Caroling with Overdrive

We started the winter with caroling. Linda, Scott and Amy organized a fun evening of singing seasonal standards (mainly Frosty) for some of our sponsors and families. When got too cold to sing any more, we headed to Scott's for his famous chilli and refreshments.

Overdrive Open House @ BodyWorks of Menomonie

BodyWorks Athletic Club and Overdrive Cycling Club are ready to welcome you to an Open House event on December 12^th from 1pm-5 pm at the BodyWorks Club located on 3019 Schneider Ave. E. , Menomonie, just east of the Stout Technology Park . Pictured Left (L-R) Jim Blodgett-Overdrive President, Joan Carlson-Spinning Trainer, and Amy Young-BodyWorks Club owner.

The Chippewa Valley has great resources for multiple levels of bicycling. Clear proof of that is the 2010 Nature Valley Grand Prix bike race holding a stage of their event in Menomonie next summer. Bicycling enthusiasts and anyone interested in fitness are invited to attend an open house event to learn about the Overdrive Cycling Club and experience BodyWorks Athletic Club. It’s a free event and participants can try out a 10 minute spin class, learn about triathlons, bike tours, racing, recreation rides and use the exercise machines in the health club.

Bring your work out clothes to exercise in the new BodyWorks facility and gain information on membership and benefits. Representatives will be happy to discuss club events, sponsorship, volunteer opportunities for the Nature Valley Grand Prix and much more. If you enjoy bicycling and want to network with others for recreation or racing this is a great resource.

End of the Season Party

EOSParty09

As usual the End of the Season Party started with a ride. With the sun shining on the snow left from the Friday night, Jim Peterson rode over from Menomonie to meet Tom, Linda, Scott, Joel, Wally, Dave, Paul, Scott K, Bruce, Bob and me for a nice October ride. We took Lowes Creek down to HH and then turned into the light south-west breeze. The plan was to work our way west and shorten Jim's ride home. At B, Bruce and I headed back to Eau Claire, while the rest of the group continued on to Rock Falls and then through Caryville, taking H up to C. Jim headed west and the rest of the group enjoyed a nice tail wind back.

At 6pm everyone and then some regrouped at Northwoods Brew Pub for some quesadillas, pizza and refreshments. We rarely get together without our bikes, so it was a nice chance to talk and catch up on non-biking related topics. After everyone had their fill, it was time to give away the door prizes and award the bike. A big thanks to Bike and Sport, FitELITE, Ironman Wisconsin (Mark Mastalir) and Bircher Chiropractic for donating great prizes. 22 members were qualified for the grand prize, a Giant Trance X2 Mountain donated by West Wisconsin Land Trust and Bike and Sport, but Linda Slowiak defied the odds once again to win for the second time in 3 years. Some would say if you are lucky enough to win a bike, you are lucky enough. Congratulations, Linda!

As the pizza was getting cold Matt and I shared some physics humor with those who had stuck around, bringing an end to the evening and the season. Though, from the looks of forecast there is still plenty of biking to be had before the snow gets too deep.

Eleva Wander

Eleva Wander

With summer winding down and the number of good riding days dwindling, a large group of Overdrivers met in Eleva for a wander through Trempealeau and Buffalo counties. The morning was cool but it didn't take long for the sun and the rollers to warm everyone up. There are two nice ridges between Eleva and Independence that add nice views and fun descents, especially Witt Hill Road. At Independence, we stopped at a gas station to refuel. Everyone was looking forward to having the freshening south east breeze at our backs. We took County Q west out of Independence and climbed mid-way up the Montana ridge stopping for pictures at the world famous Welek Knob overlook. From there Q follows the contours of the ridge wall, creating spectacular views, before crossing into Wulff Valley at the Quarry. The descent in Wulff Valley is truly exhilarating. At Lookout, the Adams sprinted for the sign, while the rest of us saved our energy for the two ridges between us and Cheryl’s hot beefs. On the way to the next climb, Adam and Adam spotted the gravel on Julson Ridge Road and had try it. After getting directions on how to meet up with us on the other side, they took off on their own. The rest of stayed on the pavement, heading for the Bennett Valley. Rick was the next one to leave the pavement. Unfortunately, it was an unplanned detour at the bottom of the ridge. Luckily, a cracked helmet, a beat up bike, and a stiff neck and shoulder was the extent of the damage. The Weirliens, who live in the valley, gave Cheryl a ride home, where she grabbed her bike-enabled bug and came back for Rick. The rest of us, with a new sense of caution took a shorter way back than originally planned and picked up the cars at Eleva. Bob took Rick to urgent care and the rest of us headed backed to Cheryl’s, because we had promised to eat her leftover barbeque. The hot meal and the excellent meal hit the spot. Of course, Jerry and Dave still had to ride home.

