Time Trial Results: Sept. 21, 2011

Name/Finish time/(Lap times)/[Difference from previous]

Five laps
Eric Smith: 23:46† (4:38 | 4:43 | 4:49 | 4:47 | 4:49) [-0:10]
Ben Senkerik: 26:58 (5:56 | 5:23 | 5:18 | 5:09 | 5:12) [+0:27]
Kyle Greene: 27:02 (5:27 | 5:19 | 5:31 | 5:18 | 5:27) [-0:50]
Andy Fehrenbach: 27:41† (5:30 | 5:27 | 5:33 | 5:35 | 5:36) [-0:24]
Paul Meuer: 27:51† (5:32 | 5:34 | 5:33 | 5:35 | 5:37) [-0:29]
Ben Jones: 29:02† (6:00 | 5:43 | 5:46 | 5:51 | 5:42) [-1:58]
Jeremy Brouwer: 29:28† (5:45 | 5:45 | 5:37 | 5:58 | 6:03) [-4:46]
Renee DeBruin: 29:42† (5:51 | 5:39 | 5:58 | 5:54 | 6:00) [-0:39]
Rosette Reynolds: 33:47† (6:49 | 6:40 | 6:43 | 6:46 | 6:49) [-1:24 off previous 4-lap time]

Four laps
Alex Tande: 25:34† (6:19 | 6:13 | 6:35 | 6:27) [-0:45]
Jay Pettengill: 29:56† (7:50 | 7:36 | 7:30 | 7:00) [-0:53]

†Personal best

Time Trial Results: Sept. 14, 2011

Name/Finish time/(Lap times)/[Difference from previous]

Five laps
Eric Smith: 23:56 (4:44 | 4:45 | 4:49 | 4:50 | 4:48) [-0:39]
Ben Senkerik: 26:31 (5:27 | 5:16 | 5:17 | 5:16 | 5:15) [+0:08]
Kyle Greene: 27:52 (5:33 | 5:54 | 5:34 | 5:28 | 5:23) [+0:57]
Paul Meuer: 28:20 (5:44 | 5:39 | 5:42 | 5:42 | 5:33) [-0:41]
Renee DeBruin: 30:21 (6:15 | 6:14 | 5:59 | 5:58 | 5:55) [+0:56 over 4-lap time]
Ben Jones: 31:00 (6:20 | 5:55 | 6:06 | 6:37 | 6:02) [+1:40]
Jeremy Brouwer: 34:14 (6:31 | 6:41 | 6:54 | 7:00 | 7:08) [+3:12]

Four laps
Alex Tande: 26:19 (6:27 | 6:37 | 6:42 | 6:33) [NA]
Jay Pettengill: 30:49 (7:26 | 7:50 | 7:57 | 7:36) [-1:15]

Time Trial Results: Sept. 8, 2011

Name/Finish time/(Lap times)/[Difference from previous]

Five laps
Eric Smith: 24:35 (4:47 | 4:52 | 4:57 | 5:00 | 4:49) [-1:15]
Kyle Greene: 26:55† (5:18 | 5:21 | 5:30 | 5:26 | 5:20) [-1:02]
Andy Fehrenbach: 28:05 (5:29 | 5:34 | 5:39 | 5:42 | 5:41) [-0:55]
Paul Meuer: 29:01 (5:49 | 5:46 | 5:52 | 5:48 | 5:46) [-3:18]
Ben Jones: 29:20 (6:17 | 6:06 | 5:11 | 5:42 | 6:04) [-2:21]
Jeremy Brouwer: 31:02 (6:06 | 6:18 | 6:16 | 6:08 | 6:14) [-1:16]

Four laps
Renee DeBruin: 23:30 (5:43 | 5:55 | 6:01 | 5:52) [-1:03]
Rosette Reynolds: 28:22 (7:07 | 7:02 | 6:59 | 7:14) [-1:02]
Jay Pettengill: 31:49 (7:37 | 8:00 | 8:06 | 8:06) [-0:15]

