Help put junior-level mountain biking 'on the map' in Wisconsin

I attended a meeting last night of enthusiastic folks looking to bring high school mountain biking to Wisconsin. Wisconsin is already one of the best places to ride and race a mountain bike, so why shouldn't Wisco become part of the growing national movement spurred by Matt Fritzinger and the National Interscholastic Cycling Association.

Chad Warren, a teacher at Verona High School, is exploring the formation of a Wisconsin high school mountain bike league. Our friends at WORS are helping with a push to discover who of you out there would be willing to assist and or race as part of such a league.

Wisconsin is a great place to ride our bikes. We have hundreds of miles of singletrack, dozens of off-road cycling groups and one of the nation's strongest centers of cycling industry and advocacy. Wisconsin already has the resources and the interest to create outstanding opportunities for fun, safe, statewide competitive mountain bike racing at the Junior level - and the time is now.

We're bringing people together across the state. For many of you, you'll simply continue doing what you have been doing for years: helping young people to share in a sport that you love. We'll need your support to make this a success, and we hope you'll join us. Some of you may want to get involved now, and we'll be happy to help connect you with like-minded MTB enthusiasts in your area. Some of you may be Juniors who are ready to try out, or further excel in, mountain bike racing on a competitive level. We are a group of volunteers who love mountain biking and want to make this happen - and we need your help!

Our first goal is to organize Wisconsin's Junior MTBing enthusiasts into a network with two aims. We want to put Junior MTB racing "on the map" in Wisconsin!

1. To allow interested Juniors to find mentorship, friendship and support for riding and racing mountain bikes in their local community.
2. To support and unite those of you who can offer help and guidance to interested Junior riders in your local community.
   

The first thing we'll do with this data is to create an interactive, online Wisconsin community map of resources for Juniors who are interested in mountain bike racing. For clubs, teams, shops, families and individual racers, this map will be a resource to connect with others in your local area who share your excitement for hitting the trails.

To add your name to the map and the growing list of individuals interested in supporting junior-level mountain bike racers and a possible Wisconsin high school mountain bike league, please visit this Web site and sign up today.

Join us, won't you?

Given how much fun the Hawks had riding with like-minded cyclists in Fond du Lac Saturday, we've decided we want to create a similar vibe in our hometown with weekly group rides in Ripon.

Beginning Tuesday, March 23 cycling enthusiasts from throughout the area are invited to join the Red Hawks cycling team for a fitness-minded bicycle ride on rural roads surrounding Ripon. The ride distance and pace may vary depending on the composition of the group.

Participants can be new to the sport or seasoned veterans. If you are preparing for a bike race, a triathlon, a charity ride or a long touring event, or if you simply enjoy riding a bicycle to stay in shape, this ride is designed for you to meet others with a similar interest and share the experience.

The first few rides will be a bit shorter (approx. 15-20 miles) but we hope to increase the distance to between 20 and 30 miles as available daylight begins to increase. Participants should be prepared to average at least 16 mph.

These won't be races. They will be moderate training rides. Of course the pace will be determined by the riders in the group and what their fitness levels and goals are. We'll begin the ride together, ut bit may be necessary to divide the group based on abilities. If that happens, each group will be led by a member of the Red Hawks cycling team who is familiar with the route. We want to ensure that each rider has a good time. So it may be necessary to experiment with the pace and the distance based on the group of riders on any given Tuesday.

Some things to keep in mind about the ride:

• It is not a "no drop" ride, but it will be geared towards keeping the group together. It will focus on building riding skills and fitness.
• It is not a casual ride, but it won't be a race either.
• This ride will be a chance to experience the beautiful roads in the greater Ripon area.
• If the group gets too large to manage, it will split into multiple groups with a group leader for each group. The group leader role is to make sure the group rides at a smooth pace, keeps weaker riders protected, monitors who is getting left behind and makes sure everyone knows where they are going.

• The ride will average 16 to 22 mph. If done correctly, someone who typically rides a little slower can easily manage the pace. The pace will be dictated by who shows up and what route is taken.
• We will ride as a GROUP -- typically in a 2x2 formation that is tight. This helps form a better draft pocket for the riders behind you.
• It is NOT a "go out and hammer to show everyone how fast you can go up the hill" ride. If you chose to attack the group, you will be on your own. You can do that at any of the other race pace group rides in the area.
• There will not be any sprints from the stop signs and we will regroup after intersections or hills if anyone gets separated.
• Before the ride leaves, a leader is established that suggests the route and keeps the ride in order. There can be a different leader each night as there will hopefully be some "regulars" that show each week.

If you want to join us, please make sure your bicycle is in good working condition and be prepared with necessary tools (including a patch kit or a spare tube and a pump or CO2 cartridge) to fix flats and minor mechanical issues.

We'll meet at 5:30 p.m. each Tuesday at the main entrance to Ripon College at the intersection of Woodside Avenue and Seward Street. We hope to see you there!

Base Miles

The Hawks hooked up with some guys in Fond du Lac for a 40-mile ride today. Temps were in the mid 40s ... the warmest day of the year thus far. Still lots of snow in the fields, but clear skies and clear roads made for a great ride. We hit the Seven Hills route east of Fond du Lac to test the early season climbing legs.

The front shifter on Paul's bike is broken, so he was restricted to the small ring. Appropriate for the climbs of the day's terrain, but not the descents. Andy A. test rode a Giant ride from the shop, and Zach straddled my trusty old Trek 5200.

I discovered we've got some tough guys on the team ... if not the smartest guys. Furby rode with bare legs and Zach rode with bare arms. Working on their tan lines, of course! Maybe freezer burn instead of sun burn.

We all had a great time and are looking forward to a few more this spring. The Fondy guys even offered to come check out a few of our Ripon area routes.

Uploaded the route to Garmin Connect from my Edge 500 in case anyone is interested.

All thawed out

Thanks to everyone who supported our fundraising efforts for the Special Olympics of Wisconsin. Furby, Paul, Eric and I raised $675 and took the Polar Plunge in Oshkosh Saturday. It was certainly one of those "bucket list" moments. The plunge was a first for each of us, and none of us knew quite what to expect ... other than the shivers. It all happened pretty quickly. In some ways, I would describe it as anti-climactic. Still, we all agreed that we were glad to have done it. Will we be rushing to do it next year? I suspect it could become an annual team event, but time will tell.

Coach Damm's Bike Leg

Coach Ric Damm completed the bike leg of the 2010 Badger State Games. The route was a 5K out-and-back on Red Bud Road near Nine Mile Country Forest in Wausau, Wis. Damm recorded the fastest time on the bike for the day, completing the 5K distance in 12:42.1. He teamed up with Eric Smith to place second overall in the pairs, age 16-28 category with a combined time of 1 hr. 20 min. 57 sec.

Furby's Quadrathlon Ski Leg

Andy "Furby" Fehrenbach completed the 5K ski leg of the 2010 Badger State Games Quadrathlon in a time of 17:34.0, the fourth fastest time on the day. Furby teamed up with Paul Meuer to compete as a pair in the 16-28 age group. The two finished fourth in the category with a combined time of 1 hr. 46 min. 33.4 sec.

Red Hawk Recognition

A few photos from the recognition at Friday night's basketball game:























Tiffany, Coach Damm and Eric.























The new Cycling championship banner hanging among the other College championship banners in the gym.