endure intense indoor training when not able to get out and ride." OR maybe those who are getting out and riding in these conditions! It's been so long since I have even typed anything - trouble finding all the keys that I need on the keyboard. Hope to see everyone by March....!
I walked the dog by Longview College mainly to see if anyone would show up in the cold. My thermometer said it was 23 degrees and it was windy. I see one car in the parking lot with a bike on the back so I drive over to see who it is. Joe Brown is wondering where is everybody... I am only wondering "Why? Why would you ride today? And... where is Jeff Winter? Isn't this his weather. Realizing that nobody might show up he starts to drive away and sees a Scott bicycle coming into the parking lot. He turns around to ride. I didn't catch who it was. Hope they had fun! I rode a round in the afternoon because it was now suppose to be 40 degrees. This was the coldest, windy-ist 40 degrees I have ever felt. Even tho I saw Jeff Alan out riding, I still rode home. My hands are still cold and its tough to type. So.... Later.....
28 Nov Yep! It's November!
Of course there was a good turn out - ever see weather like this in November? It was windy but it was nice. Great tail wind for the return from Casey's. And could this be right? John Tye finishing with the front group. It was fast right from the start leaving Casey's - why wouldn't it be with tail winds that make sail boats faster than speed boats. Somehow I lost it right before the turn on County Line. My only consolation was that I kept the front group in sight till the last hill. Now I'll have to wait till I get back to the college to see who stayed on. I caught up to Nathan at 150 Hwy and he said they had just rolled through. I guess they were stuck there for about 30 seconds or more. At least I'm not that far behind. This left Nathan and I rotating back with a couple of carrots in the distance. Looked like one was a bicycle shack jersey. We got closer but not close enough to see who they were. I asked who were the first in and they pointed to a group of five. One of the people they pointed out was John Tye - WOW! Congrats John - I'm impressed. He made it back with Jeff Alan, Kory Dillman, John 3:16 and Kevin. Ben Simon said he was slightly trailing in behind. He was probably just being humble so I will include him in the front group. We found out that Reggie was the carrot we never caught up to. Being out on a bike in this weather in Novermber... Why.. it just doesn't get any better than this... Later....
21 Nov It is November.. Right?
A surprising month indeed... My feet and hands aren't even getting cold on an early November ride. Does this mean we are going to be jinked in 2010? Might as well just enjoy while we can. Even Ben Simon likes it....! As usual I missed the earlier ride. I seem to enjoy sleep much to much lately. Looks like about 8 or more rode the first ride. And returning from Casey's on the 2nd ride - looks like there were about 13 or 14. Jeremy Pych and Jeff Winkler graced us with their presence again. It sure makes the ride fast, at least for the few minutes that I stay with them. Absolutely no surprise to see Jeremy Pych, Jeff Winkler, Kent Woermann, Ben Simon and NEW Super Star Kyle Skinner disappear over the horizon. Maybe if I get a satelite tracking image I could see how far up the road they are at any given point along the route. Anyhow it sure was good to see them and know that they are getting ready for the 2010 racing year. Of course, Jeff Winkler is still in tip-top shape for the Cyclocross season at the highest levels of that sport. Anyhow - back to what I know.... Joe Brown and I got shelled down County Line and I was glad to have someone to ride with. We were surprised to see Jeff Alan behind us IF only for a little while. He rode by like we were standing still on the last hill of County Line and eventually caught up to the front 5 at 150 Hwy. Joe and I were excited to see them at 150 Hwy (must of been a long light again), but we missed the green and had to wait. Never did see the front group again.... All in all a great day to ride. The 6 that came in first at who knows how fast, was: Jeff Winkler, Jeremy Pych, Kent Woermann, Ben Simon, Kyle Skinner and Jeff Alan. Does anyone recogize a "SLOW" name? Didn't think so... Later.....
14 Nov It's NOT Always the 1st In!
A surprising good turn-out for "Iffy" weather. Seemed like there were about 15 or more on the 1st ride and somewhere around 15 or more on the second ride. Leaving Casey's on the return there was an immediate break because of the light at 58 Hwy. The strong riders that made the light and would be very hard to catch up to were Kent Woemann, Kevin and Marvin. Reggie was probably one of the strongest in the group that missed the light. Kent and Marvin looked back and soft pedaled for awhile. But soon, before the stuck group from the light came back the front group already started to slowly pick up the pace and start rotating. Kevin, Kent, Marvin, Davis, Mike Neven, Chris Ogden started rotating down County Line. I knew that I would be the first to fall off. A few minutes later Chris fell off. I chased up to him and he pulled most of the way down County Line with the 3 clearly in sight. We turned down Belaire together when those 3 came up on us from behind. Yes, they had made a wrong turn somewhere and now the 5 of us were together again. We got stuck at the long light at 150 Hwy when Davis, Reggie, Chris Smedley and Joe Brown pulled up. We were now a group of 9. It seemed rather smooth and not very difficult to sit in this large group. We were still all together as we turned right toward the dam when I noticed that there was a small gap that was slowly getting larger with Kevin, Reggie and Chris Ogden up front. It seemed to me that Kent Woermann and Marvin were the strongest based on the ride down County Line. They were riding side by side chit-chatting and the rest of us relaxing behind them. I thought for sure that they would slowly pick it up and bridge our group up to those 3. However, I realized much to late that they didn't really care today and were content to ride at their conversational pace. I knew it was to late for me to catch up but just wanted to finish up riding hard. After we turned back toward the college by the golf course, I took off - mainly for the last minute work-out as it was now hopeless to catch anyone. After getting a sufficient burn in the quads Davis came on by. I didn't even know that anyone else was bothering to spin it out at the end. Anyhow - Reggie, Kevin and Chris Ogden came in first with a number of us falling in behind somewhere. Lesson learned today - even tho there are stronger riders with you - don't assume that they really care in "Winning" a recreational ride event. Speaking with Chris Smedley at JP's afterwards he said he was glad we were all taking it easy. IF it was easy why did I have so much sweat on a 51 degree day? Chris! I think you are just getting better OR maybe I'm getting worse. Still was a great day to ride. P.S. Where did Jeff Winter go in all of this? Did he leave with us from Casey's? Later.....