Cleghorn Harvest Fest Bike Race

HarvestFest09Race

The Cleghorn Harvest Fest Race takes place on the Sunday after Labor Day, with its proceeds going to benefit the Cleghorn School Park. It is held on a 21 mile loop over the challenging terrain south of Cleghorn. This was the 4th year for the race and the largest one yet, with 123 racers, a 20% increase over 2008. The race is the last stop for the WiSport Series. Most of the age groups and the other season long competitions were still up for grabs, so the pace was high in both races.

Overdrive Cycling was well represented. In the 21 mile race, Ricky Wells took 1st overall on his single speeder. Amy Young, Cheryl Olson and Sandy Blanchard, Terry Hintz and Taylor Blodgett each won their age groups. Sandy LaValley took second in her age group and Todd LaValley and Ann Franke each took 3rd in their age groups. This was the first race for Amy, Cheryl, Sandy B., Sandy L. and Todd. They insist they had a great time and can't wait to do it again. Paul Reid and I also had good races and a good time, placing 6th and 7th in our age group.

In the 42 Mile version, Joan Carlson won the women's race in a close sprint over Deb Landon. This was Joan's first road race after breaking her collar bone 2 years ago at Grand View's Firehouse 50. Jeff Sorenson was 11th and Wally LaFrancis took 13th in their very competitive age group.

In addition to the overall and age group awards, our sponsor, Terry from Bike and Sport, donated great door prizes, including A Campy Corkscrew, 2 pairs of racing tires and a Kurt Kinetic trainer.

HarvestFest09Sweeping

This race would not be possible without the volunteers. Saturday evening, Ricky, Ann, Steve, Bruce, Bill, Cheryl, Sandy, Todd, Dave, Jerry, Amy, Joel brought brooms and Troy brought a blower, to help me and Taylor clear the gravel and sand from the intersections and corners on the course. We broke up into teams and leap-frogged our way around, clearing it in under an hour. Many hands make light work.

Sunday morning Doug and Sharon came early to register the racers. Jim P., Craig, Dave, Jerry, Bill and Tracy joined the volunteers from the Lions Club to marshall the corners of the course and help keep the racers safe. Bruce and Linda drove the SAG vehicles for the 2 races.

In all we had a very successful and fun race.

Hudson Time Trial

Hudson Time Trial

It was a cold and windy day for the Hudson Time Trial on Saturday, August 26! With 19.3 miles to ride, it was not a long time trial, but the wind and hills made it a challenge. Luckily, the sun came out just as we were about to begin. Jim B., Dave, Ricky, Joan, and I made the trek over to compete in a field of around 60 riders. Joan had a great day and took first in her age group, as well as collecting a $50 check for first female finisher overall. Dave took second in his age group, and I collected a bronze medal for third in mine. Ricky and Jim both rode extremely well, but ended up taking a bit of a detour due to a poorly marked corner. We were all in awe of the overall winning time of just over 40 minutes--yes, 40 minutes! There were plenty of door prizes, and everyone had a good time, despite the cooler temperatures!

Overdrive Rides to Nelson

Nicer and Nicest Nelson 2009

Nicer Nelson: Provisions, rising sun, and marshmallows.

Scott, Wally, Jerry, Dave, Linda, Katie, Amy, and I roll out of Fairfax Park on time at 8 a.m. Sunday, August 23rd on a perfect looking weather day with the intent of enjoying quiet country rodes, challenging hills, good company and food (ice cream) on our way to and in Nelson WI.
Wives Mary and Linda drove off to their designated locations with enough provisions along to supply us on a ride to Nelson, Missouri.
We must have looked like a second rising sun to oncoming traffic with all that Overdrive yellow cresting the hills at the same time.
About ten miles out, we hear a gun shot and Dave pulls over with a sliced sidewall on his front tire. Dave replaces the tube, boots the slice and Wally airs and then later de-airs the tire a little as the boot is bulging at 100 psi.
Next stop comes a few miles later when I learn something I previously thought not possible. Jerry pulls alongside and says we should stop and put some air in Amy's tires as they "look" low. Understatement. They are as soft as marshmallows. Jerry pumps in about 40 shots to each tire using his hand held pump until we get to Mirror Lake and Linda with the floor pump. The floor pump shows 40 lbs psi which means they probably only had 15-20 in before Jerry's efforts. I did not previously believe you could ride a road bike with 15-20 lbs psi in the tires.
Linda's homemade energy bars, a brief comfort stop, a new front wheel/tire for Dave (part of the provisions from Wally) and we are off to the hills.
Amy is much faster now.
Car traffic is very light, temp is just right, scenery is pastoral, the bike feels good underneath me. All is right with the world.
A few hills and a nice pull a 21+ from Scott leading the train bring us through Urne to the intersection of County D&F where Mary is waiting with more provisions to refuel our engines.
I promise Amy and Katie there are only a couple of rolling hills left to Nelson. When you get older your memory tends to fade and details are fuzzy. After a couple pretty good climbs and great descents I promise that the toughest hills are behind us. I get the look from Katie and decide to keep my distance for a while, you know, a woman's scorn........
We roll into Nelson, meeting up with the Nicest Nelson gang, and commence to talkin', eatin', and card playin'. Cards were doled out along the way for prizes based on the best poker hand. Great prizes Jim!
This write up has gotten almost as long as the ride. Can't help myself, it was such a great day.

