Welcome to the Overdrive Cycling Club

Powderkeg Snowshoe Race

2011-01-30T18:11:00.000-08:00

Powderkeg Showshoe Race 2011 (all Pictures)

On Saturday, January 29th, Chippewa OffRoad Bike Association (CORBA) put on the Chippewa Valley Powder Keg (formerly the Rumble in the Jungle) on 2-mile and 5-mile courses that wandered through the woods of scenic Lowes Creek County Park. Snowshoers were greeted with comfortable temps and ungroomed, tightly twisting singletrack with a handful of short-but-steep hills thrown in to keep the body warm. Prior to the main event, children under 12 and local mascots raced on a fun 1/4 mile race on the Expo Center grounds. Eau Claire Bike and Sport along with Oakwood Hills Animal Hospital, Spring Street Sports, Xcel Energy, Insty-Prints and Bear Paw Outdoor Adventure Resort. Yankee Jacks, Fazoli's, Fantastic Sam's, RoadID and Scheels contributed prizes. Overdrive members Laura Plummer, Cheryl Olson, Jerry Christenson, Linda Slowiak and Paul Ried competed in the 5 mile race, while Ricky Wells and Jim Peterson ran the 2 mile course. Linda and Jerry also volunteered along with Jim Schmitt, Tim Camlek, Jim Blodgett and Jim Shannon.

TV-13 also did a nice story on the race, as did the Leader-Telegram.

2010-10-17T20:26:00.000-07:00

The Overdrive Cycling Club came together at Jerry and Jane Christensen's home to celebrate a wonderful season of biking and fun. Jerry and Jane did a great job decorating Jerry's Man-Cave. We had a wonderful ride followed by excellent food. Bike and Sport and Overdrive contributed door prizes and Wally LaFrancis was very appreciative of his new ride, a Giant XTc 29er. The evening ended with some friendly competition on a contraption built by Derek Parr and Chris Magyar. A big thank you to Jane and Jerry for the wonderful space and hospitality and a big thanks to Terry at Bike and Sport for the great prizes and the bike.

End of Season Party

Eau Claire Century and Chicken Dinner

2010-09-23T15:20:00.000-07:00

The Eau Claire Century and Chicken Dinner, held the day before Labor Day, was a collaboration between Overdrive Cycling and the Cleghorn Lions Club to raise money for the Feed My People Food Bank and the Lions Club. This was the brain child of Linda Slowiak and Jerry Christenson. Work started in February laying out the routes of 25, 65 and 105 miles. Great Harvest and Festival Foods provided food and drinks for the rest stops. Foster Cheese Haus let us use their patio for the rest stop in Foster. Of the 95 participants, about 1/3 chose to do the longest loop, starting in Cleghorn and traveling through Mondovi, Eleva, Foster, Augusta, Fall Creek and Brackett before returning to the Cleghorn School Park. Upon returning to the park the riders were greeted with a wonderful charbroiled chicken dinner. On September 22, Overdrive Cycling presented Executive Director, Emily Moore with a check for $1700 and the Cleghorn Lions also donated $275, which was half of their net proceeds from the chicken dinner.

Eau Claire Century

Here is a nice video from our friend Ron:

Frederic Lions Time Trial and Eau Claire Triathlon

2010-06-12T14:30:00.000-07:00

The Frederic Lions Club Classic Bike Race is one of the oldest citizen bike races in the state and this was the second year they used a very hilly 26.4 mile course that heads east and then south out of Frederic. This year our top finisher was Ricky Wells with a 15th place overall and 4th in his age group. Dave Hogue took 2nd in his age group. Steve Harmon was 5th, Wally LaFrancis was 6th and Jim Blodgett was 7th in their respective age groups. This race is known for their unique trophies and awards and this year racers refueded with rootbeer floats.