7 Nov The Super Titans Ride Again!
The title of this story will be quite obvious when I name the Front Group that came back into Longview College. First.... Let me mention that this is November. IF you were out riding today you might have mistaken today as a Saturday in May. WOW! Middle 70's in November? Even Ben Simon came out riding and he normally hangs up his bicycle in October! With out a doubt I knew the ride back from Casey's was going to be fast. I was quickly looking around to see who I might still be riding with on County Line. And WOW... was I right. Adam Miller, Phil Todd set the pace right from the get-go with Jeff Alan hanging on with his new "Cannondale". I didn't even make it to County Line and already those 3 plus John 3:16 and Ben Simon were up the road. Lucky for me I was still able to hook onto Jeff Lininger's wheel with Jeff Winter hooked on mine. Eventually I recovered from the fast start and came around to try and help. We saw Ben Simon and John 3:16 up a little ways. They also had fallen off the fast pace. (They both hadn't been on a bike in awhile which explains what happened next.) I picked up the pace just fast enough to pull us up on Ben and John when somehow they got a second wind. Oh well, we are off the back again. I now had to use both Jeff Lininger and Jeff Winter and pray I could hold on. The light at 150 Hwy caught Ben and John and the 3 of us were once again back on along with Gary Young and Mark 3:16. (It's a long light!) There are now 8 people making up the "B" group (John 3:16, Ben Simon, Marvin, Jeff Lininger, Jeff Winter, Mike Neven, Gary Young and Mark 3:16) We never did see the first group of what now became 4 riders. (Adam Miller, Phil Todd, Jeff Alan and Jeremy Pych) Jeremy joined this group somewhere along the route. I almost forgot to mention that Tim Colfield was with them for awhile until he dropped a chain. No one from our group stopped to help.... Anyhow... the 4 SUPER STUDS stayed out of sight and were the first back. While Me, Gary Young and Mark 3:16 fell off the "B" group down Raytown Rd leaving the 2nd group with just 5 (Ben, John, Marvin, Jeff Lininger and Jeff Winter). What an awesome day to ride! Later......
31 Oct Kyle and John Tye Drive the Train
What? Nice weather again and so few... At least there were more than last week - plus some new people. Around 15 to 17 riders had a nice tail wind out to Casey's..... If it wasn't for Kyle and John Tye riding so strong, I might have titled this story, "Fitness Deteriorating Quickly". It's amazing how quick you lose it when you can't get out during the week. The 6 that stayed on the front only averaged around 19.5 on the return journey and other than Kyle and John taking 90% of the pulling, the rest of us were just hanging on for the ride. In my case, I fell off Kyle and John right at the start and hitch-hiked back up to them using numerous other riders. Right off the back Fireman Bob came around and did an awesome pull pulling our little group up. When I lost it again down County Line, Steve Burns and Joe Brown took turns dragging my sorry butt back up. And I wasn't the only one "Using" people - as I never noticed "Disco" Jeff Winter on the front. We were very polite passengers on the train tho - as we thanked those who burned a match or two to keep us on board. It's just amazing how hard a hill is when there isn't a lot of weekly miles in the legs. Anyhow, I already made fun of many people in person and don't have to write them up in this story. Shoeless Joe "AJ" didn't wear cotton under-garments and probably felt better for it. See... we all learn something new. Well - the front 6 were Kyle and John Tye - the workhorses and the tag-alongs, Mike Neven, Steve Burns, Joe Brown and Disco Jeff Winter. It sure was a good day to ride! Later.....
24 Oct Too Nice For So Few
Only 2 Riders on the 1st ride - Fireman Bob and Dave Valentine. And Reggie, Bobbi, Mike Neven, Mark Breeding and Joe Brown joined them on the 2nd ride. The funny thing is - the 2nd ride turned out to be really nice from Mother Nature's perspective. So few riders with such nice weather. The shame of it all.... The good thing is that there were less riders to drop me. I knew it was going to be a bad day when I had trouble keeping up with the approximate 18 MPH pace on the way out to Casey's. For some reason I had a hard time breathing - didn't realize that Oxygen was so important to a bike rider. I thought breathing was highly over-rated, but now I know better. Returning from Casey's it didn't take Dave V, Reggie, Bobbi and Joe Brown too long to drop me, Fireman Bob and Mark Breeding. Unfortunately Fireman Bob and I caught them at the 150 Hwy light. I say unfortunately because now I know I would have to work again. Luckily they dropped me again but Bob waited for me. I think he could have stayed with them - he appeared to be strong enough. He was kind enough to pull me back. Thanks Bob! Anyhow the strong ones today were Reggie, Bobbi, Dave V. and Joe Brown coming back with just a little over 20 MPH. Congrats and hopefully I'll be OK for next week! Later.....
17 Oct Call Me "AJ, "CJ" or Now "Shoeless Joe"
3 brave souls - should of been 4 - braved the early morning cold on the 1st ride around the Lake. (Gary Young, Barry V. and Joe) The "OTHER" Joe known as either "AJ" or "CJ" has now become "Shoeless Joe" as he had to return home and get his bike shoes. Probably an age thing.... Anyhow..... Kory Dillman led an Interval Training Session out to Casey's. I've seen accordions with less elasticity than that pace line out to Casey's. Yet, we almost all made it out there. I had flatted and only Barry V. stayed with me. I think I heard Jeff Winter in his disco shoes say - "this is our chance to lose Mike...". Eventually we got the flat fixed and met the returning riders on County Line returning from Casey's. (Yes... it took me that long to fix my flat - get over it!) They were all riding a nice easy pace line on the return. Since they left me high and dry on the way out I thought obligated to break up the party. Pretty soon there was only Jeff Winter, Me and Barry with the chasing group not far behind. And that's pretty much the way it stayed all the way back to the college. (Jeff did turn to go home - probably because he was tired or embarrassed about his disco shoes - and did not complete the journey back.) So.... without any bike shack racers present, for once, I along with Barry V. were the first ones back. AND IT COUNTS!!!!! Later..... PS..Cotton Picking Shoeless Joe also now knows why we don't wear cotton as out choice of underwear, unless of course he's saving his sweat for a science experiment....
10 Oct - COLD...!
Heck.. I wasn't about to get up at zero six hundred and freeze everything off to make the 1st ride. In fact, I was pretty sure I wasn't even going to show up for the 2nd ride. But after walking down the basement and taking just one quick look at the indoor trainer, I found myself layering up because I still had time to make ride #2. I heard that about 10 or 12 guys braved the early morning cold and did a round. Most of them were to cold to continue down to Casey's. This left only Todd and I to go it alone. When we got to Casey's Fireman Bob with his friend Kevin were there. They had their cars parked at Longview and decided to ride back with us. The 4 of us stayed together for a nice moderate pace back to the college. No records broken today unless you count the temperature outside. The 1st group was correct about the wind. The headwind on the return journey was cold! But thinking about the indoor trainer and what could of been, I was glad to be out! Later..... Sorry about no Saturday story last week, no one emailed me any details. Couldn't have been that slow as I heard that Jeremy Pych was there.....
26 Sept - Jeff Alan - Ben Simon This Time.
You could really tell that the MS150 was taking place today as just 11 people were on the ride. (Ben Simon, Jeff Alan, Matt Maher, Mike Neven, Lyn Neven, Brian, Jeannie, Karen, Steve Auchterlonie, Vladimer and Rich). It was a little cool but a very nice day to ride. Ben Simon set the pace right as we left Casey's and it was fast. There goes the easy day I expected because of the very few riders. Anyhow, I along with Matt Maher jumped on his wheel. Half way to County Line we ran into Jeff Alan on his Cheetah. Oh no... this is going to be fast and it will be just a matter of time before I fall off. As I expected, those 3 were to fast for me and I fell off on the last County Line hill. Lucky for me tho, the three of them were stuck at the light at 150 Hwy. I was back and determined to hold on... Well - determined and able are two different things as I succumbed to the speed at the dam and watched the trio ride away. Those three (Ben, Jeff and Matt) probably came in at about 24+ MPH but we don't know for sure as no one reset. Who really cares this late in the year. It was fast and I'm quite sure about that! Later....
