On Saturday, April 4th Paddi and Andy traveled to Muenster, Texas to partake in the Red River Riot bike race. It was a rather chilly start but managed to warm into a beautifully sunny day with cool winds coming out of the north. As the day progressed, the winds from the south picked up. Everyone riding had to do the first lap which consisted of 33 miles and included the feared Windmill Hill. In comparison, Windmill Hill would be equal to all Three Sisters (from Barry-Roubaix) combined! This was Paddi’s second time at this race and she successfully made it all the way to the top. Andy rode his single speed for only the second time racing and did splendid! With a super fast first lap, both decided to head back out for the next segment which would include 45 miles with even bigger and more challenging hills! In their two-wheeled travels they encountered a coyote along with some breathtaking scenery. They completed the ride in just over 5 hours. The Texas hospitality was great and the event concluded with some home cooked BBQ pulled oRk that was out of this world delicious!
Barry-Roubaix, The Largest Gravel Road Race Around
While Melting Mann signaled the end of winter, Barry-Roubaix means it’s time to bring on Spring! On Saturday, March 28th, thousands of cyclists lined the streets of Hastings, Michigan as far as the eye could see. Conditions leading up to the race favored cyclists; with hard packed roads and no mud or ice. The temperature, a brisk 13 degrees at the start, was a friendly reminder that you never can quite predict the end of March weather in Michigan.
Dreams of personal bests, podium finishes and just plain finishing filled WSI racers’ minds. For Katie Bridges, this was her first Barry-Roubaix experience, and Devin Winton and Kathy Roche-Wallace opted to tackle the challenge on a single speed. For Kathy, completing the 62 mile chall
enge on an old Bontrager single speed, even to her, sounded crazy and stirred up pre-race jitters. She was comforted by the words of her father (and biggest fan) who passed away last year: My darling daughter, stay on top of your pedals. Devin struggled mentally to stay engaged but was determined to keep up in the single speed category with riders half his age. In his “old age” he is quite pleased with 15th.
As the race carried on, riders were taunted by the infamous climbs of the three sisters, and the last hill that quickly reminded riders, such as 220 lb. Eric Cook, of the power of gravity. Minor problems such as rocks in cassettes and frozen water bottles were the biggest 
challenges of the day for most. Great conditions had many cyclists opting for road bikes. This decision proved to be rewarding for some, helping David Goff secure a spot on the podium coming in 2nd in his AG. For Charles Elder, however, the race was cut short just under 4 miles. After changing one flat, he hopped back on only to discover the front tire was flat as well. Fellow racer, and WSI alumni, Jack Miner, passed by and left a t
ube but it turned out to not be a fit. While Charles flatted on the course, some were lucky enough to make it home first before discovering a flat.
Barry-Roubaix is a spring cycling must for riders and spectators alike. It is a well run, great all around event and a great way to kick off the 2015 cycling season! Special thanks to Jack Miner for securing the team an awesome squatting ground and tent set-up, and April and JJ for playing the role of “team photographer” for the day.
For more photos from the event LIKE our Facebook page.
Check out below to see how WSI riders faired this year:
Team competition
WSI/Team Active: 28th out of 36 teams
24 Mile Chiller
David Goff, 1:15, 2nd in AG
Dave Cobeen, 1:24
Peggy Haas, 1:26, 4th in AG
Katie Bridges, 1:54
36 Mile Thriller
Scott Bridges, 2:00, 6th in AG
Dan Frayer, 2:05
Eric Cook, 2:09
Devin Winton, 2:07
Kellie Kramer, 2:12, 4th in AG
Andy Weeks, 2:13
Dwight Denisiuk, 2:14
Keith Wilkinson, 2:16
Stacy Rainey, 2:15
Kevin Bridges, 2:21
Paddi Thornburg, 2:28
David Goff Sr., 2:33
Jana Turpin, 2:44
Charles Elder, DNF, double flat
62 Mile Killer
Kathy Roche-Wallace, 4:02
Melting Mann: Lives Up Its Name
It was a brisk 30 degrees on the morning of March 8th as racers lined up for the Melting Mann: A Race Through No Mann’s Land. The course, whose main attraction is Mann Rd., consisted of conditions ranging from dirt roads iced completely over to frozen rutted mud that would grab your tire in an instant. As the temps began to warm up and the course got well-used the frozen mud turned into the real deal, speckling racers with dirty faces and muddy behinds. WSI was well represented at the event taking home several podium finishes. Overall, it was a great event, and riders are looking forward to next year’s challenges in the Melting Mann.
