Author: Josh Haas

Four of our racers hit Southwest Michigan for the Sodus River Time Trial this morning and all did quite well.

Danny Wolin: This is the first time I have done this TT and the course was great. Well paved roads in SW MI. It was quite a bit windier than we all expected so the way out was tough but I felt I kept a good pace-right around 24. The way back was certainly better with a side tailwind so the speed was higher.  Officially average was 25.31-a bit lower than the Garmin indicated-25.7. Good enough for 6th on the day-only a half mile an hour between 1st and 6th. While not a great TT result I am happy with the pace I held given the wind especially on the way back. A bit of work to do before the state TT in a month but heading in the right direction.

Josh Haas: What a great mid-season time trial. Easy to find, very well-run and the course was great. We arrived to much more wind than the weatherman led us to believe but luckily it was a headwind at the start. I was able to keep it above 20mph going out, then punched it as much as possible the way back and was avg’ing between 25-27mph which was just plain fun. In the end, my official average was only 23.1mph but my Garmin data showed a slightly longer course ridden which made my average 23.6mph. I ended up 4th in CAT 5 and with my lack of training this busy Spring, I am quite happy with the result. I plan to work hard over the next 6 weeks preparing for the State Time Trial.

Kevin Bridges: Sodus River TT was my first time trial. I have done many triathlons, which is basically a time trial sandwiched between a swim and a run. This race was a 20km out and back; we had a head wind on the way out and a tail wind coming back in. I averaged 23 mph and finished 5^th in cat. 5.

This race was flat, fast, and run very well. I would like to thank Sodus Fire Chief Bill Long for opening up the restrooms at the Fire Station for us to use.

Scott Bridges: The 2015 Sodus River Time Trial was my first ever time trial. It was a great race to be my first. The atmosphere was great, with no chaos or confusion of the good organized race made it simple to suffer. I won the junior category, putting a lot of points between my rivals and I in the Michigan challenge series.

It’s another year racing for a great team (WSI Cycling) that not only encourages raising money for charity, it’s required. We have the freedom to choose the charity and the riding event. Instead of picking a race, I again chose to ride long hours and many miles in search of birds. It’s an endurance challenge with a twist and has worked well to bring in big money for a great cause.

Similar to last year, I began at 2am and the first bird was yet again, the threatened Henslow’s Sparrow. What a fortunate thing as this bird is very scarce. After that I was quickly off. Unfortunately, it was only around 40 degrees so I had to start in cold weather gear which limited my hearing. Everyone asks why I start at 2am. The answer is not only for Owls, but many other birds that call at night and rarely if at all during the day. I tallied Sedge Wren, Barred Owl, Great-horned Owl, Marsh Wren, Sora, Virginia Rail both cuckoos and many more before even a twinkle of light began to show. Luckily the riding was very uneventful with only one car seen, no flats and dogs that couldn’t catch me. Check out the recording below to hear an Eastern Whip-poor-whil calling along Otis Lake.

I do need to give a shout out to the fine folks at Team Active Cycling & Fitness who worked with me to get the gearing on my cross bike just perfect for this big ride. I absolutely love this bike and it performed flawlessly. At 4:57am, the morning chorus began to rise quickly as twilight began to erase the stars over Otis Audubon Sanctuary. By 5:45am, I was back on the bike after a float in the Kayak (which was miserably cold in darkness). I was headed for my first spot where some of my crew would join me for a long walk. The morning was beginning to warm which I had really been waiting for. Along with the warm air, the birds were darn good and we had an enjoyable walk.

From there, I began running and gunning to spots throughout Yankee Springs ticking birds off left and right. I was missing some that should have been around but I was adding unexpected species throughout. At the Paul Henry Thornapple Trail in Middleville, I found nesting Prothonotary Warblers and after lunch began my longer journeys of the day heading Northeast. The highlight of the day was a very unexpected Common Gallinule as well as a Short-billed Dowitcher at a spot quite a ways north of Hastings. My dad was with me and our excitement could hardly be contained.

I continued through the miles, had some leg issues around 75 miles in but used some nutrition to get back on track before ending up at Pierce Cedar Creek where not only my crew but my family met up with me to grill brats. Boy did they taste good and my body enjoyed the extra sodium! Another unexpected highlight was a female Northern Bobwhite which all of us were excited to see and hear.