†Personal best

Time Trial Results: Sept. 1, 2011

Name/Finish time/(Lap times)/[Difference from previous]

Five laps
Ben Senkerik: 26:23† (5:26 | 5:14 | 5:15 | 5:14 | 5:14) [-0:34]
Kyle Greene: 27:57 (5:26 | 5:34 | 5:37 | 5:44 | 5:36) [-1:02]
Andy Fehrenbach: 29:00 ( 5:39 | 5:43 | 5:48 | 5:57 | 5:53) [-0:37]
Ben Jones: 31:41 (6:03 | 6:13 | 6:24 | 6:20 | 6:41) [-0:11]
Paul Meuer: 32:19 (5:57 | 7:01* | 6:41 | 6:14 | 6:26) [+1:41]

Four laps
Renee DeBruin: 24:33 (5:58 | 6:06 | 6:22 | 6:07) [-2:33]
Rosette Reynolds: 29:24 (6:34 | 8:21 | 7:02 | 6:57) [NA]
Jay Pettengill: 32:04 (7:49 | 8:38 | 8:18 | 7:19) [-1:10]

*Paul had a mechanical issue that he stopped to attend. The issue was not completely rectified and his overall time difference from the previous week shows this.

Eric, Jeremy and Alex did not participate as their bikes were at the shop.

†Personal best

Time Trial Results: Aug. 25, 2011

This year, we've been able to incorporate the new Ceresco Prairie Mountain Bike Trail into our weekly time trials. Using the outermost loop in a clockwise direction, we get about a 1-mile lap that is entirely singletrack and includes a switchback climb, a few rocky obstacles and a couple of fast and tricky descents.

A GPS track of the loop is available on Garmin Connect.

So here are the results from week one:

Five laps
Eric Smith: 25:50 (5:08 | 5:11 | 5:15 | 5:07 | 5:09)
Ben Senkerik: 26:57 (5:27 | 5:21 | 5:16 | 5:22 | 5:31)
Kyle Greene: 28:59 (5:30 | 6:03 | 5:50 | 5:50 | 5:46)
Andy Fehrenbach: 29:37 (5:56 | 5:51 | 5:56 | 5:59 | 5:55)
Paul Meuer: 30:38 (6:20 | 6:08 | 6:06 | 5:59 | 6:05)
Ben Jones: 31:52 (6:29 | 6:22 | 6:20 | 6:17 | 6:24)
Jeremy Brouwer: 32:18 (6:15 | 6:23 | 6:24 | 6:40 | 6:36)

Four laps
Renee DeBruin: 26:46 (6:41 | 6:46 | 6:25 | 6:54)
Jay Pettengill: 33:14 (7:50 | 8:12 | 8:33 | 8:39)

Two laps*
Alex Tande: 14:02 (6:48 | 7:14)
Rosette Reynolds: 14:26 (7:11 | 7:16)

* Rosette crashed on her third lap and Alex stopped to assist her.

Grand Trail Opening Celebration

As we prepare to celebrate the Grand Opening of the Ripon College Ceresco Prairie Conservancy Mountain Bike Trail this Saturday.

We'd like to take a moment to recognize all the volunteers who helped in this project. If you feel your name is missing from the list below, please contact Ric Damm at dammr@ripon.edu