19 Sept - Adam Miller - Ben Simon The BIG Engines!
Another fantastic day. Hope we can expect more. I think the vote is in - Chris Smedley is the designated lead guy for the trip out to Casey's. Many riders came up to me and appreciated the pace he set. Thanks Chris! The return from Casey's was once again very fast for the conditions. Of course, WHY would you expect anything less with Adam Miller and Ben Simon on the front? They were the strong engines that did most of the work pulling the train of those familiar front group guys. The regulars were there on the front as usual (Ben Simon, Adam Miller, John 3:16, Steve Auchterlonie and Matt Maher) -- AND a couple of new faces were also on the front this week. Kyle who seems to be getting faster and faster was up there as was an oldie but long-time no-see Jeff Alan. Jeff was proving once again that it is NOT about the bike but the person who is riding it, as he had a tank with fenders and wider tires. Coming close to hanging and getting further down County Line was Steve Hunter and Matt Sweeney whom I was very happy to see fell off so I could join someone. Jeff Lininger, Matt, Steve and a few more of us made up the second group that just could not hang on that last hill towards 71 hwy. Soon later, Tim Colfield joined us from behind. He left Casey's a few minutes later than the rest of us and was playing catch-up. Later.....
12 Sept - Faster than the Speed Indicates...
Great Day! Great Ride!! Many People! What can I say... "Just doesn't get any better than this!" The return from Casey's was much faster than the 25.1 MPH indicates that was averaged by the "SUPERSTARS". And the size of the group on the front was large. I'm not positive, but these are who I think the front people were today... Adam Miller, Kent Woermann, John 3:16, Tim Colfield, Steve Auchterlonie, Kory Dillman, Brian Lasswell, Kent Baker and Eric Burch. At least these were the people waiting in the parking lot when the "B" group (also very large) came in next. Sorry "B" guys - I still have to learn all your names.... Even tho the 25.1 average is fast enough and deserves bragging rights as it stands - it doesn't reflect the true speed of these guys. Due to construction on the road by 150 Hwy and them having to wait up for someone who took a wrong turn this easily could have been a 26+ average if the route wasn't changed. Looks like this road change is going to be in place for awhile and posting the average for the rest of the year will be tainted since we are no longer comparing apples to apples with the first part of the summer. I did hear that at some stretch of the ride these guys were moving at around 38 MPH. I'm willing to bet that they were using both legs! Later.... PS - I almost forgot to mention Brian (wheelchair) - he finished with the "B" guys - so his average had to be in the 20's! WOW!!!!!
5 Sept - Is Everyone Getting Better?
So... I am sounding like a broken record.. Once again beautiful weather - what a great summer of Saturday morning rides! And once again large groups on both rides and once again some more new riders. It just doesn't get any better than this. The front group, from what I heard included one new person who has been on many Saturday rides and finally made it with those elite fast machines. Unfortunately, I can't for the life of me remember his name, so I will update this part later. In the front group that came back a little over 24+ MPH was Ben Simon, Kent Woermann, John 3:16, Tim Colfield and Steve Auchterlonie and one unknown for now.... These fast guys are use to being there so it's time for me to write my impression of the so-called "B" Group that comes in behind them. WOW! I was with them for awhile and they were flying. I don't think it will take that group to long to learn how to work together and stay close. This time they could see the front group up ahead almost all the way back. OR at least all the way down County Line. I was also surprised at the number of "Personal Bests" - wasn't there head wind today? Impressive! John Tye road a very fast stretch down County Line pulling along about 9 riders. I am finally going to have the learn the names of all those in the 2nd and 3rd groups as they are really impressing me! PS - Reggie sure tried to impress his future daughter's Father in Law..... Later.....
29 Aug - Mostly Green!
Heck... I don't know what's happening anymore... By the time I get back from Casey's everyone has already gone. Luckily I saw "AJ" at "JPs" and he said a bunch of Green Jersey's plus some came in first and the group was quite large. Of course Average Joe and John Tye were the first ones back. I promised that I wouldn't mention that they took a short-cut back because they were craving coffee at JP's. Whoops! Don't read that last line.... Anyhow I flatted for the 2nd time right before the ride took off to go out to Casey's, so I left it to Reggie to lead a nice pace line out. We will get to his responsibility later. Anyhow Mark Breeding was kind enough to lend me a tire and "AJ" a tube. The group tried to be polite and wait but I insisted they leave as the pressure to change the tire quickly was to much for us to handle. A couple of minutes later, Mark and I were in 2-Man Time Trial mode thinking we would have no problem catching up. Needless to say it wasn't until County Line that we were dragging our sorry butts to the back of the pack. Reaching Casey's we found out that we were over 21 and the pack was around 19.6/19.8... Reggie....! Oh well, it was all good fun and once again a beautiful day to ride. Even Lyn pulled into Casey's (My Wife) and I rode with her. I know I would have been with the front group OR at least back with Matt Sweeney if circumstances were different. Anyhow, by the time I rolled in everyone was gone. It's getting more and more difficult to write these Saturday stories. Looks like I am going to have to train over the winter so that I have a better idea of what's going on at the front next year. Well, until my fitness and desire come back around someone might want to email me the details... Later....
22 Aug - The Super Riders Rule Again!
Seems like every Saturday is a repeat of the Saturday before. This time it was the "Super Studs on Two Wheels" - Jeremy Pych, Adam Miller, Ben Simon, Kent Woermann, Steve Auchterlonie and Tim Colfield coming in at 24.4. Yes, there was a head-wind and an obstacle called "Road Construction" by the 150 Hwy light that had you creeping along the edge of a mile long train of cars waiting to get across the highway that brought down the average probably a mile an hour or more. But hey - even the rest of us (and there were a ton of riders out there today) had a great ride as once again the weather couldn't be beat. It is August isn't it? Sorry about not writing in so long - but I was out of town. I did hear that on Saturday Aug. 15th speeds were around 28 MPH more than half way into the ride and finished in the 26 MPH range because of a leisure pace through a neighborhood. WOW! Is there any races coming up? I need to know so that our "B" and "C" groups have a chance to make the headlines. I really do enjoy watching the improvement of all riders. It's once again obvious to me as the summer is slowly winding down that we have the best ride in town. Thanks to all..... Later....
