Sunday, November 23, 2008

Rails-to-Trails Pushing Economic Recovery Petition to Obama

The following is copied from the Rails-to-Trails site:

"Within days of the president-elect taking office, Congress will likely pass a new large-scale economic recovery package, aiming to create millions of jobs.

A significant percentage of this package may be allocated specifically to transportation infrastructure. This presents both a threat and an opportunity.

The threat: Unless we speak up, these transportation funds will go overwhelmingly to road projects—the same unbalanced strategy that has created our existing transportation problems.

The opportunity: Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, in partnership with Thunderhead Alliance and America Bikes, has collected a list of hundreds of ready-to-go active transportation projects from communities across the country. These projects would create new jobs and revitalize communities by funding trails, bike lanes, sidewalks and other infrastructure.

This would meet the ultimate goal of the recovery package: creating immediate jobs. Additionally, such an investment strategy would provide both immediate economic benefits and lasting positive change.

The long-term benefits are many: promoting local businesses along active transportation corridors; reducing health care costs; and curbing climate change emissions and oil dependency. These projects would also establish the principle that active transportation infrastructure is a wise, efficient and desirable public investment."

Sign the petition.

Friday, November 21, 2008

5th Annual Super Spin Saturday Set for Jan. 24

As 2008 winds down, it's time to begin promoting the first events of 2009. The first big event on our calendar is the fifth annual Super Spin Saturday: Ride for Rosita, Jan. 24 at Theisen Middle School in Fond du Lac, Wis.

The event is a fund, friend and awareness builder for United Hearts for Health, a group of medical missionaries from Fond du Lac who have been working to improve medical services in Rosita, Nicaragua.

Participants ride their bikes on a stationary trainer or rollers. Spin bikes and Kinetic trainers are also available. Registration begins at 8 a.m. Riding starts at 9 a.m. with a warm-up hour led by Oliver Clements, a doctor from Fond du Lac. Riding continues to 2 p.m. with a new leader each hour, including six-time Ironman finisher Heather Haviland, Denny Yunk of Milwaukee's CZ Velo team and Dave Hornung of Team Fond du Lac/Oshkosh Cyclery.

I will lead the noon-1 p.m. hour.

This is a really fun event ... more fun than you should have riding a stationary bike.

There will be Compu-Trainer racing for adults and kids with a $250 savings bond up for grabs for the winning youth. Lots of other swag is distributed throughout the day. Each participant will be entered in a free drawing to win their choice of a road bike or a Gary Fisher 29er mountain bike. For more information, check out the registration form.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Bike education in California

This is so cool: The Amgen Tour of California has developed a special classroom curriculum for fourth- through sixth-grade students in the 16 California cities that will host the 2009 Tour.

Through interactive lessons, the educational handbook will teach students about the history of cycling and includes bike safety and maintenance tips. Provided to more than 60,000 students, the booklet also provides information about the State of California, including targeted lesson plans that use cycling as a means to teach core subjects.

Read more on the Amgen Tour of California site.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Ripon a Strong Mountain Biking Community

I was scouring through the Wisconsin Off-Road Series year-end results the other day, and I realized that Ripon has a strong contingent of riders who did quite well in the series.

I counted six who finished in the top three in their respective race categories among the eight riders who tallied enough races to count toward an overall score on the season.

Nick Sabel (whose mother works in the finance office at the College) captured the title in the sport singlespeed division with first-place finishes in four races and second-place finishes in three others. His performance was also good enough to take third place in the USA Cycling Wisconsin Championship standings in the sport men 19-24 category.

Alyssa Borell took first place on the season in the sport women 17-18 category, while her mother Jenni Borell took second in the citizen women age 50-59 category.

The first family of Ripon College and Ripon cycling, David and Lynne Joyce did well in their respective fields. David was fourth overall in sport men age 55-59, and Lynne finished the season in second place in citizen women age 45-49. David also took second place in the USA Cycling Wisconsin Championship standings for sport men 50 and over.

Ripon High School students took second and third in the sport men age 17-18 field with Chris Hinshaw and Adrian Icenogle, respectively, representing the Tigers.

Yours truly managed to squeeze out a sixth place in the comp men age 35-39 category with the minimum seven races (one of which was a DNF). The results were good enough for third place in the USA Cycling Wisconsin Championship standings.

Others individuals from Ripon who raced this year include Stephanie Yost (citizen women age 10-14); Diana Klapperich (citizen women 45-49); Kris Klapperich (sport men 50-54);and Taylor Bogdanske (comp men 19-24).

Not too shabby for a small town of 7,000.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Spinervals: Week 47

  • Warm up 5 minutes easy
  • 3x30 sec 53x15 @ 30 sr (Seconds Rest = easy spin)
  • 2 minute easy spin
  • 15 killer minute repeats (110% hard effort!)
    • 1 min hard (alternate between 53x12 and 53x15 during the minute) then
    • 1 min very easy spin to recovery
  • Off bike, 2 x 2 min wall sit with 20 sr between sits
  • 3 x 15 vertical jumps with 20 sr between sets of 15
  • On bike, 2 min easy spin
  • 10 x 30 sec tempo 53x14 (time trial effort) @ 1 min easy spin
  • cooldown 5-10 minutes

Monday, November 10, 2008

Spinervals: Week 46

  • Warm up 5 minutes easy
  • 3x30 sec 53x15 @ 30 sr (Seconds Rest = easy spin)
  • 1 minute easy spin
  • 4 x 1 min one-leg drill (alternate 4 times each leg) 53x15 with 30 sr between legs
  • Off bike, 3 x 1 min wall sit @ 20 sec rest
  • Off bike, 4 x 10 explosive vertical jumps with 20 sec rest between sets
  • Back on bike, 1 min spin
  • 2 x 6 min tempo 53x14 @ 60 sr
  • 3 x 30 sec one-leg drill (alternate 3 times each leg) 53x12 with 30 sr between legs
  • 8 min steady tempo 53x13
  • cooldown 5-10 minutes

Monday, November 3, 2008

Spinervals: Week 45

  • Warm up 5 minutes easy
  • 3x30 sec 53x15 @ 30 sr (Seconds Rest = easy spin)
  • 2 minute easy spin
  • 15 min tempo (alternate 1 min 53x15 with 1 min 53x12, all seated)
  • Off bike, 3 x 15 explosive vertical jumps with 20 sec rest between sets
  • Back on bike, 1 min spin
  • 10 min tempo (alternate 1 min 53x12 standing with 1 min 53x15 seated)
  • Off bike, 3 x 10 explosive vertical jumps with 20 sec rest between sets
  • Back on bike, 1 min spin
  • Repeat following 5 times
    • 20 sec superspin 42x18 then
    • 10 sec easy spin then
    • 20 sec out of saddle sprint 53x12 then
    • 30 sec easy spin
  • cooldown 5-10 minutes

USA Cycling Collegiate News

USA Cycling News Headlines

USA Cycling Mountain News