Why We Do It

Why do we ride our bikes? Why do we put in all the hard work we do? I am too old to dream of turning PRO, however, I continue to take my riding seriously. I am careful of the types and quantities of foods I eat, I monitor how much sleep I get, I listen to my body, and I focus on my machine and the equipment I choose. I make sacrifices in life to get the most out of my body and my bike. I enjoy reading about the lives of the PROs and I look to them for training methods and practices that I believe make me a better cyclist. This is why I am drawn to insight about teams and their preparation and the reason I seek out information written by the mechanics, coaches, and the people who care for the riders. Will any of this information actually help me to turn PRO, not likely, will it help me be the best cyclist I can be? Absolutely.

Cycling is one of the few sports where, as a fan, you can be as close to the PROs as possible. A cyclist can watch a race and relate to the pain felt and understand the effort put in during training and the sacrifices made during the season. I have no idea what it's like to get hit by a 300lb linebacker or to hit a homerun and Wrigley Field, but I do know what it feels like to run empty during a long ride, or to suffer during a brutal climb. I have seen 205 flash on my heart rate monitor while bridging a gap or chase down an attack. So, whether you are screaming in a PRO's face on Alpe D'Huez or riding the exact same bike as your favorite rider, cycling is a sport that allows the fan an up-close and hands-on experience.

The parallels between the average (serious) cyclists and the PROs allow us to have an understanding of what is required to compete at a high level and gives us the ability to truly be in awe of these great athletes.

So why do we ride our bikes? Why do we spend time away from our families? Why do we suffer when we should be having fun? We do it because we are chasing a dream. We do it because we know deep down that this is what the PRO's do. They suffer in silence just like we do. They put in the long lonely hours, just like we do. If going out and putting in the time and effort brings me a little bit closer to being PRO, then that is what I will do. If putting in all the hard work brings me just a small bit of glory, then it is all worth it.

Wise Words

"The day I no longer turn up at the start of a race to try and win it is the day I shall no longer dare to look at myself in the mirror"-Eddy Merckx

Team Kits Only 2 Weeks Away

Some of you may have noticed a new logo at the top of our page, at least I hope you have. It was created for us by Eric Nelson from Mango Design. This new logo will be used for new items in 2008 including T-shirts, event posters, and banners. We tried to have the logo placed on the arm warmers, leg warmers, and booties but were notified by Champion System that we were too far along in the production process. Too far along? We just submitted the order a few days ago. Well it turns out that all the fabric has already been cut and they are in fact in the middle of producing our order. What does this mean for everyone? We could possibly see our new team kits before the end of January! At the very least we will definately have them for the Feb. 10th Cyclocross Event at Dan Ryan Woods

Final Equipment Selections

Today we locked in some selections for wheels, hoods, and tape colors. Hopefully everyone will be happy with the choices, but probably not! We are going to split the wheels between the Spinergy Xaero Lites with red PBO spokes, and the Spinergy Carbon Stealth SS. We felt that this was a nice mix of wheels for crits. road races, and even time trials. On race day they will be available on a first come first served basis, however will make sure everyone can use them at least once, if not many more times this year. SRAM cassettes will also be purchased for all race wheels, so that every wheel will have an 11-23 on it. Keep in mind, these wheels are for race day only, we want them to last at least on full season.
An executive decision was also made on the hood/bar tape colors. We would like everyone on the A squad to go with the red SRAM hoods and red SRAM bar tape for a unified look. We will also encourage either a white or red saddle. Personally I like the "euro trash" white saddle myself. Wait did I say "euro trash", I meant PRO!

CX Nationals Dec 11th-14th

Cyclocross National Championships will again be held in Kansas City, KS for 2008. Lets plan on sending a few guys down there this year. I already have a loose commitment from about 4 guys including myself to race the masters race. So mark off your calendar and start booking your flights!