Joel

Nicest Nelson: Ruth and Taylor agreed to meet me in Nelson provided they got breakfast at Beth's and ice cream for lunch, so I rode down to Mondovi to meet Ann, Cheryl, Sandy and Bruce. As I headed south on Cty H the fog became increasingly thick until it was soup-like at Mirror Lake. I needed to catch my breath before we headed out, so I astounded the group with my death-defing lion-tamer tricks. As we headed west out of town the fog began to thin, but on every rise Ann's chain misbehaved, until she was forced to turn back. The remaining 4 of us continued on, enjoying the tremendous scenery of Buffulo County. One of the benifits of riding to Nelson is crossing the Eide Ridge, which we did at JJ. The 15% slope gave us a chance to practice our traversing technique. I needed to catch my breath again, so I started the poker game. Everyone seemed very happy with their cards and estactic that it was downhill all the way to Urne. After I explained how Urne got its name, we continued on to the refreshment area, set by Mary Roesch. Fortified, we tackled the next big climb and at the top continued our poker game. Unfortunately, Bruce lost his cards on the +40mph descent. Supposedly he had a flush, but I could only find 3 of his cards; the queen of diamonds was missing. We continued on to Nelson, enjoying the ups and downs of Pepin county until we could see the Mississippi Valley and smell the ice cream. After we got to the Cheese Factory I found Ruth and Taylor and reserved a table for the group. I waited for 10 minutes, but when the Fairfax group didn't show, I headed back up D to find them. I didn't get far though, before they came into sight, riding in a nice group of yellow and orange, clearly enjoying the day. Wally and Dave explained their adventure as we rode into Nelson.

MS150 - Pewaukee to Madison

MS150

Well, the first weekend in August was a great weekend for riding and another MS bike tour is done! Steve and I did the 100 mile "century loop" each day on the tandem--and we have the sore muscles to prove it! Day one was quite cool and a bit rainy in the morning, but we were soon were dried out by the 20+ mph head wind! Even with that, we had a great ride that day, and made it from Pewaukee to UW-Whitewater in about 5 and 1/2 hours (not counting rest stops). We had a good dinner and went to the awards ceremony to catch up with the rest of the team. I made it an early night--I popped some Advil and headed to my dorm room to rest up for day two. Sunday was much sunnier and warmer, but we still had that nasty head wind to contend with. We also found we had a broken spoke that delayed our start a bit--must have been all that hard riding from day one! Day two is the hillier of the two days, and took us from UW-Whitewater to the Alliant Energy Center in Madison. We found we were not quite as ambitious as we were on day one. Our 40+ year old bodies do not repair themselves quite as quickly as when we were in our 20's! Still, we completed the century loop on day two and made our goal of riding 200 miles over the weekend. All in all, our team, the Sonic Streamers, raised over $116,000 for MS research!

Frederic Lions' Classic Bike Race

Frederic Lions' Classic Bike Race

The Frederic Time Trial is one of the oldest continuously held races in the state. The 2009 edition was held on a new course with a significant amount of fresh pavement to go with large hills and a tough headwind on the last section. Kerri had so much fun at Rib Falls that she talked her husband Scott in buying a TT bike so he could do the race also. Jim B, and Ann, Joan and Jim P also made the trip to northwest Wisconsin. Joan continued her streak of wins after a close race with Iron Woman Maggie Fournier. Kerri also picked up a gold in her age group. Ann finished second in her age group and Scott scored a bronze in his. The Jim's made good efforts, but neither could get to the podiums. Regardless, the weather and the course made for a great test of June fitness and everyone had a good time racing with friends.