Kate Amell

Jeremy Brouwer

Kevin Carli

Kyle Crombie

Renee DeBruin

Andy Fehrenbach

Cody Gunst

Geralyn Haggerty

Bjorn Hauge

Chris Hinshaw

Spencer Hoffman

Mike Holland

Adrian Icenogle

Rich Janssen

Ben Jones

David Joyce

Mitch Katt

Rich Ketter

Bruce King

Zach Kouba

Karen Kriz

Brady Kuphal

Jerry Kurek

Mary Manering

Jessica Martzhal

Paul Meuer

Chris Moen

Brandon Mumm

Pam Mumm

Jim Parman

Amy Pinkston

Cody Pinkston

Michael Rausch

Mark Reynolds

Rosette Reynolds

Amber Rico

Mark Sabel

Nick Sabel

Cameron Schave

Allison Schmidt

Tiffany Seering

Casey Simonson

Zach Smith

Fabrizzio Subia

Alex Tande

Dennis Tande

Corey Vande Brink

Jenny Van Mersbergen

Olivia Verma

Elizabeth Wegner

Kathleen Wendel

Austin Wild

Dale Wszalek

Cool trail story

I was walking the new Ripon College mountain bike trail Monday night with my parents — giving them the grand tour of where I've spent a good share of my time during the past few months. As we're walking, there is a man riding the trail on a vintage cro moly 1980s Trek 820 Antelope with a rigid fork. He's wearing classic black riding shorts and a Green Bay Packers sweatshirt. He passes us several times before I stop him to ask what he thinks of the trail.

He loves it. He's a local guy who said he used to mountain bike quite a bit in the Chequamegon area back in the day. He said now that he's older, he's been riding the flat rail trails on a hybrid; but figured he'd dig out the old bike and give the new singletrack a try. The wide smile on his face said it all.

Seems each time I'm out on the trail, I have a similar encounter. That night we also saw a whole family — from grandparents to grandkids and their dog — taking a leisurely hike. From trail runners to previously unknown local mountain bikers who have come "in to" the woods to ride; the trail has certainly become a valued resource very quickly.

So, "thank you" to Pepsi for their Refresh Everything program; "thank you" to each and every person who voted for this project throughout the month of August 2010; "thank you" to the folks who came out and put a little sweat equity into the trail; "thank you" to the College faculty and administration who gave the blessing to pursue this venture; "thank you" to IMBA for devising the Trail Solutions program and to Jill Van Winkle and Stephen Mullins for listening to our input and helping turn our dreams into reality. It's all paying off in ways I didn't imagine it would.

Coach Ric Damm

A sneak peek at our new trail

Coach Damm captured this footage from the team's GoPro Hero cam this morning. The HD quality was lost in translation, so we'll have to work on improving that. Still, this will give you all a sense of what we've accomplished during the last month.

Please help Renee win a trip

Our very own Red Hawk Renee DeBruin has been selected as a finalist in Wigwam Mills "Wig-L-Wam Dance Your Socks Off" dance competition.

Here's Renee's request: "My video with my nephew Xzavion dancing at last year's WORS Sheboygan race is one of the top 5 finalists to WIN a trip for 2 anywhere within the Continental US. Please go to the WIGWAM MILLS INC. facebook page, like it and then scroll to find my video and "like" it. I am finalist #2. Watch me get my groove on with X and please tell everyone to like my video as well! The one with the most votes by May 25th is the winner! Please help me out! =]"

Do it now, please!

Can you help? Volunteers needed for new MTB trail

The Ripon College Red Hawks cycling team will be hosting two trail work days Saturday, April 30 and Saturday, May 7 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Volunteers are sought to assist in the creation of two miles of singletrack mountain bike trails in the College's Ceresco Prairie Conservancy.

All volunteers will be entered into a prize raffle featuring a new 2011 Trek 6000 mountain bike.

Last August, Ripon College was the recipient of a $25,000 Pepsi Refresh Project grant to construct the mountain bike trails in Ripon. The grant is being used to rent necessary equipment and retain the International Mountain Bicycling Association's Trail Solutions team to assist in the trail design and construction.

IMBA's Jill Van Winkle was on campus in November to identify and mark the trail corridor. Stephen Mullins, a trail specialist with IMBA, will be on campus beginning Monday, April 25. Mullins will be the chief architect of the trail building project which is expected to take three weeks to complete.

The more volunteers we can involve in the project, the sooner the project will be complete and the sooner people can begin to enjoy this new resource. Wisconsin's unpredictable spring weather could potentially cause delays to the project, and the three-week time line is tight even under the best of conditions. Therefore, we are counting on the greater Ripon community and mountain bikers from around the region to step up and assist in the creation of this new recreational opportunity. This isn't intended to be Ripon College's mountain bike trail. This is intended to be a resource for everyone to enjoy.