1 Aug - Reggie's Back!
Looked like rain this morning but ended up being a really good temp to ride in. I guess Kent Woermann and Kory Dillman got off the front and rode away from everyone and later were caught by Reggie who thinks they were soft pedaling. Anyhow, with the help from the group that Reggie was in, he finally reeled in the 2 leaders. Reggie poured it on at the end and came in alone closely followed by Kent and Kory. I only wish I could have been there... Later... More Details by Kory Dillman Today was the weekly Bicycle 101 ride that leaves Longview Recreation Center. The damp roads kept most folks in, which was a shame because the weather was almost perfect. I say almost only because the wind was a nuisance out of the WNW. I didn’t count, but would guess there were around 20 folks on the ride.
The ride to Casey’s was E-Z, thanks to a tailwind most of the way out. The return ride stung a little bit, but that was short lived. By the time we reached County Line, the group was reduced to 5–Eric B., Kent W., Tim C., a Velotek rider (great to see a new kit on the ride!), and me. Someone, either Eric or Kent, I think, dropped the hammer as we headed west on County Line, dropping the Velotek rider. Then, Tim flatted. 5 was now 3. We hammered the first hill, sat in until the base of the last hill before the outer road, and then all hell broke loose. Kent set a sharp tempo up the last tier, and then I buried myself with a little move. It was hard enough that my legs never really came back.
Eric turned for home, so Kent and I set into a crispy rotation, each pulling for about 45 seconds. That lasted until the neighborhood, and then we asked, “Why?” Between the wind and the fact that there was only two of us, there didn’t seem to be much reason in hammering all the way back. We dropped the pace to a solid tempo ride and rode in like that.
The second group on the road (Reggie, Steve’s dad, Velotek rider, and maybe one or two more) caught us near the damn. Kent and I picked up the pace to match their speed, and we all rode in together. Reggie technically got the “win” with a salty explosion on View High Dr. Hats off, Reggie!
25 Jul - Lots of People Today!
Today was a great day as many NEW riders came along. Never saw so many people that I didn't know. Came as far away as Texas. Luckily it was a nice day to ride and the friendly chit-chat probably makes them wish they had a Saturday morning ride like ours. We do have the best and friendliest riders! (So, I might be a little biased.) The return from Casey's stayed together much longer than I anticipated. Bottom Line: LOTS of Green Jerseys made up a very large front group. AND this is one time I have no idea of ALL the names - way too many for my feeble mind to remember. Maybe about 15 or more all came in together... There was some Sprint Action at the front of the pack but I didn't catch the participants nor did anyone brag about the win when I came into the parking lot. Sorry Bike Shack Racers - but you know who you are.... County Line still made life difficult for all those that are NOT one of Saturday's elite thoroughbreds. I was fortunate enough after falling off on County Line to have Brain Lasswell and Mark Krause pull me right back up to the back of the pack, even tho they said they were going to ride easy today. Then the pack got jumpy up the last hill on County Line and left me again without any help to bridge up. But - there they were stuck at the light at 150 Hwy and I was back again. The only possible way for me to hang on now is to avoid any pulls which I successfully managed. Jeff Lininger hung on today and said it was his best ride to date. It didn't even look like he was breathing hard OR maybe my breathing hard caused me not to hear. Whatever the case, look out Luke your Dad is coming after you! Thanks Shack for letting me hang.... Later....
18 Jul - Group of 11 - 25 MPH in Headwind!
Updated 20 July Once again the weather was the complete Winner of
Saturday's Ride. If we could have dialed up the weather conditions we would of had a hard time beating Mother Nature. Maybe we would have dialed back a little bit of the head wind, but then again, that's what makes us stronger and tests the "Will Power" that little bit more. Eric Burch jumped started the return from Casey's as he has been very strong as of late. Unfortunately for me, I tried to go with him and was toasted before County Line came into view. Maybe next time, I'll make a better choice and get mixed in with a larger chasing pack. Oh well... Needless to say, I got in the "B" group or "AJ's" group and watched as the "A" group slowly inched away on County Line. Doing the math at work - I figured they inched away at 6 seconds every quarter mile. The surprising thing was that the "B" group kept the Eleven who got away in sight for such a long time. Many in this group are just tiny fitness levels away from staying with the "Big Engines". And I believe a few could be right there with better pack riding skills and more confidence as the group seemed quite fast. On a side note: I picked John Tye as one of the most improved last year. I do believe he has even gone up another level this year. IF it wasn't for gravity (hills) I think he'd finish with the first group right now! I'm still waiting to receive the details about the front group - but here are some of the names that were there: Jeremy Pych, Woody, Kory Dillman, George Hincapie, John 3:16, Eric Burch, Craig Morris, Bradley Wiggins, Kent Baker, Kent Woermann and Steve Auchterlonie. This group of 11 (a couple of names missing - guess the place holder names) came in with a very impressive 25
MPH plus change despite the headwind. I along with others, will keep
dreaming of being up front so I could get my name mentioned in the headlines. Truth is, a small bribe might get your name there now like Matt Sweeney does. He's even WON some Saturday Rides and he hasn't even been there! Enjoyed the visit by a number of Bike Stop riders who came out for the ride. Hope they had a good time. Later....
11 Jul - Group of 8 or 9 - 27.1 MPH!
Updated 14 JulyGreat turn out once again. Maybe 40 on the 1st ride and 50 or 60 on the 2nd ride. Humid - but we avoided the extreme heat. Excellent pacing skills brought the huge group out almost all together to Casey's. Awesome to see the long train of the double pace line when looking back. The unbelievable story is the strength of all the riders as fitness levels improve at all levels. Joe Brown had a personal best of 21.3 riding with Mark 3:16's group. There were other personal best's but I failed to get your names. Anyway, the Bicycle Shack Racing Team and two other (Adam Miller/Jeremy Pych) were riding way out of the "Ordinary Mortal's" capabilities. Once again, putting on an awesome display of speed, power and endurance were a group of 8 that came in with a 27.1 MPH average! Do you know that is only about 37 minutes from Casey's back to the College? WOW! For those of you who watched the Races when they came to Longview and Lee Summit know that some of the "Best-of-the-Best" ride right here on our Saturday Ride. Here are the names (as best as I can remember) that rode that fast today. Jeremy Pych who rode the Pro/1/2 race at the Longview Races, Adam Miller who won the Cat 3 race at Longview, Eric Burch who won the Cat 4 Race at Longview, Kent Woermann who was 3rd in the Cat 4 Race at Longview, Steve Auchterlonie who went down to USA Cyling's National Championships a week ago, Craig Morris, Ben Simon and Aaron Jarrett and Woody round out the rest of the 8 or 9 that finished at speeds I thought would never happen on our "Not-so-Little-Anymore" Saturday Recreational? Ride. Hopefully I got the 8 names right and didn't miss anyone. Anyhow... for the rest of us who got dropped - NO SHAME.... we ride for fun and to get better and these guys are really helping the rest of us....! Keep coming.. Do I forsee a 27.5 in the future? Later.... Update per Jeremy PychSteve should get all the credit for our average speed. He pulled the entire flat of County Line at over 32 mph, then the first half of Raytown Rd at 28+. Adam spent much of the time on the front pressing the pace while most of us hung on for dear life.