Rock Falls Time Trial Clinic and Picnic (by Joel Roesch):

Rockfalls TT clinic and Picnic

After pumping up my tires to about 4 lbs over max (and finding outlater this is not necessary or wise for more mph) I headed out atabout 8:55 to meet up with Wally at Randy's restaraunt. He's thereand we head out right away on our way to the Rock Falls Team TimeTrial clinic via the bike trail, Spehle road, etc facing a NW breezeof maybe 5-10 mph. Not too bad for this windy spring. We arrive around 8:45 and find national legend Gordy Paulson, Tim Mulrooney,Lance Niles (very fast people), a few Spring Street riders, our Prez, Jim, Bob Schwartz and a few other enthusiasts seeking knowledge from Gordy and Tim.The Clinic is outstanding!!! Gordy puts on a very informative powerpoint presentation, with Tim adding his perspective ocasionally. We ask questions along the way and both experts share generously the information they have learned over the years. Equipment, attitude,rider placement, proper rotating, nutrition, rest, echelon, tire pressure, are just a few of the subjects covered. Even though I do not Time Trial now I find the info very useful, and just maybe this could be a jumping point to another aspect of biking. So now it's time for the time trial and the big guns kit up and unload their exotic bikes (there must be another word than bikes for these machines). I am thinking, the opportunity to ride with this group may never happen again. Off we go and I hold Gordy's and/or Tim's wheel for most of the 10mile course, fading a bit just at the end.This is the warmup of course, otherwise you know.........Gordy, Tim, Lance, and a person (Mike Suntken) I don't know form a team and Bob says 5,4,3,2,1 and they are off. They later have a mishap and I think, but am not certain that my team is the winner. Dave W., Joe S, Kevin Potter (all Spring St riders, and they are always tough) Joan Carlson, and myself make up a team of 5. Joan islooking very fit and proves me correct later on. I am a bit nervous, not having done very much Super High Intensity Training this spring and I find out soon I am correct again in my thinking.5,4,3,2,1 and we are off and after a few clipping in problems and avoiding a dog who had chased the previous group we form up an echelon and right away I am in trouble, falling off the pace after 3-4 miles. Kevin kindly drops back and we make it a two man with Kevin pulling a cooked rider most of the way. Good fun with Anne's famous brats making our efforts worthwhile.Wally and I set off for home and now wonder of wonders have a TAILWIND of 15-20 mph. Life is good. Hats off to Jim and Anne for putting on a fun and informative day. Joel

A special thanks to our corner marshalls: Jerry Christensen, Kent McDaniels, Diane Ostenso, Kerri Zastrow and Ruth and Taylor Blodgett. Thanks for showing the way and helping the riders stay safe.

Dar's Midwest Time Trial Championships

The WiSport time trial season starts in Willard with Dar's Midwest Time Trial Championships, where in addition to competing, we remember Dar Volrath and raise money for his favorite charity, The Children's Miracle Network, and for the Dar Volrath Memorial Scholorship fund. The race takes place on a 16 mile square, that on paper doesn't look very hard, but Mother Nature has a way of raising the level of difficulty. While there wasn't any snow or rain and the temp was down right balmy for the first weekend in May, the gale force wind out of the west had every one dreading the trip down County I. Hills seem much bigger with a serious wind coming down them.

Eight Overdrivers made the trip to Willard. Taylor and Troy got their first taste of time trialing, with Taylor winning the 7 mile race. Joan Carlson picked up where she left off last year, winning the women's race by nearly 3 minutes. Ann also got on the podium, taking 3rd in her age group, as did Neil in his. Steve continues to dominate the recumbent class. Wally, Ricky and Jim raced hard and did well, but have tough age groups to place in. Complete Results

WiSport, though, is as much about getting together, as it is about racing and the Volrath family in conjuction with the Lead Butt Racing crew put on an excellent meal to refuel the racers while they caught up with all the happenings of the off season. The chilli, fruit salad, banana bread, Kim's cookies and Scott's pasta salad really hit the spot, though no trip to Clark County is complete without sampling some blue cheese and Colby cheese curds.
The next race is the L'Alp Bl'Huez Time Trial on May 9 followed by the Rib Falls Time Trial on May 16th.

