WNR #8 - Ride of Silence

The fourth annual Ride of Silence-Harbor Springs was a success. The turnout was similar to past years but there were a LOT of new faces. Officially there were 56 riders signed in but I know a handful arrived late to join the procession. We opted to not have a vehicle escort for the ride and encouraged everyone to ride no more than two-abreast as allowed by law. I was thrilled to see that everyone tightened up the ranks and showed how to ride courteously & legally. We did have the support of the HSPD to aid in traffic control at a couple of intersections, just in case, but the group performed so well, we hardly needed it. I was fortunate to get Steve Foley from the Petoskey News Review to volunteer as the photographer and he took some wonderful pictures. You can view them all HERE or see them on the R of S-HS Facebook page. The weather was a bit chillier than the past couple (in the 50's) but no where near the brutal conditions we faced in our first year. We were one of 322 locations worldwide and I am proud to be a part of this event honoring cyclists that have been injured or killed while cycling on public roadways and to raise awareness encouraging everyone to Share the Road.

Again, I want to thank everyone that participated this year in our ride or another, volunteered in some way, supports our cause, wanted to but was unable to, has in the past and/or plans to in the future. Riding bikes is just plain fun and we'll continue to work to make it safe to enjoy an activity we love so much!

WNR #7 - SUPER-sized

Just a quick catchup post from last week's Super-Sized Ride. Not only was the ride larger, longer, faster AND had more climbing than normal but we had a HUGE turnout of 16 riders!...here's the rider roster:

Myself (CB), Secret Steve (our super-fast ride leader) Uli, Bobbie, Action Chuck, Cheryl, Kevin, Karen, Chris M, Chris H, Racin' Rob, Damon, Lisa, & newcomers Cooper (though she did a snow ride in December), Damien F. and Jimmy D.

We rode the NCT from the Pleasantview township hall south to Kipp Rd. & back. As I noted, S.Steve took the lead and kept us at near redline (me at least) with a couple of appropriate stops for the stragglers to regroup. All in all, about 14 miles with over 1600' of climbing in about an hour and a half. Like I said, a bit of a Super-sized WNR...and this was without a few regulars that could have easily pushed the group over 20. Sorry no group photo as some of the players had to ske-daddle before everyone was back and for the late post (blogger had some technical issues.)

WNR #8 joins riders Worldwide for the Ride of Silence which meets locally @ 6:30pm downtown Harbor Springs (at the Harbormaster parking lot-250 E.Bay St. or find a location in your neighborhood.)

Copper Harbor #1

Just finished up my first ride up in Copper Harbor, and all I can say so far is "wow!". These trails are so sweet, it's almost indescribable. I'm going to take the camera tomorrow, so I'll have some stuff to share with the class shortly.


Untitled by wpeterg at Garmin Connect - Details

Semi-rustic camping conditions: Outhouse and no water, but I do have electricity so heat and the laptop are operational. No cell phone reception whatsoever, it really is the end of the road. I love it.

MSB Part 2

Go! I would get caught behind a fallen unskilled rider shortly after this on a sandy uphill. Unfortunately, that was the last I'd see of Secret Steve until the finish. He killed it, as usual.



Team photo.

It sure was a really well run race, especially for only the second year. The early start does lead to an early finish, which leads to early drinking, which you know leads to........... But I think a fun time was had by all of us, and I'm sure most of us will be back next year. It's a great way to kick start the season!

Mud, Sweat, and Beers Part 1

Race Report: 20 miles in the Expert 18-39 group. 25th out of 35, in 1:38. Considering my last ski race was only about a month and a half ago, I was okay with how the race turned out. It was definitely a change of pace to go from long endurance events over the winter right into flat-out cross country racing. In some ways it's easier. You don't really have to form a nutrition plan or worry about pacing. It's just full speed from the gun until it's over, that's it. In some ways it's harder. Going all out for just over an hour and a half hurts like a motherfu**er. At any rate, I've got some pictures and video from the race on my computer but I didn't bring it to town today since I was on my bike. I'm going to drive tomorrow so I'll bring it with me and post up some art. Until then.

WNR # 6

Attendance: Myself, Benson, Secret Steve, A/C, Uli, Nick, Bobbi, Sarah, Cheryl, and Jess. James and Amber joined in for the after party and WIngs game.

Weather: Pleasant, 50is degrees and sunny.

Trail Conditions: Excellent. Not to pat myself on the back or anything, but I've really been trying to keep my portion of the trail cleaned up this year. So far so good. The rest of the trail was a tad sandy in spots but otherwise 100 % rideable.

Our kitchen is completely dismantled at the moment so dinner was a bit of an adventure, but we all still managed to have a good time. I believe next weeks WNR is on the NCT starting at Stutsmanville and heading south, but wait for Benson's email for the final confirmation. I'll report back after the race on Saturday. For now, a race report complete with photos from across the pond:

Here is a recap of Race 3 - April 23th – local club race – about 25 riders – fast 4 kilometer course in windy conditions– 18 laps. I continued where I left off the week before and decided I would just spend the day mixing it up. The first lap was a parade of the whole group and then things started to pick up. I kept close to the front to make sure I did not miss the break. With each acceleration, a few rides would get dropped. After about lap 3 laps the group of riders I was with had whittled down to 8 riders. The cat 1 and 2 riders had already checked out. Myself and one other rider took turns attacking and by the 5th or 6th lap we were down to 5 riders. Attached is a picture Denise snapped at about this point. I was going off the front again and I think another rider dropped. This continued until we were down to 3 riders (the other picture) and we continued a perpetually rotating paceline until the end. I spent the last two laps mostly at the front to help a teammate. Both the other guys soundly outsprinted me at the end but I finished overall pretty well….tired and smiling and no road rash. Did I mention that the course was flat….I checked the computer at the end…. a whopping 60 feet total of elevation gain after 72 k!

PBR Freshener

Well, I gotta be sure that one of you have seen this, but figured, hey...I'll throw it in there anyways!  Post Bicycle Refreshment never smelled so good!!!

Sunday Service

Since most of the crew attended service on Saturday in order to watch the Wings lose on Sunday, it was just Matt and I in attendance Sunday morning. Had a good ride though.



WNR @ the HQ tonight without a kitchen. Wings are on at eight, and Red's Rye is on tap. I've got another report from across the pond, complete with photos. Look for it later in the week. Over and out.