27 Jun - Tour de Lakes
Our ride was replaced by an estimated 800 Riders on the Tour de Lakes leaving from Longview College at 7:00 AM. The one thing I could definitly say about this ride was HOT! VERY HOT! Because of the Hot weather and the fact that I hadn't ridden this far all year I decided to start fairly easy. Reggie Kelch luckily made the same decision so I had someone to ride and rotate with. We easily rode through hundreds of people till we caught up with the DOGS and had them to ride along with. Feeling like we had ants in our pants we took off just a hair faster and left them till we caught up with some tri-athletes. Their riding was quite smooth so we stayed with them awhile. It wasn't long till we saw the group which took off really fast made up of some more fast riders along with Ben Simon and John 3:16. I couldn't believe my eyes - How could we have caught up with this group of riders? So we sped up once again and joined the back of their group. (We later found out that they had stopped to fill some water bottles..) Now that the truth be known, my ego was placed in-check with reality. When we got to Lake Jacomo we all stopped to fill up and cool down (Except for John 3:16 and Ben Simon) We stayed there awhile as I probably downed about 2 more water bottles. Now I was sure I was going to throttle back and take it easy. I rode away thinking Reggie and I would ride together again, but Reggie was much faster on the Jacomo Hills and I could soon see that he was way out in front of me. After making a few wrong turns and ending up somewhere in downtown Lee Summit - (Nice HOT day to add even more miles to my diminishing capacity.) I finally dragged back into the college parking lot where I immediately downed a few more bottles of water and ate about a half a watermelon and lay in the shade trying to recover. John 3:16 was there and said that Ben and Reggie had left for home. It looks like John 3:16 and Ben Simon were most likely to have been the 1st two back from all the riders that took off for the long course. Quite impressive considering the temperature. Reggie was also rode quite strong and was probably very close to the next to arrive. Not bad considering he started out slow. This story would have been written sooner - but I needed another day to recover! Later.....
20 Jun - A 26 MPH Day in Head-Wind? WOW!
What Luck! The 1st ride was very Hot and Humid and I thought it was just going to be blistering hot by the 2nd ride. But what happened was clouds rolled in and the temperature dropped making for perfect riding conditions once again. Once again a large number of "Super Engines" came out again so I didn't even entertain trying to hang on once we left Casey's. The neat thing is - many riders are getting stronger and staying on front a little longer. (Information provided by others - I was off the back by County Line) I heard of a couple of "Personal Bests" again - I think John Tye mentioned he had a new record. Now how can this be - as there was a Head Wind down County Line Road? Anyhow, to those who are getting faster and enjoying it more - Congrats! When I mention the names of those who came in with the 26.0 - I'm sure it won't surprise anyone. There was Jeff Winkler (Cat 1 Racer with St. John's), Adam Miller (Has Cat Up to 3 and will be celebrating his 1st Year of Riding a bike in July!), Kent Woermann (Cat 4 Racer with the Bicycle Shack - 4th at State last week!) Craig Morris (Cat 3 Racer with the Bicycle Shack and wears neat socks!) and Eric Burch (Cat 4 Racer with the Bicycle Shack - who seems to be riding incredibly strong right now.) Quite a few "normally on the front, but got dropped today riders" came in next and a few of them had those fast "Green" Jerseys on.... By-the-way, come out to Longivew on Friday to see Pro/1/2/3/4 riders race. Friday at 5:45 PM Cat 4, 6:40 PM Cat 3 and 7:40 PM Pro/1/2. On Saturday at 7:00 is the Tour De Lakes Ride out of Longview College and in Lee's Summit starting at 2:00 and ending at about 8:30 PM are numerous races near 3rd and Main St. - Hope to see you there either riding or watching and cheering on "Friends of the Saturday Ride". I might even cheer for Adam Miller or Jeff Winkler even tho they don't wear the correct color jersey.... Later....
13 Jun - Story of Wearing People Down
With turnouts this large it's hard to mention names of riders who have gone to their personal "Next Levels" of fitness. Over 50+ Riders again on both rides thanks to almost perfect riding conditions. With all the green racing jerseys in the parking lot I thought the return from Casey's was going to be blistering fast. But what happened was - many of those racing at the Missouri Road Race Championships on Sunday were going to go easy. And all the way back there was going to be head wind. These conditions caused probably the largest "FRONT" group to turn on to County Line Road that I had ever seen. Now it was just a matter of the "SUPER" Riders to wear down people and slowly over time spit them off the back. That's what started to happen but there was still a somewhat large group as far down as 150 Hwy. Eventually I dropped (Thanks to Eric Burch forcing me to take a pull....) and I would have to wait till I got back to the college to get "The Story". It was after the dam that the action picked up and eventually Adam Miller, Matt Maher and Eric Burch were the only ones left standing - coming in, in the order that I named them at about 23.9 MPH. Sounds slow in comparison to some rides - but all we had was headwind all the way back. So it was actually quite brutal out there. So there's your PODIUM as once again the strength at the front just gets stronger and stronger as about eight riders came in just seconds behind. Awesome day! Later.....
6 Jun - A Who's Who of Speed!
Great Weather - Great Turnout - Do we expect anything less? What was the return from Casey's? A Who's Who of MO SPEED. Just to give you an idea of just how fast the ride was - Here's a couple of Names that I don't think we ever see dropped (Steve Auchterlonie, Tim Colfield, John 3:16 and others). So who caused this train wreck? Coming in at 25.9 MPH in not the best of conditions wind-wise was Jeremy Pych, Adam Miller and Kent Woermann. Very close but NO CIGAR was Brian Bradley followed by Eric Burch. Brian and Eric have been riding very well if you bother to look at the Bike Shack Racing Team website and notice their latest results. As long as these guys keep coming I doubt I'll ever see the front again but it's worth hearing their stories! My one question for Steve Auchterlonie - how did you get dropped? Aren't you one of Missouri's fastest time trial riders? And on another note - much further back than you "front runners" there was some "SPRINT" action going on - AS Mark Cavendish Sweeney stole a last minute Sprint Victory from an unexpecting Mike Neven and Renae Weaver. Great ride today.... Later.....
30 May - Very Fast Despite the Wind!
As beautiful as it was this morning I was barely well enough to make the 1st ride. I'm glad I did as I saw a great turn-out. Reggie Kelch called and said the ride back from Casey's actually started out slow (21-ish) and a large group made it to County Line. Eventually the "Power-Houses" Phil Todd, Adam Miller, Ben Simon, Craig Morris, Tim Colfield and John 3:16 left a trail of "Wan-a-bees" behind. Reggie and Jeff Winter who made up a "B" group of about 8 to 10 riders kept the front in sight almost all the way to Raytown Road. They finally shed the riders that were with them and finished at 23 MPH but no longer saw the front group. It sounds like Adam Miller is riding very well as someone mentioned that he is riding like Jeremy Pych. IF anyone has more details - please tell! Later.....