In an effort to increase participation and reward volunteers for their service, we are organizing a prize raffle. Each volunteer will receive an entry into the raffle for each hour of service they contribute. Bob Kirkland, chair of Ripon College's Board of Trustees, has donated a new 2011 Trek 6000 mountain bike as the grand prize. Saris Racks has donated a Bones 3 car rack and CycleOps Power has donated a Magneto trainer. GU Energy and DeFeet have also donated prizes for the raffle. Winners will be drawn during a grand trail opening celebration slated to take place later this summer.

In addition to the two Saturday work days, volunteer opportunities will be available throughout the project. For more information, contact Ric Damm at 920-748-8322 or dammr@ripon.edu.

Trail Solutions is IMBA's professional fee-based trail consulting program. Trail services range from trail planning, design and construction to trail management, education and volunteer teamwork. IMBA excels at careful and diligent planning and collaboration to create trail systems that provide high-quality experiences for diverse visitors, minimize environmental impact and user conflict and require less maintenance over time.�

Work to begin on Pepsi Refresh Project trail

This Sunday we will raise our first pruner in anger as we begin to clear buckthorn and other vegetation from the trail corridor of our planned singletrack trail on campus.

Team members and other volunteers are set to descend on the Ceresco Prairie Conservancy April 10 to begin the brush clearing. The work will prepare the way for the IMBA Trail Solutions team to begin trail construction as soon as April 25.

In an effort to encourage participation and to reward the hard work of our volunteers, we will offer a variety of prizes to be awarded via a raffle. A generous Ripon donor and cycling advocate has offered a brand new Trek 6000 mountain bike as the top prize. Our team sponsors are also coming through for us. Saris Cycle Racks has donated a Bone 3 car rack and CycleOps Power has donated a Magneto trainer. GU Energy and DeFeet are also chipping in with some swag to reward volunteers. Each volunteer will get a ticket in the raffle for each hour they volunteer to the project. Names will be drawn this fall as part of a grand trail opening celebration.

Daily Peloton features interview with Coach Damm

Imelda March, a Chicagoland member of Team Kenda, interviewed Coach Ric Damm recently and the results have been posted on DailyPeloton.com as part of its continuing "Ride and Learn" series. The series highlights varsity cycling programs throughout the country.

Ripon footage included in new Pepsi promo

Thanks to the work of videographer Brett Fallentine at GOOD Projects LLC, this footage of the Red Hawks cycling team, shot at Nordic Mountain on a cold and snowy day last November, has been included in Pepsi's new Refresh Communities promotion. The video is included on the Refresh Project blog and will hopefully find its way into the new refresheverything.com.

We'd like to thank Rick Schmitz at Nordic Mountain for all of his support, as well as Ripon College alumnna Liza LeClaire, chief operating officer at Wheel & Sprocket, for accommodating the shoot at the Hales Corners shop.

We hope to begin clearing brush from the flagged trail corridor soon in anticipation of construction by the IMBA Trail Solutions team slated to begin April 25.

Sign Up Now for Wisconsin Bike Summit

Register now for the Wisconsin Bike Summit on April 19. Attending the Summit is not only inspiring, educational and fun, but now more than ever you are needed to stand in support of Wisconsin bicycling. The Summit is the most important bicycling event of the year!

The Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin welcome Wisconsin Secretary of Tourism Stephanie Klett and Copenhagen's bicycle guru Andreas Røhl as our key note speakers.

Secretary Klett will kick-start our Summit with an opening session on the exciting bicycling opportunities in Wisconsin. Prior to leading Wisconsin Tourism, Secretary Klett traveled over 1,000,000 miles throughout Wisconsin promoting our state's special places through Discover Wisconsin.