FredericTT2010

Eau Claire Triathlon
The Eau Claire Triathlon was held at Half Moon Beach on a very cool Sunday morning. It started with a 500 Meter swim in Half Moon Lake, followed by a 17 mile bike out Eau Claire's West Side and finished with a 5k run through Carson Park. Overdrive Cycling was well represented.
For the men:

David Rosenberger: 4th overall and 1st in age group
Kevin Potter: 7th overall and 1st in his age group
Dan Rouse: 8th overall and 2nd in his age group
Bob Swanson: 42nd overall and 1st in his age group
Steven McMahon: 53rd overall and 17th in his age group

For the Women:

Jaci Grafenberg: 5th overall and 2th in her age group
Cheryl Olson: 45th overall and 4th in her age group
Mindy Rosenberger: 49th overall and 15th in her age group

2010 Bike Maintenance Clinic

2010-04-26T06:56:00.000-07:00

Bike Maintenace Clinic 2010

This year Jeanne Chilson offered the Chilson Motors facility on Highway 93 for our bike maintenance clinic. The April rain was needed and we hoped it wouldn't keep anyone away and it didn't seem to. In all, thirty cyclists signed the guest book. Similar to last year the tire changing station saw a lot of action. Matt Evans put together a nice poster on how a tire stays on and participants got to put their new tire levers to use on the practice wheels and tires. The bike cleaning station was aslo a big hit. Jerry shared his wealth of knowledge of maintenance and advice while participants cleaned up their rides. This year we added a "What's in the bag?" area. Jim, Linda and Scott laid out the contents of their bags and explained the purposes for what they carry. Terry from Bike and Sport also loaned Scott and Linda some tools and other items to provide examples of what is available. To top the event off, Chilson and Overdrive provided cookies and drinks.

Bike Maintenace Clinic: April 24 @ 1pm

2010-04-01T08:29:00.000-07:00

2009 Bike Clinic

Date: Saturday, April 24th from 1pm to 3pm

Location: Chilson Motors on the corner of Hwy 93 and Brian Street

Chilson Subaru has graciously offered their facility for our Second annual Bike Maintenance Clinic. Building on the success of last year's clinic, participants will again learn how to:

Change Tires

Lube and clean chains and gears

Clean, maintain and make minor adjustments

Pack for short, long and really long trips

Survive common bike "catastrophes"

Overdrive Cycling will provide refreshments and tire changing kits, while supplies last.

The Clinic will be followed with a fun ride of indeterminate length.

There is no charge for this clinic and it is open to the public.

First Group Rides of 2010

2010-03-07T19:39:00.000-08:00

First Group Rides of 2010

We decided to take advantage of the perfect weather for the first weekend of March and get our bikes out. Saturday we met at Bowl-Winkles. The usuals Jim, Ann, Linda, Jerry, and Wally were joined by new member Mike and UWEC student John. John moved from Maple for better riding weather. The bright sunshine more than offset the crisp air as we headed west out E and C. It was an excellent chance to catch up and start building base again.

Sunday was even warmer and we had a bigger group: Jim, Wally and Mike, plus Scott, David, Steve and newcomer, Jeff left from Fairfax wondering if we had dressed too warm. Sarah met us at the turn-about and we realized there was still a little nip in the air. We took our normal route south on Lowes Creek and then headed west to W, across Marsh and Hemlock to Z. It turned in to a little longer ride than we had planned, but after a winter of skiing or riding indoors, everyone was ready to do a little extra.

Whitetail Ridge Snow Shoe Challenge

2010-01-12T18:26:00.000-08:00

Riverfalls Snowshoe Race

Julie Bruggentheis and her husband braved sub-zero temperatures to compete in the Whitetail Ridge Snow Shoe Challenge, the first event in the Braveheart Series and Julie's first snow shoe race. White Tail Ridge is a mountain bike trail system in River Falls, so the race was on the single track. Julie finished the 5k in 44 minutes, taking third in her age group. She had a great time and now has a new addiction.

Caroling with Overdrive

2009-12-28T17:05:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-07T21:54:00.000-08:00

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

2009-10-25T18:51:00.001-07:00

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

2009-09-20T20:02:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-13T11:50:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-30T20:30:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-23T20:01:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-01T21:00:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-13T21:04:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-05-30T21:19:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-03T21:41:00.000-07:00

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

More pictures
Even More Pictures

Willard Friendly (Metric) Century and Clinic

2009-04-18T19:57:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-03-29T21:15:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-03-17T20:26:00.000-07:00

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

2009-01-31T21:14:00.000-08:00

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.

