Author: Josh Haas

Josh Haas here; the 2014 State Time Trial Championship brought some good talent to a hilly, technical course in late June.  With three turnarounds and a short 16 miles ridden, it was an odd route that catered to the more technical riders.  It was certainly a learning experience for me and I felt I rode well given where my fitness level is currently. 

I missed the podium by 57 seconds and I placed 4th in my division.  I was happy with my performance and believe the hilly course did play to some of my strengths.  Pre-riding the course the night before was also very useful.  WSI was also represented by Danny Wolin and the time trial master podiumed with a 3rd place finish in his division.

I’m looking forward to next year.  The goal is to come in stronger and faster than ever with a podium finish.

-Josh

Josh: Time trialing (TT) is not for everyone but for Danny and I, riding at or near lactic threshhold and suffering as long as possible is an adrenaline rush we love. Willow would be the first of the season TT for several of us and WSI Team Active Cycling had great representation. Devin Winton, Danny Wolin, Matt Wright, and myself all raced.  Willow is a 2.22mi loop that is repeated 6 times equaling 13.32mi.  While the weather man said it wouldn’t be windy, Willow Metropark must have been left off his report because HOLY WINDS!!! Strong side winds around the 3rd curve were hellish on deep dish wheels but we all pushed through the winds safely. At Willow, it’s important to know where you are at all times so you enter the finish chute on the correct lap. All four of us did just that  and all posted great times. For me, my goal was to finish in under 35min and I posted an even 34min time. That worked out to a 23.5mph average which I was very pleased with for a race in April. The next TT for me will be the State Time Trial Championships June 22. I’ll be picturing Rocky training in Siberia whilst doing my interval work throughout the next month. 🙂

Devin: Willow has always been a good indicator if my winter training. The only thing constant about Willow is the weather: it is never consistent. Some years, it is sunny and 70, while other years it may be blustery and 40. As long as I am within a couple of minutes of previous years, I figure my off season training has been effective.

2014 was windy. Very windy. Riding Cat 4, I started just ahead of my teammate Danny Wolin. With a strong northwest wind, it was wind in your face at the start and finish of the six lap race. Riding “blind,” i.e. without hr monitor or computer, I had no idea what my speed was. By the middle of the first lap I settled into a pace I knew I could sustain and began to suffer. A TT is just a matter of how much and how intense the suffering can be endured.

Well, after 6 laps I finished about where I expected; time consistent with prior years and all in all a fun outing with teammates Danny Wolin, Josh Haas, and Matt Wright.

Thanks to Team Active, WSI, and our other sponsors.

Danny: It was a very nice, windy day to race the Willow TT and also very nice to see Josh, Matt and Devin race as well. While the training was a bit behind due to the winter I felt very good and the intervals paid off. I ended up with second place (again) to the same guy as last year but I was very happy with the result as it was the fastest time and average speed I have had there (26 mph) and 30.35.

-Josh Haas, Devin Winton & Danny Wolin

Having recently completed a Barry County Big Green Year in 2013, this year I needed a new challenge combining my two passions of cycling and birding. I decided to cram it all into one day with the goal of seeing or hearing as many birds as possible in Barry County. Riding for reasons bigger than myself, this time I would be riding for charity…

Being a new father, it’s important to me that my daughter grows up seeing healthy living and being outside and active as normal. I decided to ride for the Barry County YMCA and their Play60 program (getting kids outside daily for at least 60min). My goal was to raise $1000 and tally a bird list of at least 100 species.

The day began at 2am and without getting on the bike, bird #1 was in the bag. The endangered Henslow’s Sparrow was doing what they do best, calling at night. You may ask why a person would get on the bike at 2am… NIGHT BIRDS!!! What a morning it was. I tallied 50 birds by the time the sun showed itself through the trees including Barred Owl, Eastern Screech Owl, Great-horned Owl, Sedge Wren and the illusive Eastern Whip-poor-whil.

At sunrise, a few local birders met up with me for a nice long hike through great habitat and by the time I left, my list was over 70. A lull in bird activity coupled with a nutrition problem early afternoon made for a rough couple hours but #100 came around 2pm in the form of a Red-breasted Nuthatch.  This bird should be in the UP right now and for some reason decided to stay just long enough.  With #100 in the bag, that was the encouragement I needed to continue on.  I got past my nutrition barrier and a random nesting colony of Bank Swallows presented itself. At that point, the numbers starting going up again. By the time I reached Pierce Cedar Creek Institute, my family was already there grilling some brats which really hit the spot. Lillian loves birds but she may like swinging even more!

I made it home at 8:30pm which meant I was on the road 18.5 hours, rode 106 miles, hiked 5 miles, kayaked 1 mile, tallied 116 birds total (which is a Barry County record, bike or no bike), burned over 4000 calories and climbed over 4000 vertical feet.  Needless to say, I slept well that night!!

Most importantly, I surpassed my charity goal of $1000 and have brought in over $1400. Thanks for all who donated. I’m even hopeful by the time my donation site closes; I’ll have raised over $1500.  If you would still like to donate, please visit www.active.com/donate/joshhaas by May 31st.

-Josh Haas