I pedaled the last 10 miles home and ended the day with 102.5 miles ridden, three miles hiked, one mile kayaked and some wicked helmet head after 19hrs! I tallied a staggering 121 species; a Barry County big day record (five more than my record-setting number last year). I am so thankful for safe roads, an amazing crew that supported me throughout the day and great followers that donated to a great cause. I would like to especially thank my dad for providing the best sag support a cyclist could ever hope for. On top of that, he donated twice to the cause. Just awesome…

At this point we have raised over $1400 for the Barry County YMCA’s Play 60 program this summer. Because of your generosity, kids in the Hastings community are able to attend these programs and activities completely FREE where they can learn fun new ways to play outside every day. How cool is that!!! It’s not too late, please visit www.active.com/donate/joshhaas15 to read more about this program and to donate via credit/debit card.

***Devin and Josh rocketing around a lap at the Willow TT

Devin Winton’s Willow TT: The Willow Time Trial has been a baseline for winter fitness and race season preparation. Because it is like Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates, you never now what you’re going to get. It could be bright, sunny, and in the 60s or cloudy overcast and in the 30s. Saturday, April 25 was cloudy, overcast, and in the 40s.

I arrived to the race venue a bit later than anticipated, which meant that I got about a ten minute warm-up before reporting to the start. Without a dedicated time trial bike, my goal is to settle in to a good rhythm and suffer. Six laps and it would be over.

The most significant change this year was using a compact crank. Using the compact allowed me to settle into a big ring gear that was comfortable and maintainable. I used two primary gears: one going into the wind, and one with the wind. Did I mention the wind? That’s one thing you can always count on at Willow – the wind!

After six laps of controlled pain, I finished in just under 35 minutes; about where I’ve been the past two times I’ve raced Willow.
Enjoyed riding with teammates Dan Wolin, Josh Haas, and Matt Wright. Thanks to our sponsors for making the race team possible!

Danny Wolin’s Willow TT: Ah Willow. I love it and hate it. The Willow TT is never the same race due to weather and wind conditions.  The last two years it was warmer and a bit windier but my times were faster than this year.  From 2nd the last two years to 5th and about 45 seconds slower than last year.  Still averaged over 25 but I was hoping to be in the same range as I have been.

Not really sure what happened this year but it was colder at the start which made warming up more difficult and the wind, while not horrible was more variable.  Usually a good tail wind is available for at least half the course but not so much this year.  Training has gone well so I will chalk this up to an off day. I think I am still where I need to be but will be tweaking some things.

Matt Wright’s Willow TT: This was my second year competing at Willow. The weather was decent: partly sunny, 45 degrees, and only moderate wind. I raced the Eddy Mercks Category this time since I no longer own a TT bike. I placed a little better in this category finishing 12th out of 18 riders with a time of 39:00:02. I averaged 20.3 MPH. I felt pretty good about the race and look forward to competing again soon!

Josh Haas’ Willow TT: My 2nd year at Willow is in the books.  My goal was to improve my time from last year.  Technically I did that, but only by seven seconds so it wasn’t the window of improvement I was hoping for.  But I still felt pretty fast and averaged 23.5mph which I’m pleased with for the end of April.

Josh & Devin here; 2014 marks another year in which we rode rollers indoors for charity.  Six to seven years ago, Devin came up with the idea to ride rollers for the United Way as a way to raise money for those less fortunate.  Two years in, I decided to join him and we’ve been doing this event together every year since.

The concept includes riding on rollers over four hours with the challenge of making it to 100 miles.  That requires a minimum of 25mph avg.  It’s worth saying that there is less rolling resistance on rollers so that avg is more attainable but I would challenge anyone to try this and picture themselves staying on for that long.  It’s not fun, to say the least.

With the new team requirement of raising charity dollars, this was the perfect ride for Devin.  Having already brought in $1600 from my Big Day in May, I didn’t need to ride but chose to join my partner and mentor in riding to keep him company.

Devin set a new personal goal this year by hitting 100 miles in only three hours, 14 minutes with a 31mph avg.  That is absolutely cookin’ and my hats off to Devin, probably one of the best road riders on our team.  I hit 100 miles in three hours and 50 minutes with a 26mph avg.  Most importantly, we brought in $600 for charity ($300 each) and ended yet another team ride with smiles on our faces.

-Josh Haas & Devin Winton