23 May - The Weather Wins! The Weather Wins!
Updated 26 May by Kory Dillman - Added on the end. This morning was "Biking Heaven"! Who in their right mind wouldn't enjoy a windless, perfect temperature bike ride? We had it all this morning. It was Bicycle Paradise and 50+ riders on both rides would probably agree with me. Luckily Chris Smedley has taken over the pacing of both rides and gets the respect of all the riders. He was able to control the pace and we kept the speeds down so the NEW riders could tuck in and enjoy! It was awesome rounding a corner and looking back at the very long line of riders. It just can't get any better than this! I might have to wait for someone to send me an email with details about the return trip from Casey's. Did anyone realize that I was still in the bathroom at Casey's when you left? Anyhow.. I was just one light behind and could still see the long trail of riders in front of me when I crossed 58 Hwy. I might purposely do this again sometime. It was fun to have a string of rabbits sitting out in front. It took me all the way to 150 Hwy and the fact that "Average Joe's " group got stuck at the light for me to catch up. I was surprised how fast everyone is getting (OR how slow I'm getting) because I thought I was going to drop a time or two from this group. I think this is the FUN group! (Sorry Speedsters!) I had a great ride and the group was pretty large which made it fun. I hate to admit it but "AJ" is one heck of a puller! I spoke with the guys who were already back at the college and it looks like those "GREEN" Jersey's are just too fast - as it was Eric Burch, Phil Todd, Ben Simon, Luke Lininger and Kent Woerman who had left the Best of the Rest scattered like little school girls at a tea party. (I bet that hurt some ego's!) These guys are really riding fast - so congratulate them when you see them! Luke even stayed with Steve Tilford for about 23 minutes in a road race a week or two ago! And Eric Burch is getting great results in ROAD Racing! Where's that Mountain Bike? Kent Woermann seems to be the New Generation of Up-And_Coming racers and of course Phil Todd and Ben Simon need no introduction - as year after year they just are always part of the front group. And for all those riders between the 1st Group and AJ's Group - either be faster or slower if you want to get mentioned in this story...! Did I mention that we had the honor to see Matt Sweeney this morning - somehow he still felt the need to out-sprint the two girls he was with at the end...! Later..... Kory's Group - by Kory Dillman Just like last week, my legs weren't ready when Phil came flying around. It took a good mile or two before they finally warmed up. The front group opened 100 meter gap on me but I was closing in on them going into the big dip on Kurzweil. I could have bridged to them...except for a car that got between us at County Line and Kurzeweil. I had to come to a stop and wait and that was that. So, I waited for the next group back. I don't know any names (Luke's dad was one of them as well as the Velotek woman) but the group of 5 or 6 moved along at a great pace even over the hills and on to the outer road. By the time we reached the light at 150 Hwy, the front group was “right there”. But, they had green and we got red. They rolled away while we sat catching our breath. Our group held together until we reached the dam. Then it slowly dwindled and was down to 3 or 4 by the time we turned south on View High. We arrived at the college with an average of 24.2 MPH. The guys in this group could reach 26 by the end of the season! It's awesome to see 'average Joes' coming along with that kind of speed! I'm still amazed that YOU were left behind. I'm still laughing!
16 May - It's Phil Todd / Ben Simon / Kent Woermann!
And that's ALL I know! I wasn't present Saturday except to see the start of the 1st ride. But I heard that Phil, Ben and Kent broke away and were the first back to the college after Casey's. Waiting to hear from anyone with the details..... Story by Kory Dillman The wind was blasting out of the NNW at 20, gusting to 30+ MPH on Saturday morning. That made for a great, almost effortless ride to Casey’s with the pace often spinning up well over 20-25 MPH. The 17 MPH speed limit was literally thrown to the wind! The group stayed together until we turned south onto Kurzweil. Then, the pace exploded as everyone “stretched their legs” for the ride back. The front group, which was moving so fast I couldn’t catch anyone’s name, was trucking along between Gore and 58 Hwy at speeds of 38-40 MPH. A tailwind like that can mean only one thing: a serious battle to get home! The faster speeds heading out meant we had more time to stand around at Casey’s and chat. That’s great for camaraderie but it also give the legs a lot of time to load up. And load up mine did! The group finally saddled up and headed for home at the designated time. We rolled through the light on 58 and kept on slinking along. The pace never went above 20. That is, until Phil came motoring along. He must have had an invisible fairing on his bike because he seemed to be the only person that could muster any momentum against the wind. Tight on his wheel were Ben, Kent, John 3:16, Rick Krepps, and Shari Woiwood (great to see those two Shackers on the ride!). The new guy who rides for Fairbank Scales was there, too, but I can’t recall his name. D’OH! I jumped in a feeble attempt to latch on - my legs just laughed. Try as I might, there was just no way I was catching that train.My legs came under me on County Line, and I actually brought the front group back into sight before the outer road. I think I could have caught them on the outer road, if only that nasty wind wasn’t blowing (that’s meant to be funny, Ha! Ha!). I fought the wind solo all the way back to the college. Several times I considered sitting up and waiting for the next group but there was no one in sight behind me. So, I hunkered down and put it in time trial mode. I rolled into the college 49 minutes later, or an average of 20.8 MPH. Twenty never hurt so much! The studs—Phil, Ben, Kent—said that they arrived around 5 minutes ahead of me. That would put their average between 22 and 23 MPH. That’s unbelievable considering the wind. John and the Fairbanks rider came in around a minute to two minutes behind them. Rick dropped on the Outer road and then, turned around at Raytown Road to find Shari. She dropped off the group on County Line Road, before the first hill. I hung out for 10 minutes or so and then had to leave for home, so I didn’t get to see who came in next. Let’s hope for winds from the south this week!
