Weekend Ride Notification 2/28

Good luck to all those racing in Little Rock and Texas this weekend. May all your bunny hops be clean, well timed and successful.

Saturday

Arkansas road season kicks off at the Cross Winds Classic Road Race in Little Rock. Click on the link to find out more. 

Saturday group ride, Wheels Hot @ 8 from  Brits & Turks. Cold start but warming quickly. 56 miles of Ozark goodness, 3 hours of saddle love. Refuel at the Highfill gas station. Pace spirited. We will have a bunny hop skills clinic before hand...nah I kid. Link to route http://www.strava.com/routes/188420  

Sunday

From the promoter, "We are rescheduling the 71 Classic for Sunday, March 23rd. Because of the low temperature and freezing rain forecast for Sunday, we feel that the conditions will be unsafe for holding the event. The board of directors have spent the last 48hrs discussing options for the event and feel that safety should be our primary concern.  We feel that the 27 degree temps (18 windchill) and 80% chance of freezing rain forecast would create unsafe conditions.  We are making the announcements 48hrs in advance to give you time to plan accordingly and for our out of town participants a chance to cancel hotel reservations." 

I think it's a good call & now we have the Iron Pig and the 71 Classic together making for a great weekend of cycling in NWA!

Ride fast, be safe & steer clear of ill-timed bunny hops,
WHF

The Saturday Ride 2/22

"Sometimes you're the hammer, sometimes you're the nail" (ADTR).

Ever show up to a group ride and realize you're in trouble after the first hard acceleration. You keep hoping the legs will come around. After awhile you realize it's not going to happen and survival mode kicks in. I was the nail this Saturday but that's one of the things that makes cycling unique. You can ride in the wheels out of the wind, even on a bad day. We headed north to tackle a version of the Barking Dog loop. Rolling curvy terrain. Throw in some gnarly wind and you feel like you've ridden your bike at the end.  About 50 miles with 3,000 feet gain. 

The ride started off with a bang  more like a pop followed by a clickclickclickclickclick.

Paul B's rear mech. was a loss.  

Dropping down to the lower Beaver Lake area. 

Are you looking for turbulence behind that helmet? You won't find any. #freewatts #freespeed #notreallyfreehelmetsareexpensive

Sunrise is now at 6:59. It's plenty high & pumping out plenty of warmth by 8.

Heading towards 412.

This is the point where photoging is a challenge. They ain't gonna wait!

The bunch.

This stretch was a recent discovery for me. I love finding new roads to ride.

With race season approaching there's hardly a dull moment.

Back on Barking Dog a classic route.

Tons of turns.

Rollers galore. 

Super fun in a group, at speed.

Back of the tail getting whipped pretty good.

You can't drop off too far or you won't see the bunch again until the next regrouping point.

Solar panels soaking it all in.

Ozarkia.

Fighting for position in the crosswind was good practice.

In the wheels. The nails view.

Headwind grind. 

Awesome morning even with the thrashing.

Bitte ein Bit! One reason I love to ride is I love to eat. PCG made asparagus soup with a dollop of garlic herb cheese & seared zucchini paired up with a Naan sandwich, prosciutto & sharp white cheddar cheese. Let's Eaaaaat!

Weekend Ride Notification 2/21

Good day! With plenty of sunshine and warm temps on the return I plan to start the Saturday ride earlier. Please note the time change. The goal is to get in a killer workout in about a 3 hour window. Done by 11ish so you can get on with the the rest of life. Sorry if that does not work for some.

Saturday

Wheels Hot @ 8 from Brits & Turks. What to expect? The Lake Loop. 58 miles of flat to rolling terrain. About 3 hours of saddle love. The pace is starting to heat up since racing season is upon us. We will have established regroup points.

Link to route.

http://www.strava.com/routes/179732

Sunday 

12:30 @ ONYX Coffee Lab. Route TBD. Pace spirited.

Ride fast, be safe & steer clear of pasty legs,

WHF

Wandering at the LBS

Anyone else enjoy just wandering around the local bike shop? I know I do. It's akin to wandering around Sam's Club without a shopping list. In the age of shopping on the web there is still much to say for physically seeing products and talking to knowledgeable people. The good folks at The Bike Route are kind enough to put up with my occasional loitering! A few observations from a recent visit.

  Ahhh...The Moots handmade in the USA. Work of art I say.

Shimano (Japanese) Dura Ace groupset. French hoops. Italian tires & saddle. The Chris King (USA) headset did not go unnoticed. I bet it's fun to do these custom builds.

Big League Chew? Nah, super light (60g) latex tubes. You know a tube isn't cheap if it comes in a clear plastic package...not to mention pink. Be sure you don't have a hangnail when installing.  

Whaa..what? Stand up paddleboard (SUP) in a bike shop? If you haven't tried it you do not know what you are missing. Talk to Ben (shop owner) next time you are in. I think they might even be renting them.

This bike is spec'd nicely. Only one thing doesn't add up. 

New kits! Mambo Italiano. Super excited about trying Giordana for the first time.

Sunday Fartlek

The Sunday 12:30 ONYX Coffee Lab ride is always interesting. You never really know what's going to happen. Winter oppression followed by the first truly warm day had folks in a fighting mood. Disorganized Fartlek workout is what comes to mind. It was a much needed thrashing for me.

As Jon J put it. We all had our solar panels out.

The road to Savoy was one of my first 'long rides' way back when. I still get a kick out of it.

The selection.

Things calmed down after a flat. It wouldn't last long.

Shoulder Center of Arkansas photo bomb. Look them up, next time you break a collarbone. 

This guy didn't know what to make of us. When in doubt peel out. 

The sun was just great.

Coke mini + pasty solar panels = turtle on a log.

Cattywampuspotty at the PG gas station. Gotta ride sidesaddle for #2. 

And then...

Wes B, pulled out of his pedal during a sprint and went down. Scott W had no choice but to go up and over. His wheel bounced about 8 feet into the air. No one was seriously injured.

The Saturday Ride 2/15

Man! What a difference a little sunshine and warmer temps make. It was still chilly but way better than what we've been experiencing. Hopefully the warm days start to outnumber the cold ones. I chose one of the most classic routes for the ride today. The Winslow Death March. Technically it's not the actual Death March going clockwise because it's much easier. But it still has a mix of everything. I wonder who named this route?

Loving the new kits.

With racing season so close the pace was hot from the get go.

Luis G had us lined out pretty good. He's riding well.

Coming out of Winslow we hit a steep little kicker.

Getting shelled left and right.

The hard part is just around this corner.

Ozarkia.

A look back.

Up up up up up!

10 miles to Devil's Den from Winslow. It's one of the funnest stretches of road going in this direction.  Refuel stop in the park.

Metal is still alive! Ben C's Serotta caught my eye. I like the polished/brushed look. 

Serious coin leaning up against this rail.

I'm a Cannondale fan. Partly because they've been nailing their paint schemes the last couple years.

Sunshine O'plenty.

Devil's Den is a great park.

Gustavo G is the only Colombian that I know. Pretty sure he didn't shed a single layer the whole ride.

With the wind at our backs it was fast & furious from here on out.

Bicycle riding + sunshine = soul food.

After the Strickler sprint my legs started to disagree with my mind. An argument ensued...the mind lost.

One citation for improper bike lean. 

One citation for improper valve stem length. I bet this wheel is out of balance.

Great route, good folks & tons of spirit. 

This stuff tastes great. I hope it helps, I definitely need it.