Super Week Coming to Ripon, July 18

Ripon College will host Stage 9 of the Point Premium Root Beer International Cycling Classic bicycle race Friday, July 18. Commonly known as Wisconsin Super Week, this year’s race — the 40th annual — promises the best in professional and elite amateur cycling with men and women competitors from across the United States and more than 20 foreign countries.

Racing on a 0.6-mile course that circumnavigates the historic college campus, participants will be challenged with four corners and two short climbs on each loop. The Ripon College Red Hawk Criterium is the ninth race in a series of 18 that begin Friday, July 11 and end Sunday, July 27.

Members of fashion mogul Michael Ball’s controversial Rock Racing team, as well as racers from Australia’s Virgin Blue squad and the Hong Kong Cycling Team, are anticipated to race, according to Michael Garrison, director of marketing for race promoter Breakaway Event Productions of Milwaukee. Garrison said several Olympic athletes from various countries will also be in attendance as they prepare for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games to be held in August.

Racing will begin at 10:30 a.m. with the Category 4 & 5 men and culminate with the top professional racers who will compete in a 100 K event at 4:45 p.m.

“Ripon College has a rich history in the sport of cycling dating back to the 1890s,” said Ric Damm, head coach of cycling at Ripon College. “The College, through its Velorution Project and the establishment of the new Red Hawk cycling team, hopes to create a renaissance of the bicycle culture on campus. This race is a part of that effort.”

Additional race sponsors include Tracy Porter Inc. and Alliance Laundry Systems.

Ripon’s Main Street Inc. encourages spectators and racers alike to remain after the final race to enjoy the sounds of the Beatles tribute band, The Britins, who take the stage at the Village Green from 7 to 10 p.m.

For more information, visit the International Cycling Classic Web site at www.iccsuperweek.com.

Tentative Red Hawks Cycling Schedule Unveiled

I've been working on putting together the schedule for the inaugural mountain bike season of the Ripon College Red Hawks. The itinerary is based on the tentative Midwest Collegiate Cycling Conference schedule. In an effort to minimize travel time and related expenses in this first year, I've included some non-MWCCC alternate races that are closer to home. So here is what the schedule looks like as of today...

Aug. 24
@ Wisconsin Off Road Series Race #9: Border Battle

Aug. 30 & 31
@ University of Missouri

Sept. 6 & 7
@ University of Illinois

Sept. 13
@ Chequamegon Fat Tire 40

Sept. 20
@ Minnesota State Championship Series Race #10: Revolution's Single-Track Escape

Sept. 28
@ Wisconsin Off Road Series Race #11: Wolf River Rendezvous

Oct. 4 & 5
@ Butler University

Oct. 11 & 12
MWCCC Regionals @ Purdue University

Thank You

I would like to extend a sincere “thank you” to everyone who made the 2008 Wisconsin State Criterium Championships successful. It was wonderful to see bike racing back in Ripon after a long hiatus. In addition to the race’s many sponsors — most notably the Ripon Restaurant Group — I’d like to thank the following:

• The City of Ripon, who in spite of dealing with serious flooding issues city wide, did its best to meet our race needs — from ensuring the recent utility construction on Watson Street was finished and the street paved in time for the race to the phenomenal job done clearing the course streets of all debris Saturday morning.
• Craig Tebon, executive director of Ripon Main Street Inc., and Paula Price, executive director of the Ripon Area Chamber of Commerce, for their help with many logistics.
• Ripon Area Builders for providing barricades to block off streets.
• Tom Walker and the Alliance Laundry print shop for helping with Road Closed signs.
• Doug Kelm and Graphic Sign and Letter for the banner that hung across Watson Street, and Oshkosh Tent and Awning for repairing the banner when storm winds tore it.
• The Ripon College Physical Plant for use of vehicles and assistance in hanging, removing and re-hanging the banner.
• Brian Azinger, Dan Garcia, Chris Schattschneider and Ripon Medical Center for on-site first aid and medical assistance.
• The downtown shops and neighboring residents for their support.
• The Wisconsin American Legion and Badger Boys State for adjusting their plans to accommodate the race.
• Charles Oberweiser of Ripon College's Office of Community Engagement for his work with the Kids Fun Race and Imagineers Screen Printing and Sports for the donation of a gift certificate to the "winner" of the kids race.
• John Rohde at Custom Team Apparel who delayed his vacation plans until our race volunteer shirts arrived Friday afternoon.
• The race officials and all of the volunteers who worked registration and helped move traffic while keeping the racers and spectators safe.
  

On behalf of the LAPT Cycling Club and the Ripon College Red Hawks Cycling Team, thank you again to everyone mentioned above and to those who I may have forgotten to mention.

The Crazy Men (and women) of Cycling

When one of your friends does something that you're not really sure is good for them, do you support them? What if that something is racing a bike across the country. Dave Haase is attempting his fourth Race Across America (RAAM). He's twice finished in fourth place. This year, he's determined to win.

Dave is a great guy and a great ally for cycling in general. He owns and operates Attitude Sports in Fond du Lac, Wis. RAAM is not for the weak bodied or willed. Dave certainly has a strong will and he's proven his body can withstand the torture as well.

