Plans for 2008

Hello everyone! It has been a bit of a break around here with vacation followed by some dental surgery. Some fun followed by some pain. The good thing about being stuck in bed is that it allows for some time to think, and for me that always ends up thinking about biking and cross.

So, the big plan for next season is a Juniors Team. I have been thinking about this a bunch, and the best way to fund the squad, outside of sponsorship, is to use the race to create funds for the team and it's travels to races all over the state. The idea is to get any kid the funds to go to any race he/she wants to get to, without having to worry about the costs of travel and registration. While not every racer from our series will want to travel to races, at least they will have the opportunity to do so without incurring the huge cost of travel etc.

Now what I need to do is put together a meeting to see who is interested in being on the team, volunteering to help run the races and squad, and secure the fantastic sponsors of the race series! My goal is to have a community sponsored team and event that lets kids delve into cycling as deeply as they want to, without too much of what tends to ruin youth athletics in other sports. We have a good thing going here in Viroqua and I think it is only going to get better, but we are going to need all corners of the community to get involved.

Look for a team meeting in the coming weeks, as well as sponsor profiles and schedule updates.
Thanks for reading!

On Vacation?

So not much has been happening around here... The sun is out, daylight savings has come and gone, and people are starting to go outside. I know that I am at least grateful for the change in temps and the addition of sunlight and warmth to the menu. Lee V. of Viroqua Cross fame came up one day and I went down another to do some riding. It was a blast to get out on the road and ride with someone who could drop me at any moment, but chose not to. Fun, and Lee likes to do stuff like ride 50 miles of pave and gravel for four hours or so. My legs hurt enough that I couldn't really sleep. It was intense!

Daryl at BlueDog(one word), put together my new bike, and it is pretty. It is also a lot of bike, very stiff and awesome. Thanks Daryl! He is a great mechanic and cool guy. His custom frames are going to be flying out of the shop soon. He is one of those guys who is just super cool and super talented. I'm looking forward to getting some shots of his new bike on the blog.

Other than all that, not much happening round here. First group ride on Wednesday at the shop, 5pm. Will Beaty came in today to do some intervals on the bike, another reminder about the Jrs. team... When I get back from vacation I'll talk to the fellas about it. Should get something hammered out before the end of the school year.

Thanks for taking the Quiz!

The people have spoken! Thanks for all of your responses to the quiz. Looks like most folks have a hard time with the series because it doesn't fit their time-frame. To those of you who are too far to make it on the regular, it would be great on those odd off-days to get you to check it out. For the locals who have conflicts, stay tuned...

In other news, my boss, the wonderful Dan Marco, suggested doing several clinics locally to get those who consider the idea of jumping off a moving bike and then back on again dangerous into the fold. A good idea! So, look for the schedule of summer clinics soon. They will be fun and full of action, not too many words. So again, look for dates and times in the coming months!

Thanks to Will Beatty for continuing to ask about the Jrs. team! I am working on it! Things are moving slowly in that direction, but thanks to Will and the his enthusiasm I will work a bit harder to get it rolling, no pun intended.

Otherwise, Spring is coming or not? Get here already. That or I need to get some embrocation...

What to look for this week on Viroqua Cross

In the next few weeks we are going to profile our sponsors with pictures and interviews, as well as get a bead on the Cross bikes of Viroqua. Should be very cool.

The first Business that will be on is Kickapoo coffee. TJ and Caleb are fantastic supporters and TJ recently started doing a bit of racing, namely Frosty Cross. I think he might be one of those guys who trains for a week and becomes a Cat1 in his first season. Should be a good read.

In the meantime keep checking back for more pics and posts concerning cycling in and around Viroqua!

More VMH Frostyness

Okay, so Spring hasn't yet sprung or even really come close. Sunday felt different, like the wind was more into being friendly. Now things are looking more frozen. Good thing I have some more pictures of the Frosty Cross to post.

If you didn't make it, these give a decent view of the nasty nature of the tree run-up. Snow is tough. The picture of Dominic Faulter having a go is awesome! He always wants to go again and again. One week I think he did 3 races. A very tough guy... When I am forty and he is kicking me in the face on a weekly basis I hope I still appreciate him!

Remember when?

Ah Fall! Crisp air with just a touch of bite, seems like it was pretty long ago. Today feels hot and it is about 25. I am about to go enjoy some sun and steal a quick ride.

Here are a few shots of last years Halloween race. Meg, Shelia, Paula and Missy all Hammin' it up in the Townie Division. Very goods costumes, this race was actually on Halloween, kinda threw me for the race in Minn. we did the next weekend where everyone was dressed up. We had a pretty good group in Viroqua!

This also gives a decent view of one of our barrier sections, that week was a four-banger. Very fun... You can also see Meg's super-cool cross check in the last photo with the leaf bars and tail. Paula's cheese head was pretty awesome as well. I think she was a Packer fan? Shelia had the bling and bling while Missy... had a wig? Very big wig, so big it was enough to be a costume!

I think Shelia stomped everyone that week. If we can get her on a cross bike next season she could really have a blast at the WCA races. Fast genes she is passing on to the kids! She also would enjoy race that are less than 5 hours in length, she is super fast and super humble. I wonder how she would do against the Madison ladies?

Ran into Adam from the Shop, he is looking great and working for Mt. Borah. Hope he can get to the series next year. He is fast and a super nice guy.