Andreas has led Copenhagen's bicycle program, making this city famous for being the world’s best bicycling community. An amazing 40 percent of people who work or study in Copenhagen make their commutes by bike, and among folks who also live in Copenhagen, the rate is even higher – about 55 percent. This is a huge change from the 1970s, when the percentage of Copenhagen residents who used the bicycle as everyday transportation was in the single digits – not unlike many Wisconsin communities today.

The Summit will include the following inspiring and social activities for every type of bicycle leader:

• Workshops led by experts across the state covering topics from mountain biking to bike-friendly businesses
  
• Organized bike rides highlighting Madison's innovative bicycle facilities
• A pre-event Happy Hour and post-event celebratory social
  
• Meetings with your legislators to educate and inform our political leaders on the importance of bicycling in Wisconsin
  

Bicycling in Wisconsin can't move forward without you! Whether you are a bicycle business owner, a bike club leader or a bike commuter, you are critical to making Wisconsin an even better place to be on a bike.

Save $10 when you register for the Summit by April 11. REGISTER NOW.

Planning to spend the night in Madison? Bike Summit attendees are eligible for a reduced room rate at the Madison Concourse Hotel ($69 single/$79 double). To receive this rate, reserve your room via phone, (608) 257-6000, and ask for the Wisconsin Bike Summit discount. Rooms are going fast — reserve yours by April 8 to guarantee your spot.

President takes 'plunge' with Red Hawks

Ripon President David Joyce, an avid mountain biker, joined members of the cycling team Friday, Feb. 18, as they plunged into the frigid waters of Lake Winnebago as part of the Special Olympics of Wisconsin Polar Plunge event in Oshkosh.

The team's efforts raised more than $1,700 to support the state's Special Olympcis efforts to provide funding for nearly 10,000 athletes with cognitive disabilities. Joyce agreed to participate as part of the "Toss Your Boss" event.

Joyce, along with Ripon cyclists Andy Ayers, Jeremy Brouwer, Andy Fehrenbach, Benjamin Jones, Paul Meuer and Head Coach Ric Damm, jumped into a hole cut in the ice at Millers Bay near Menominee Park in Oshkosh. And it was COLD!!

Thank you to everyone who supported our efforts, and a special thanks to President Joyce for being such a good sport.

A painful reminder

Our thoughts and prayers go out today to our friends and colleagues at Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, N.C., and to the family and friends of Carla Swart. Swart, who signed with HTC-Highroad this past fall, died today after being hit by a truck while training in South Africa.

According to the report from Cyclingnews.com:

The 23-year-old Swart was riding on the road to Marquard in the central Freestate province of South Africa when a truck slammed into her.

Barry Austin, Cycling South Africa’s team manager who saw the accident happen, said Swart turned around right in front of the oncoming truck moments after she had lost her cycling computer.

“I could see how the driver slammed on his breaks. He even swerved to the right so as to avoid smashing into Swart, but it was to no avail. The truck hit Swart full on, flinging her into the air,” Austin said.

Swart died before she reached the hospital.

According to Austin, Swart was doing time trialing exercises when the accident happened.

Swart was born in Graaff-Reinet, South Africa but moved to the USA with her family when she was 15. She represented South Africa in the 2010 Commonwealth Games, finishing eighth in the road race as the top South African finisher.

She was a multi-discipline US collegiate champion in 2008 and finished eighth in the 2010 Ronde Van Drenthe World Cup. She also won the best young rider's award in the Tour de L'Aude stage race and finished 10th in the women's race at the road world championship in Australia.

HTC-Highroad posted a moving message on the team's website: "Carla, in such a short time you became part of our family and touched us all with your vibrant personality and your constant smile. You infected us with your zest for life and we will forever have you in our hearts. Our wishes go out to Carla's family and loved ones."

Deon Swart, the father of Carla, wrote the following on her facebook wall. "Carla's dad here. We all know Carla has claimed her place in Heaven. She was in a cycling accident today in South Africa while training. Thanks to everyone that was so involved in her life and career. RIP Carla. What more can I say at this stage."

Be careful out there.