Dar's Time Trial

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Willard Friendly (Metric) Century and Clinic

Each year the Lead Butt Cycling Team kicks off the WiSport season with a clinic and a 40 or 60 mile ride, the last 20 of which is ridden as a race. Linda, Ann, Oscar and I carpooled over to Willard and met Ricky and Neil. Linda and Ann enjoyed the clinic and as always, learned a bunch. The rest of us did the 40 miles, meandering around Clark county from Willard to Thorp. There we regrouped for the race back to Willard. The first male and female back to Willard get a giant-eared chocolate bunny, so the race was spririted, with many attacks and counters. The Big Ring Flyers had about 10 riders in the 30 person pack, so we had our hands full covering their attempts to break away. We also took a number of flyers off the front, but were not able to make anything stick until the 2nd to last corner, where a group of five formed, including Ricky. The race came down to a sprint finish in Willard with Ricky taking 4th. Neil and I finished just behind that group. Ann did well also taking 4th amoung the women. Afterward, we had a tasty lunch of noodle salad, bar-b-q's and desserts. It was nice to catch up with everyone and get a chance to race in a more relaxed setting. The WiSport season starts for real this Saturday with a race in Whitewater followed by a time trial in Willard on May 4th.

WiSport Friendly Century

Saturday was also the Durand Road Race put on by the Chippewa Valley Cycling Club. Wally and Troy both entered the 5/Citizen, with Troy taking 4th, just missing a set of tires. Wally picked up the prestigious Lanterne Rouge.

Maintenance clinic: Today's clinic seemed very well received by all 30 plus attendees. We set the clinic up in stations, so each person could pick and choose what he or she wanted to learn. Jerry C. taught bike cleaning and chain care. Dave H. showed general maintenance and wheel truing. Wally L. and I taught tire changing. I think everyone came away with a better understanding bike care, how to survive a flat tire and sore thumbs.

After the clinic, 10 of us took advantage of the sunny, breezy, balmy 45 degrees with a short ride, while Tara took Ann and Linda for a walk on the trails through the woods.

14 of us then met up at Pizza Hut for some conversation, pasta, carrots (Thanks, Mark) and a terrific layer cake (Thanks, Linda). It was an excellent way to end the weekend and we agreed we should do it again soon.

Bike Clinic

Time to Spring Ahead!

Now that we are on daylight saving time, we can start the Wednesday night rides as soon as the road conditions permit. We'll leave from Fairfax park at 5pm for March and then shift it to 6pm in April. Starting in April, Ann, Linda and Scott K have volunteered to lead a more recreational ride to go along with the hammer-fest. The idea would be that we would all start out together and at some point the more recreational ride would break off for a ride that involves a little less lactic acid. This will be a no drop ride.

I also plan to do the Monday easy ride more consistently this year. So starting next Monday, we will meet at Bowl Winkles off of Cameron Street at 5pm for an easy 90 minute ride. Once North Shore drive has cleared, we can switch it to NorthStar Middle School to ride less busy roads.

The schedule is starting to shape up nicely. Our goal this year is to make Overdrive Cycling more inclusive and recreational in nature, so to kick off the year, Jerry C and Dave H have put together a basic maintenance and bike survival skill clinic to be held at Jim Anthony's house on March 29th at 2pm.

On April 18th, WiSport will be hosting the Friendly (Metric) Century and Clinic in Willard, just east of Augusta. This is an excellent opportunity to meet new people while learning more about riding in a group and racing. The clinic features presentations by a number of knowledgble bikers followed by a question and anwser session and a speed controlled 20 mile ride to practice good pack skills. Then the attendees have the option of riding back to Willard as part of a race or at a more casual pace.

The Chippewa Valley Cycling Club is hosting an ABR bike race in Durand on April 18th, also. This race has categories for everyone from novice (Cat5/Citizen) to elite (Cat1/2) and a challenging course just west of Eau Claire.

If you are not able to make one of these, Overdrive member, Sarah Duerre is helping Longfellow School put on the Puddle Jump 5k run/walk. It will start 9am on April 18th at Phoenix Park in Eau Claire and includes a team competition. Proceeds will go to the Community Learning Center at Longfellow.

On May 30th, Overdrive Cycling will be collaborating with CVCC to put on a Team Time Trial clinic. TTT is an excellent way to get your feet wet in racing or a to experience a new challenge. There are several scheduled this year, so we thought a clinic would be a good way raise interest and participation. We will also need people to help with the logistics of the clinic, so if you don't want to participate, this would be an excellent opportunity to volunteer.

We will be making our 3rd annual ride to Stillwater on June 14 to see the pros race the Stillwater Criterium, the last stage of the Nature Valley Gran Prix. This is a fun and challenging ride.

Remember to fill out your membership form and turn it in to Terry at Bike and Sport on Water Street.

Rumble In the Jungle Snow Shoe Race

Linda Slowiak raced in the 3rd annual Rumble in the Jungle on January 31st. The race is held in memory of Tim Dusick, its founder and Overdriver who we lost to cancer last year.