Barry Roubaix Welcomes Spring

Barry Roubaix signals the official start of spring for many riders. The largest gravel road race within a stone’s throw of Battle Creek is a local favorite. Race day weather could not have been better and riders were treated with glimpses of the long awaited sunshine.

Dan opted for the 36 miler. After grinding up “The Wall” he saw someone offering neutral support on the side of the road.  The trunk of their 90s era sedan was popped open with a sign that read Water, Beer, Tire Pump.
He existentially reflected on these offerings for the remainder of the race realizing that those are the only things a person really needs.  A simple life is a happy life.
The 2018 “Dusty” edition Barry Roubaix is in the books as race Number 3 of the Michigan Gravel Race Series for Dan and he crossed the line after 36 miles 20/49 in his age group with a time of 2 hours and 2 minutes.
May signals a transition from gravel to multi-sport.

Matt, Nikki and Katie all raced the 22 miler. Matt finished 20 out of 73 in his age group and spent his time post-race at the after party and the after-after party for food and beverages at a Hastings staple, The Walldorff Brewpub.

Katie and Nikki lined up in the 2nd to last wave of the day with the women’s 22 miler group. It was Nikki’s first experience being on the racing side of the fence, after being a spectator at the event for many years. The two decided early on they would most likely stick together, and that they did. While it may not have been racing speed, the hills were no joke and the effort was there. Katie had a minor bike fiasco which put her on a “single speed” for about 3/4 of the ride and the poor guy helping her lost a contact in the dirt. Nikki may have needed to take a quick bathroom break at THE ONLY port-a-john on the course. Or maybe it was just a reason to rest the legs after the mountain climbing (but really, when you gotta pee, you gotta pee).

The best advice for the newcomer that was offered, “You WILL walk, just get off your bike and get back on at the top and keep going. It happens to the best of us.” The best of us may be better off staying away from the three sisters. You know what they say about them.

All-in-all it was a great day to ride a bike.

Three Rivers Tri

It was the end of August, and time for triathlon season to start winding down. Kellie had one tri to do as part of a relay team. She was the cyclist.

“It was a lot of fun just doing the bike segment… I had only one woman ahead of me, as her son was the 1st out of the water . I finally caught-and passed her  less than a mile from the transition area.
My team came in 3rd …  great day for a race!”

IceMan Cometh 2017

THE biggest mountain bike race in the state of Michigan. THE one raace no one ever knows how to dress for. THE greatest after party with Bell’s beer, and food trucks-a-plenty. THE Ice Man Cometh Challenge of 2017……

Dave Goff Sr. 

Iceman bike race from Kalkaska to the Timber Ridge Resort in Traverse City, as always was an awesome race this year! Started out with a little snow making the trail a little slick , but fun to ride. Unfortunately I had a flat tire about half way. I got it fixed and finished the race. The after p
arty was great! But extremely crowed. Looking forward to next year!

Kelli K

There’s always a story that goes with Iceman and this year was no different! I was warming up on my bike and noticed the tire bubbling from the center about 15 minutes before my wave took off.
I asked around to see if anyone had extra sealant but no luck.
My good friend Dave  offered his fat tire while he worked on my mountain bike  in hopes we both could still race. I started in the next wave, and quickly realized why fat tires have their own category.
I ended up in 8th place … considering late the chaotic start , I will take it! Until next year…
More Iceman reports to be added soon. Stay tuned…

 

 

Those who wander (to TN) are not lost……

I participated in Wanderlust 108 this past weekend in Nashville, TN at Bicentennial Park. The event was billed as a mindful triathlon, and began with an un-timed 5K run through the downtown streets of Nashville. My Strava app recorded my pace at 8:59/ mile. This was followed by 90 minutes of Vinyasa style yoga led by Chelsea Korus, which was fun and challenging! The “triathlon” was concluded by 30 minutes of meditation led by Enrique Collazo.

The weather was cloudy and 65 degrees, which was perfect for running and outdoor yoga. A great day!

~Matt W.

The Epic Race Weekend That Never Was

This weekend was supposed to be a double-header with the Fear The Forest Cyclocross race on Saturday at the Ziegler Action Sport complex and the RunUp Milwood Park Cyclocross race at Milham Park. On Friday afternoon, saw a post on the Fear The Forest Facebook page that they were cancelling due to predicted severe weather and low pre-registrations. I gave them a little heat posting a pic of what a real cyclocross looks like in Europe. As Saturday came around, I could see why they would have cancelled, but I would have been there without a moment’s hesitation. Fortunately, The RunUp guys and Pedal Bikes stood strong and ran the race.

 

I raced both the C and B races. I finished C’s 3 lap race 5th out of 22. I did not pre ride the course and was learning the turns and obstacles as I went. With that said, I was pretty wasted after the race. I finished B’s 7 laps 22 out of 24! What the hell happened there?!?! I started at the back because I missed the line up call. Through the first lap, I thought I worked my way up to around close to halfway through the pack. I conserved energy since I had a couple dudes in sight and hoped many behind me. I finished less wasted than the C race. I only found out my results later in the evening on Facebook. The only thing I could think of is that there were a few DNF’s, but who knows.

 

It was windy and rainy for both races. Every lap that went by, the course got less and less ride-able. Fast lines that I found in the C and beginning of B were quickly transformed into mud bogs. Traction was good throughout but there were sections with standing water under grass that zapped speed and energy and then some wonderful mud pits to run and ride through. I am glad I finally got a CX experience that I only read about and have seen pictures of. I’ll also chalk this up to another preparations for a potentially messy Iceman in 3 weeks.

~Jeff C