9 May - The Shack Boys Go Fast Enough!
Updated.. See Kory Dillman's Story at the End..Nothing like chilly, windy weather in May to still bring out quite a few riders. With all the Green Jerseys present you would swear racing season was over. With Raytown road being all torn up for repair it was fun to have new routes for both rides. But now it's time to stall, what do you write about when you pretty much ride by yourself? The 1st ride broke up a bit but we had an extremely successful easy, wind aided group ride out to Caseys on the 2nd ride. Leaving Casey's was where the trouble started as the light split the group up right off the back, and a parade of motorcycles coming towards us kept us strung out at the far right side of the road. The group of us that made the light crept along at about 10 MPH waiting for the group that missed the light to come back together. I kept thinking "What's taking them so long?" as there was quite a bit of muscle in the trailing group. Little did I know that some car was giving the bikers a hard time. I don't know what the average speed was by the time we reached County Line, but I'd be willing to bet it was under 15 for the 1st group. Finally we are all pretty much together when we turn on to County Line as the sea of green starts moving towards the front to get things rolling. For some reason, bad cross winds or missed communications, an awful pace line forms that is strung width-wise across the road and it isn't moving all that fast which allowed a whole ton of us "Average Joe's" to hang on longer than necessary. Luckily the shackers got organized and their above average fitness levels left many of us, as we continued to fall further behind. At least this was now much safer for both groups. I, however fell off in the middle of no-man's-land, wishing I had fallen off earlier with somebody to ride with... Eventually Kent Baker and another rider or two came by. How they got dropped is beyond me as they seemed quite strong. I finally sat up and let them go since I couldn't seem to rotate with them anyhow. Now... if only someone easier would come by, I would have company on the way back. No such luck! Arriving back at the college, I see this huge carpet of green jersey's. I heard that a group of 8 to 10 made up the lead group. So once again I can only guess some of the names and ask anyone to email me with corrections. Lead group looked to be: Phil Todd, Ben Simon, Tim Colfield, John 3:16, Kent Woermann, Craig Morris, Jim Rank, Kory Dillman, Adam Miller, Kurtis Albrect maybe Reggie Kelch and I know there were at least 2 more bicycle shack jerseys present. Anyhow... it just doesn't get any better than this when you can get on a bike and ride... Later.... Story about the Lead Group by Kory Dillman How about that slow start from Casey’s to County Line? I was becoming concerned that our average speed would end up being under 15 MPH! Fortunately, things came together and we were able to get the green train rolling. Adding the hill on High Grove/Scherer made for a 17-mile ride. According to my computer, we came in with an average speed of 21.25 MPH. Not too bad Considering the crawling pace for the first 2 miles and the strong NNW winds. I thought the tough climb so late in the ride would really shake things up. A group of 10 of us—Ben, Tim, John 3:16, Kent Woerman, Craig, Jim, Kurtis Albrect, Reggie, and Adam—all stayed together to the base of the hill on High Grove. The hill stretched us out and dropped Reggie…I came close to popping and I overheard Craig mention that an old lady using a walker passed him, but he was back on the train on the descent. Kent and Adam pushed each other and the pace over the top but neither was able to shake the other. We cruised across the bridge and turned up the gradual hill on Sampson with pretty much the same result: the group stayed together with Kent and Adam pushing the pace. Adam was able to open a small gap but Tim quickly covered it. The group tightened up again as we twisted through the traffic circle at Longview and we rolled in pretty much as one big pack. Ben and I were about 25 meters off the back, but that was more because we sat up and started chatting. We hung out at the college for a few minutes and then 6 of us (Craig, Kurtis, Kent, Jim, guy from Colorado) took off on a 30-mile jaunt around Lee’s Summit—Chipman, Colburn, Blackwell. The ride was intended to be a cool down, but the speeds hung between 20 and 30 for the majority of the trip.
2 May - 24.9 for a Dozen!
Who would have guessed that we would have almost perfect conditions for a Saturday morning ride with the gloom and doom predictions by the weather forecasters? What happened? Did everyone pull up a weather radar and find out that the rain wasn't going to come this morning? What a great turn-out for both rides. Regarding the 2nd ride on the way out to Casey's..... Sorry "AJ" but there just doesn't seem to be any "Average Joe's" left. With over an 18 average just on the way out - almost everyone who came to ride was still on board when reaching Casey's. Is everyone just getting better? With everyone getting so fast there aren't many recreational rides left in town that would hold your interest. Did I see Mark 3:16 hammering and bridging on the way out to Casey's? It's going to be hard to pick a "Most Improved" rider this year since a great number of you appear to deserve that title! Now - how did such a very large group stay together so long on the return trip? It felt like the speeds were fast enough that only a select few would be present. But as I looked around, there was still a large number on board going down County Line. It took the last couple of hills to 71 Hwy access road to narrow the group down to 13 riders. You might notice by the title that 12 of these 13 came in with a 24.9 average. Unfortunately, I was the one person who just couldn't hold on and lost it by the dam. It was even hard to tell who were the "Strong Men" in this group. It looked like just about everybody was getting on the front and taking their share of the work. I really don't want to mention names because I know my poor memory will leave to many out - but for those that I forget "SORRY". Front riders I remember - Ben Simon, Reggie Kelch, Kory Dillman, Steve Auchterlonie, Eric Burch, Kent Baker, Kent Woermann, Jeff Winter, Bobby, and a couple of guys I don't know by name. Feel free to send the names of the 3 I forgot. And before I forget another large group came back just minutes later. I heard quite a few of those riders had "Personal Bests". The speeds of the 2nd group would have been near records as late as 2005! Yes, everyone is getting faster! Later.....
25 Apr - 27.1! 27.1! Jeremy Pych and Jeff Winkler!
WOW! A 1st! The Magical, the Elusive, the Odd Number which seemed impossible to reach was reached today! Jeremy Pych, Jeff Winkler with the aid of a nice tailwind and perfect temperatures reached a milestone I was all but ready to give up on. YES! 27.1 MPH from Casey's back to the college. It started immediately right after we left Casey's when Jeremy, Jeff, Ben Simon and Reggie Kelch took a flying start. Even with very fresh legs and hanging on to Kory Dillman and John 3:16 the foursome were quickly disappearing out in front. Turning on to County Line the magic moment was set in motion. What? Did they disappear all ready? Gone.... I'd have to wait till I got back to the college to find out the news. In the meantime, us very average Joe's were also having a good ride. Conditions were perfect for both speed and comfort. John 3:16, Kory Dillman hit 26.15 MPH and Reggie was in the 25+ MPH and groups of people came back at 21. Kyle and I were somewhere in between Reggie and the rest of the groups. It was an awesome day for speed! It just doesn't get any better than this! And on another note - Ben Simon led a very nice ride out ot Casey's and I think we have a new route. Everyone seemed to like the detour out by Raintree. Later..... Whoops! Almost forgot.... Welcome back to riding Steve Auchterlonie (recovering from collapsed lung).
18 Apr - The One, The Only - Jeff Winter!
No Kidding... Jeff Winter rode today! End of story!