Turkey Trot

2008-11-27T11:31:00.000-08:00

On Thanksgiving Day, Linda, her daughter Jen, two dogs (Bugsy and Kaiser), Ann, and her husband Paul took part in the 18th annual Turkey Trot 5k to raise donations for the local food pantry. Ann's husband Paul decided to run the course instead of walk--a decision he would regret the next day due to all the sore muscles and joints! Although the dogs would have preferred trotting, Ann, Linda and Jen decided a nice brisk walk would be best. The walk began at Transmission Supply on London Rd and wound through neighborhood towards the mall and then looped back. There were plenty of other walkers with their four-legged friends, and also quite a few runners. We had a great time chatting with the other people, and Bugsy did his best to steal mittens from the walkers in front of us! We all agreed it was a great way to burn some calories before digging into all that turkey and pumpkin pie, as well as raise money for a worthy cause.

Posted by: Ann Franke

Lowes Creek Ride (Nov 23)

2008-11-23T19:15:00.000-08:00

With deer hunting in full swing, Lowes Creek Park was the default location for mountain biking this weekend. Linda, Don and Chris met Taylor and me for a sweet afternoon ride. Ruth came also, but she wanted to walk instead. Temperatures were just above freezing, but with the sunshine and little wind, it felt downright balmy. We were a bit over dressed and Taylor's new booties kept his feet dry and toasty.

Taylor took charge of the ride, taking us around the park on his favorite trails, which for some reason didn't include Rad, Tetnus Shot, or Skull. Linda mentioned repeatly how happy she was to have Taylor leading. After a little over an hour, we headed back to the lot, because someone still had a science test to study for.

Road Trip to Levis

2008-11-16T09:00:00.000-08:00

Sunday morning was considerably cooler than I anticipated, so I wasn't surprised to find an empty parking lot at Fairfax, but I was all dressed up, so I decided to head down anyway. It turns out that Levis Mound is less than an hour from Eau Claire, so I was on my bike by 9:15.

The trails are sweet with the vast majority being winding and rolling through evergreen and deciduous forest punctuated by seemingly vertical switchback climbs and descents and long runs along ridgelines with huge drops. The sections of trail through the low lying areas make extensive use of corduroy and boardwalk brigdes and serveral of the bluff trails also use boardwalks. I decided do the system counter-clockwise, but after 3 hours I was beat so I missed out on a bunch of cool-sounding trails like Cliff Hanger, Pile Driver, and Cork Screw, but I did get to do Tornado and Plumber's Crack. The pictures don't do it justice.

When I got back to my car there were several hunters about to head in and scope out the trails and their stands, which explains why the deer were so skitish. Not at all like the ones in Lowes Creek.

Levis is closed during deer hunting, but if the snow holds off I will try to do another trip the first week of December.

Lowes Creek Ride (Nov15)

2008-11-15T13:00:00.000-08:00

Ann, Joel and Steve met me Saturday afternoon at Lowes Creek. With temps in the 30's and intermitent flurries, we had perfect fall mountain biking weather. We opted to go clockwise around the west side of the park, but skipped the creek crossing on Rad. About halfway up Missing Link we nearly ran into Dean, so he joined us. We took Worm up to Ax and then Mind Games, but when we got to the Expo center, Ann decided she would have more fun riding by herself, so she took off to do her own thing. We goofed around on Focus, Twister, Dazed and the Pines and then we took Split Rock over to Far East, where we met Bob and Claudia. We did Far East, the west leg of Split Rock, Fern Gully and Red Flint, before heading back into the Pines, Dazed, Twister maze. By the time we found our way out, it was time to head back, so we took Worm down and Rebench up. When we got to the top, Claudia thought her dad needed a little more work so we did the west side counter-clockwise. The snow really picked up while we were in Tunnels, but it was just teasing us.