David Goff placed second in his AG for the 22.7 mile course.
David Goff Sr. placed 4th in his AG for the 32 mile course.
Peggy Haas was the first female finisher on the 22 mile course with a respectable time of 1:32 (and that was all done on about an hour and a half of sleep).
Kellie Kramer placed 4th overall in women and 1st in her AG on the 32 mile course with a time of 2:09:08
Dwight Denisiuk raced the 32 mile course in the single speed division with a time of 2:14:21
The Traveling Circus: featuring the Bearded Ice Man
The Circus made the trip to Ypsilanti for stop #3 in the Michigan Fat Bike Series at Rolling Hills. I lined up for the 45 minute B Race with the intention of starting slow and working my way through the field. The first lap was faster than anticipated on the group split quickly. I kept the chase group in site for the first couple of laps, but the leading 4 were gone and stayed gone. The course was a mix of wide open turns and steady climbs. My 5 inch Surly Tires (thanks to Team Active) kept the rubber side down on the icy turns. I kept the effort high on the dicey course for 6 two mile laps and finished 6th 
out of 12. After a 30 minute rest, it was time for the Duo Open race with my friend Brian. We are pursuing the point series championship and needed to snag some points after missing stop #2 at Pando. We alternated hot laps for 90 minutes on the melting and muddy course and finished 4th on the day, keeping us in the lead for the overall point series.
#4: Even die hard mountain bike racers need to dial in their running skills every now again. 2 weekends ago (sorry for the late report) I lined up for the “not so frosty” Frostbite 5K in Vicksburg. Top Priority Goal: Enjoy chilli at the post race part. Second priority: Personal Record. The uphill mass start got the heart pumping early and I kept the effort high for a 23:11 finish time, 10 seconds faster than my fastest 5K from a couple of years ago and 1 spot away from the podium.
#5: The latest stop on the Michigan Fat Bike Tour was Addison Oaks County Park. A few miles from the home of Kid Rock, Addison Oaks has a web of well-groomed and fast flowing fat bike trails. 18 degrees at the start line, only 4 points separated the top three Duo Open teams. Our competition made the trip to Marquette for the Polar Roll and Brian and took advantage with a 2nd place finish. Next stop: Pando Winter Sports Park in Rockford Michigan.
~Dan Frayer
Kathy Roche-Wallace and her Sebring 24hr RAAM Qualifier
I signed up for the 24 Hours of Sebring as a personal test and training for my upcoming RAAM event in June… and I’m glad I did. At the end of the 24 hours, I logged 338.9 miles, enough to take 2nd in my age group. Not too bad of a result, considering most of my training this year has been indoors riding on rollers!
What a unique venue, the last 12hrs we were riding on the actual 3.14 mile race track. The only part of the track that was lit was the pit stop. The marking of the race track was back rear bike lights that they laid on the track like run way lights for airplanes. My crew is amazing and did an excellent job keeping me on my bike. It was a challenge, I kept wanting to stop after every lap, and those stops were adding up to laps lost. I raced with the mindset that I was on my 6th day of RAAM and the main goal was to stay within myself and be able to ride for another 6 days and this pace. Training continues on rollers for now with the next big training, heading to State College Pa. to visit my daughter and grand kids and do some long rides in the mountains.
Kathy
P.S. If you’ve not heard yet, we’ve also set up an Indiegogo Life page for Kathy to help collect donations in support of her RAAM event this year. As you can suspect, undertaking something like RAAM obviously takes physical and mental commitment – but the financial commitment is one that cannot be forgotten. If you’d like to support Kathy with a contribution of any amount, feel free to donate online!
~Eric Cook, “business manager”