I truly wish him the best. He's just one day into the race, with about eight more to go. A lot can happen in those nine days. You can follow all of the action on the RAAM site or Dave's own Web site. The latest posting on Dave's site says he took a wrong turn last night and "almost got taken out by an owl."

Here's a good pre-race interview with Dave:

Ripon to host WCA Crit Championships June 14

The best bicycle racers in Wisconsin and beyond will converge on Ripon Saturday, June 14 for the Wisconsin Cycling Association’s 2008 State Criterium Championships presented by the Ripon Restaurant Group. Riders will compete in 11 categories for the Wisconsin State Championship Jersey and nearly $7,000 in cash and prizes.

Medals will be awarded to the top three riders and a Wisconsin Championship jersey to the overall state winner in each category. Racing action begins at 8:30 a.m. with the women’s races and continues all day with the final pro race beginning at 5:30 p.m. The 3/4-mile race course will run counterclockwise with a start and finish on Watson Street in the heart of Ripon’s historic downtown business district. The route then winds through a stately residential neighborhood and the Ripon College campus before the final 130-meter sprint to the finish line.

A free Kids’ Fun Race and Parade for children 9 and under will be held on Watson Street at 2:45 p.m.

The event is hosted by Lakes Area Physical Therapy Cycling Club and the Ripon College Red Hawks Cycling Team. Cash and prizes are being supplied by race sponsors the Ripon Restaurant Group (owners of Roadhouse pizza, Dos Gringos Mexican Restaurant and Suds on the Square); Precision Plus Inc. of Elkhorn; Fond du Lac/Oshkosh Cyclery; Attitude Sports of Fond du Lac; Bicycle Doctor Nordic Ski Shop of Dousman; Open MRI of Sheboygan; and KC’s Driving Schools of Southeastern Wisconsin.

We’re very excited to be bringing bicycle racing back to Ripon with one of the premier events in the state. This community once had a grand association with the sport of cycling dating back to the state bicycle meets of the Wisconsin Division of the League of American Wheelmen in the 1890s. We believe this event will showcase Ripon once more as a wonderful place to host a bike race.

With discounted rates at Ripon hotels, racers and fans are encouraged to come early and stay late. The weekend’s activities begin Friday, June 13, with Ripon’s Village Green Summer Concert Series featuring Andy and the Automatics from 7 to 10 p.m. Dos Gringos, Roadhouse and Suds on the Square will be catering to racers and fans with special hours Saturday and outdoor dining on Ripon’s historic square at the north end of Watson Street.

More information can be found on the race Web site at www.ripon.edu/wcacritchamps.

12 Hours of GEARS

I participated in the first Wisconsin Endurance Mountain Bike Series (WEMS) race of the season -- the 12 Hours of GEARS -- at the New Fane trails near Kewaskum with Stud Weasil & the Damm Swell Guys. Our team consisted of Mike Skurek, Steve Loos, John Lanser and I. Each of us rode two laps, giving the other three a layoff of six laps. I completed eight laps, each just shy of 5 miles in length. My lap times were consistently in the mid 21-minute range (21:32, 21:08, 21:37. 21:37, 21:31, 21:49, 21:40, 22:10).

This was the second year I've participated in this event. Both times it has proven to be lots of fun (view the photos). There are seven more events in the WEMS series. You might want to check one out:

June 28
Levis/Trow 100 (Also the Wisconsin Singlespeed Championship)
Hatfield

July 12
12 Hours of Blue Mound
Blue Mounds

July 19
Metro Challenge
Franklin

August 16
Blufflands Epic Enduro Race
LaCrosse

August 30
Stump Farm 12
Green Bay

September 27
Thunderdown in the Underground
Merrill

October 4
12 Hours at John Muir
La Grange

Did You Ride Your Bike to Work Today?

It's national Bike to Work Week. If you can ride your bike in a race or for training, you most likely can find a way to ride it to work. Here are four reasons to give it a try ...

You'll feel better: A study by researchers at Bowling Green State University found that people who cycle for just 10 minutes enjoy the same mood boost and reduction in depression and fatigue as those who cycled three times as long.

You'll be healthier: The average adult loses 13 pounds his first year of commuting to work by bike. Just three hours of bicycling per week can reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke by 50 percent. A 140-pound cyclist burns 508 calories while pedaling a mild 14 miles in an hour.

You'll save money: Based on gas prices of about $3 a gallon (and we all know gas is closer to $4 a gallon, currently), the annual cost of owning, operating, and driving a passenger car roughly 15,000 miles is nearly $11,000. Conversely, it costs roughly $120 a year to maintain a bike.

You'll help the environment: Sixty percent of the pollution created by automobile emissions happens in the first few minutes of operation, before pollution control devices can work effectively, making the negative impact of short trips more substantial. Drivers in the United States alone could save 462 million gallons of gasoline a year by increasing cycling a mere half percentage from 1 percent to 1.5 percent of all trips.

So park the car. Ride your bike. How many reasons do you have not to?

You can download a booklet of helpful tips on commuting to work by bicycle for the League of American Bicyclists.