Weekend Mountain Biking at Lowes Creek Park

2008-11-09T22:00:00.000-08:00

MountainBiking(Nov08)

On Saturday, November 8th, Taylor and I met Steve Bircher at Lowes Creek park for a ride in the light rain and flurries. We warmed up on the ski trails and Tunnels before heading over to the east side up Worm, to do Twister and Dazed where we met Joel Roesch. We also hit Split Rock and Fern Gully. Dave Olson found us there, but Taylor had had enough so we headed back to the car while Steve Joel and Dave continued on.

On Sunday, I met Dave Hogue and Ann Franke at the parking lot and we jumped right into it on StartMeUp, Tetnus Shot and Missing Link. This was Dave's first mountain bike on his bionic hip so we opted for Tunnels and Long Trail South instead of Rad. Then we headed east up Worm to Twister and Dazed, where we met Joel again. (He might just have a tent up there) We practiced bumping over logs for a while and then Bob Schwatz caught up, so we heading over to Far East through Pines Split Rock and followed by another trip on Split Rock and Fern Gully. We finished up with Red Flint and Onion, though intelligent minority took the ski trail down. We got back to the lot just in time for the Packer's kickoff.

End of the Season Party

2008-10-18T22:52:00.000-07:00

The celebration started at 1pm with perfect October weather. Joel and Scott laid out a good course that took advantage of the wind and set a very comfortable pace for the 16 people in the group. After some nice descents and cross winds, we finished with a sweet tail wind, as all rides should.

The atmosphere at the Barley Club made for easy converstations and the tasty taco bar had plenty of carbs and proteins to replentish us in time for the prize drawings, donated by Bike and Sport, Overdrive Cycling and West Wisconsin Land Trust. Jim Peterson made off with the stationary trainer, Karyn will now be astonished at how fast she is on a mountain bike using her new wireless cyclometer, Jason's house will be the place to be when he breaks out the Campy cork screw, Jeff Peterson will have a sweet ride next spring on his new Conti's, Phillip with be able to save his by using his new trainer tire this winter, as will Steve McMahon, Wally will be ready for his next 2 flats and Joan, Lindsey and I will stay toasty in our new sweatshirts. None of us, however, will be as fast as Joel on his new Trinity Alliance Time Trial bike.

From OverdriveParty08

The night ended as the season began in April, with friends sharing a good time and looking forward to their next ride, but without the snow.

OverdriveParty08

Jim

Big Ring Flyers Time Trial

2008-08-30T21:00:00.000-07:00

The Big Ring Flyers cycling club put on a 18.7 mile time trial each year outside of Hudson. The course uses the terrain around Bass Lake to create a scenic and challenging course. The weather can be an issue, but this year it was perfect, with 80F with sunny skies and light winds.

Ann Franke, Steve and Leigh McMahon and I met at Linda's house to car pool. We packed the TT bikes on Ann's truck. Linda had graciously loaned her tandem to Steve and Leigh for the race, but a spoke on the rear wheel broke Friday night. Fortunately, Terry was already at Bike and Sport, so he performed his magic and we were on the road with plenty of time to get to Hudson. There we met Ricky Wells and Joan Carlson.

Everyone had a good day. Leigh and Steve won the Tadem Class, Joan won the women's divison, Ricky was 7th overall and second in his age group, Ann was third in her age group and Jim took 5 and a half minutes out of his previous best.

Here is a video put to together by Nate Phelps of the Big Ring Flyers:

Stanely Time Trial

2008-07-13T20:50:00.000-07:00

The Stanley Time Trial is a race against the clock put on by the Chippewa Valley Cycling Club (http://www.cvccbike.com) under the direction of Bob Schwartz. The old 14 miles on a square course had to be abandoned because of road construction, so this year the race was a 16 mile out and back heading south from Stanley. The rolling terrain was overshadowed by the 30+ mph west wind that had every one leaning hard.

Joan Carlson cruised to 18th place overall and won the women's division with by more than 4 minutes with a time of 43:18.

Steve McMahon raced in the unfaired recumbent division, winning it with a time of 51:29.

David Hogue started his comeback from knee and hip surgery with a 6th place in the Men's 60-65 age group.