11 Apr - 3 Strikes Your Out - Luckily Only 2!
I didn't really expect anybody on the 1st ride. 38 degrees when I left the house this morning and expecting nice weather in the afternoon. But I either had to ride now or not at all. Lucky for me about 5 other riders were at the college. A couple of New guys (Welcome!) and even Darren Kennedy graced us with his presence and constant humor. He did have a hard time flipping someone off with those clawed biker's gloves. "Live Long and Prosper" was the best flip off he could come up with... There were quite a few more at the college to start the 2nd ride. It warmed almost 10 degrees on the first round. We kept a nice pace out to Casey's and the average speed was exactly as advertised around 17.4.... It was a little scary to see the horse power that showed up on the 2nd ride (Phil Todd, Dave Reynolds). They said they weren't riding much....? I still didn't get that "RELIEF" feeling tho. We did leave Casey's doing an easy steady rhythm with Kory Dillman pulling steadily on the front. Right before County Line Eric jumped with Kent Woermann chasing. I joined in the chase and before the 3 of us could get together the real horse power was coming. Instantly there were only 7 of us going down County Line Road (Phil Todd, Eric Burch, Kent Baker, Tim Colfield, Kent Woerman, Dave Reynolds and Me). Somewhere, somehow I fell off (Strike One!). But lucky for me Kent Baker fell off to. I jumped on his wheel and he was still strong enough to pull right back up to the pack. Had he not been there I would have been history. Then the last hill prior to the 71 Hwy access road I slipped back again (Strike Two!). And with even a little more luck going my way they hit the red light at 150 Hwy. Seems to be my lucky day.... We now had set in motion a really nice rotating pace line. I skipped a couple of rotations to recover from the chase and then settled in and took my place. It was really smooth and not very difficult. We turned up by the golf course and I thought we were going to rotate all the way in when Phil, Eric, Kent Baker and Tim Colfield powered away. I thought I had something left until I tried a slightly harder pedal stroke and realized "Not Today". I was happy to come in with Dave Reynolds and Kent Woerman since I shouldn't have been there at all. Good thing Phil Todd hasn't been riding....! Stongest today: Phil Todd, Eric Burch, Kent Baker and Tim Colfield. Later....
4 Apr - I thought I saw Steve Auchterlonie!
I guess the strong wind and iffy temps kept riders away this morning. But there were enough out there to have a great ride and good company. The park is open again so we enjoyed the wildlife of going through the park on the 1st ride. Saw about 18 deer... Cool! We agreed to shorten the 2nd ride and skip the part where we head out to Caseys. Many of us wanted to get back in time to support Chris Smedley whose Father passed away this week. Our prayers and thoughts are with Chris and his family. The hammering started when we reached County Line Road. This blur went by all of us and rumor has it that it was Steve Auchterlonie. It was so fast, and whoever it was disappeared quickly. Kory jumped up after him and I jumped up to try and catch Kory. Anyhow - the unknown speedster (Steve Auchterlonie?) got away. Maybe there is an electric motor in his hub.... At 150 Hwy Kent Baker joined Kory and me as we rotated back towards the college. When we turned into the headwind by the golf course my legs were cooked and there was nothing I could do but watch those two inch away from me. Despite the wind, it was a great ride! By the way Steve - congrats on your 2nd place Time Trial Ride Thursday. Very impressive time! Later......
21 Mar - It's Grandpa Reggie!
WOW! Wasn't it suppose to rain today? Ended up being a beautiful day for a ride and a number of riders came out for both rides. On the ride out to Casey's a group of Tri-Guys joined in the fun. So.. it went out just a little faster than advertised but it was fun and a great day to ride. On leaving Caseys Kory jumped out front pulling the group. Reggie came around and set a mildly faster pace only to have Kory go on an explosive attack that put him way down the road on County Line. Lucky for me, I had never been out front and had fresh legs. Wasn't long before we wheeled Kory in. Now there were 3 of us out front finally working together. Reaching the construction night mare at 150 Hwy we waited 5 minutes or 4 light exchanges to cross. By now everyone was back together. Once we finally got through the light Kory was on front setting the pace again. With Reggie and Kory working up front it wasn't that long till the 3 of us found ourselves out in front. Soon we picked up Eric Burch who was out riding and with his fresh legs he picked the pace up over 30 MPH down Raytown Road. Somewhere near the dam Kory dropped off leaving Me, Reggie and Eric to take it on in. But once again the fresh legs of Eric picked it up and only Reggie could hang on, come around and solo in for Grandpa 1 - Young Guys 0 score. It was only later that I learned that in a dark alley at Midnight, Eric and Reggie met and exchanged currency. The plan was for Eric to be waiting with fresh legs near the end of the ride and lead Reggie in for the victory. And to think I was going to give Reggie credit for a good ride....! Shame! Shame! On another more positive note, the next group in, made up of about 4 Mark's, learned the art of rotation. I heard they did a great job! Later.....
14 Mar - Four in the Cold!
This will be a short Saturday story. I was the only one on the 1st ride around the Lake and came to the College Parking Lot to see only 3 other people for the 2nd ride. Eric Burch, Kent Baker and Joe were waiting in the cold. I was surprised more weren't there to ride. Despite the cold temperature there was little wind and it didn't feel as cold as the temp indicated. It was relatively easy to get out to Casey's all together - after all there is only 4 of us.... Leaving Casey's Eric and Kent are sitting on the front and so far they are not hammering... Maybe a slow group ride back? Joe comes around and picks up the speed which Eric and Kent quickly cover. Now that the legs are warmed up and moving it's "Training Time". Joe quickly falls off the back and its Eric, Kent and I going down County Line. Pretty soon I'm on the front trying to let someone come around and notice that it is just Eric on my wheel. We rotated almost the rest of the way back to the college. Right as we turned to bring it on in at the golf course Eric said his legs were cooked and dropped back just a little. He obviously didn't drop to bad as he came in right behind me just seconds back. Once again we have no idea of the speed as no one reset and my computer is still not working. I don't think it was all that fast as I seem to have enough energy to work around the house. Later.....
7 Mar - The Wind is My Friend! The Wind is My Friend!
Unbelievable Temperatures for March so it was no surprise that a large number of riders came out for the rides. However the Hurricane Force Winds weren't making many friends today. The wind made it impossible to stick together as a group. All you had to do was let about a 1 foot gap between you and the bike in front of you and gaps were created. Groups of 2's and 3's came dribbling into Casey's on what is suppose to be a relatively moderate ride out there. And not everyone who left the college made it out to Casey's - between the wind and winter fitness, some were turning around and heading back home. There was one person, where it appeared the wind wasn't affecting. Tim Colfield seems to already have his A-Game on! Leaving Casey's we had a really nice tail wind and the speeds were really fast (over 30+). But turning and heading West on County Line Road was a very different story. Seemed like the wind was hitting you on the side and out front and anywhere but behind. I attached myself to the front group of Tim Colfield, Reggie Kelch, Craig Morris, Eric Burch and Kory Dillman only to have a very strong gust of wind knock me right off the back. If it wasn't for the front group catching a red light at 150 Hwy I never would have seen them again. Now the problem was hanging on as I was tired after the long chase. In the meantime a friend of Craig's (Chris) had joined the group in front. Eric turned to go home, Craig turned to go home which left just 5 of us (Tim,Kory,Reggie, Me,Chris) to take it on in. Tim rode off the front and even working together we couldn't bridge back up. He proved to be by far, the strongest rider today and there was nothing we could do about it. Reggie and Chris came in next about 20-25 seconds behind Tim and I followed them in about 15 - 20 seconds later. (Of course, I shouldn't have been there at all.) Then Kory came in a few seconds behind me with a back that was cramping. None of the front group had a working odometer so I don't know what the speed was. All I know is that about 5 minutes later Nathan came in with a 20.5 average. IF Kory figures out his new odometer he might just email me the speed so I can make a guess.... Later....