Freezin' for a Reason

As we did last year, members of the Red Hawks Cycling team and I will be jumping into the frigid and murky waters of Lake Winnebago this February. This year, we've challenged College President David Joyce to join us for the 2011 Polar Plunge in Oshkosh, Wis. Joyce has agreed to participate as part of the event's "Toss Your Boss" event Friday, Feb. 18. Joyce will take the plunge if the team raises at least $1,500 to support Special Olympics of Wisconsin. So we need your support!

Last year Ripon cyclists Andy Fehrenbach, Paul Meuer, Eric Smith and Head Coach Ric Damm joined nearly 2,000 participants who jumped into Lake Winnebago at Millers Bay near Menominee Park in Oshkosh.

This year's Oshkosh event is one of 12 throughout the state being organized to raise funds for Special Olympics. According to the Special Olympics Wisconsin Web site, money raised through the Polar Plunge provides funding for nearly 10,000 athletes with cognitive disabilities.

Special Olympics Wisconsin is a statewide organization providing persons with cognitive disabilities year-round sports training and competition. Individuals who are at least eight years old and are identified as having a cognitive disability are eligible for participation. With seven Area offices throughout the state, Special Olympics Wisconsin serves nearly 10,000 athletes in nearly 189 communities statewide. Special Olympics Wisconsin is one of the 50 state programs and one of nearly 200 countries providing this opportunity to more than one million athletes worldwide.

Donations to Special Olympics Wisconsin on behalf of the Ripon cycling team can be made via our pledge site. Checks made payable to "Special Olympics Wisconsin" also can be sent to Ric Damm at Ripon College, PO Box 248, Ripon WI 54971-0248. For more information, e-mail dammr@ripon.edu.

7th Annual Ride for Rosita Coming Jan. 22

The seventh annual Super Spin Saturday: Ride for Rosita will be held Saturday, Jan. 22 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the newly renovated YMCA in Fond du Lac (90 West Second Street). I'm pretty sure I've attended all six to date, and this year promises to be the biggest and best to date. If you haven't been to one yet (and even if you have) make plans to attend this year.

Participants from six-year-old beginners to pros are welcome to spin for one hour or up to four hours. A limited number of stationary spin bikes will be available, however, participants are encouraged to bring their own bikes and stationary trainer or rollers. If you don't have a trainer, some will be available for use with your bike.

Every participant will receive a free one-week membership at the Fond du Lac YMCA. Plus, $1,000 worth of prizes will be awarded in various categories for most money raised.

Cost to participate is $5 per hour or a flat fee of $15 per individual or $25 per couple or family. United Hearts for Health volunteers will once again serve their very tasty homemade energy bars (worth the cost of admission alone!). To support the cause, you also are encouraged to raise additional money through pledges. All checks should be made payable to “United Hearts for Health/Holy Family.” Download the registration form.

The Red Hawks will once again be leading an hour of spinning beginning at noon.

Super Spin Saturday is a fund-raising event to support United Hearts for Health (UHH) and its health care efforts in Rosita, Nicaragua. The first group of Fond du Lac medical missionaries traveled to Rosita in 2003. The health care system they found was in a dire crisis. The hospital infrastructure was rotting away, the laboratory facilities were inadequate for diagnosis, dental equipment was inadequate and the infant and maternal mortality rates were — and remain — among the highest in the world.

Since 2003, a new hospital has been built and a new well drilled to provide potable water to the hospital and its patients. Fond du Lac health care providers have treated more than 600 patients in 2007 and 2008. In 2009, that number rose to more than 1,200 in Rosita and at two nearby satellite locations. Every year the cost of medicine and supplies goes up, and UHH relies heavily on donors to help us purchase the type and amount of medicine and supplies needed to treat patients effectively. The cost of medication alone was over $10,000 in 2009.

For more information, including a photo gallery from last year's Super Spin event, visit the United Hearts for Health Web site or call 920-921-6021.

You can also check out the Ride for Rosita on facebook.