The Tuesday Night Ride for more than three decades has been one of the few disciplined & well choreographed training rides for Mid-Michigan racing cyclist. The ride emphasizes high average speeds and race finishing skills.

When and Where: 6:00 PM, College Rd. & Cedar Rd.

Our Ride is posted on MBRA Weekly Rides: http://mbraforum.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=46

Route Map: http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/mi/mason/238126755889478574

Garmin Map: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/27203409

The Brotherhood


Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Thursday Cyclocross back on

WE WILL DO ANOTHER CYCLOCROSS EVENT, THURSDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 20 @ 6:30PM.  LOCATION IS THE RED CEDAR COURSE IN LANSING.

THIS IS THE SITE OF THE SWAMP THING #1 SANCTIONED CYCLOCROSS RACE THIS SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 23.  CHECK THE MBRA SITE FOR REGISTRATION INFO.

FOR THURSDAYS EVENT, BRING YOUR BIKE, SOME SOUND LEGS, $2.00 AND IN RETURN, GET A GOOD WORKOUT AND SOME COLD BEVERAGES POST RIDE.

SEE YOU THEN.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Monday, September 3, 2012

1st week of Sept Start Times

Lack of daylight is becoming a factor.  This week TNR will begin at 5:45pm.

Also,

We will hold our 2nd Xcross timed event this Thursday at Red Cedar.  6:30 is  start time, entry fee $2.00

End of road season party announcement coming very soon.

later

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Cyclocross Thursday/Red Cedar Soap Box

Cyclocross at Red Cedar

We kicked off our Thursday night informal cyclocross training races this past week and based on the feedback, it was a great success.  12 riders participated and we even had some spectators.  Wade set a torrid pace for 45 minutes and made sure everyone knew the course.  When we finished, it was cold beverages and chatter about going faster next time.

We will do it again the Thursday after Labor Day.  Stay tuned.

RED CEDAR SOAP BOX

Stand back as I am getting on my soap box.
 Hopefully more will join.  For those of you not in Lansing proper, let me bring you up to speed on some things.  I think all of you are now familiar with the former Red Cedar golf course owned by the city of Lansing.  It is the site of the Stomach of Anger races.  The site consists of approximately 65 acres of pristine green space in the middle of urbania.  ONCE GREEN SPACE IS GONE, ITS GONE FOREVER, (except in Detroit, but that is for another blog).  This year the voters of Lansing approved the sale of the front 12 acres of the parcel for development.  The proceeds of the sale was to be used for creating a public park on remainder and to once and for all remedy the drainage issues coming from the Frandor mall across Michigan Avenue.  I for one voted for this, because it makes sense and was a win win for development and preservation of green space.  Now things are changing, new development plans are appearing and a vote being contemplated to sell the remainder.  End result being, the green space is vastly being reduced, and GONE forever.
Now is the time for those that believe in green space and an active life style to get involved and get our stake in the matter heard.  This includes the bike community, the running community and the conservation community.  Many on this blog have friends in city and state government.  We need to form a coalition that brings together all the bike facets (the League, TCBA and other bike organizations), the running community and politicians that are friendly to our cause (Jessica Yorko comes to mind).
That remaining 40 some acres has so much potential for active, everyday uses, as well as bringing in national events.   A permanent cyclocross track could be created, a permanent cross country course for the local high schools, etc etc.  Google Valmont Bike Park in Boulder and see what some of the potential could be.  Local politicians want Lansing to become a "world class" city.  All world class cities have tremendous green space in the heart of the city.  Green space that allows the everyday city dwellers to enjoy everyday outdoor activities as well as attracting events that bring people from all over the world to that city.  REMEMBER ONCE THE GREEN SPACE IS GONE, IT IS LOST FOREVER.    If you have an interest in assisting with building a coalition, contact me and lets get this ball rolling. 
Ok, i am now off my soapbox.  have a good day

Thursday, August 16, 2012

CYCLOCROSS EVENT IS ON FOR AUGUST 23

WHAT?:  CYCLOCROSS RACE!

WHERE?:  OLD RED CEDAR GOLF COURSE/LANSING.  SAME SITE AS STOMACH OF ANGER RACES FROM LAST YEAR AND SWAMP THING RACES TO BE HELD LATER THIS SEASON;
RIGHT ACROSS MICHIGAN AVENUE FROM SEARS IN FRANDOR.

WHEN?:  THURSDAY EVENING, AUGUST 23 AT 6:30PM SHARP.

DETAILS:

1.  RACE LENGTH, 45 MINUTES
2.  RACE FEE $2.00
3.  SIGN IN BEGINS AT 6PM
4.  BRING CORRECT CHANGE 
5.  ONE RACE, ONE CATEGORY.
6.  TOP 3 PLACES GET SOME COLD BEVERAGES

THE INTENT OF THIS RACE IS TO HOLD A SIMPLE, INFORMAL EVENT THAT WILL ALLOW RIDERS TO BEGIN TO HONE THEIR CYCLOCROSS SKILLS.

SHOW UP, PAY 2 BUCKS (TO BE USED TO BUY COLD BEVERAGES FOR THE WINNERS), SIGN IN AND RIDE IN A CIRCLE FOR 45 MINUTES.

SPREAD THE WORD, ALL ARE WELCOME.

8/16 update

Much has happened in the world since the last post.  Let me tell you about a few of them.

1.  LoLo Jones did not medal at the Olympics
2.  the drought has continued in the Midwest and beyond.
3.  the street in front of my office continues to be under construction.
4.  Badminton came to the forefront in the Olympics
5.  The voters of Lansing approved the sale of the former Red Cedar Golf course.
6.  I trapped a skunk in my yard this morning.

Those were the highlights.

Regarding TNR;  I have missed several weeks in a row, but have gotten reports back.  The numbers have stayed right at 20 and the rides and weather remain superb.  Random thought:  we have had ZERO rain outs this year.

Regarding CFT Cycling:  it continues to be an amazing first year with the podium tally growing every week.  Congrats go out to Jay, Craig and Brad, they received their notification of Cat 3 upgrades yesterday.  Further congrats to Craig for wrapping up the Cat 4 points competition. 

Regarding a end of season get together:  stay posted, details are being put together now.

Good luck to all at Gaslight

Thursday, July 26, 2012

MILESTONES/AC-DC/STATE CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK

This weekly blog entry will begin with a link to some AC-DC music.  There is no logical reason for adding this link, other than every good biker blog should have some AC-DC music now and then.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9iOk8PqkKs

Milford crit:
This upcoming Sunday is a big day for Michigan cycling.  State individual crit champions will be crowned in Milford.  CFT will be represented by some worthy contenders in numerous categories.  If you are not racing, try to make it and enjoy the festivities and cheer on your team mates.  If your racing, good luck!!

TNR:
I was not able to make this past Tuesday ride and reports coming back from the field were a little scarce.  This much I know.  The weather was great, and there was approximately 20 riders.  The ride was very fast.  I know this to be true because Mark Warner said so, and Mark Warner is known to be an honorable man.  Also, when the ride was not fast, it got faster, with black and white jerseys sprinting for an imaginary line.  Then they slowed, looked around, smiled, saw that it was good and did it 5 more times.
Not to be lost in all of this was a marvelous milestone for TNR.  Kari Sederburg, who has been racing with the cat 4 women this year, attended the Tuesday ride.  Other than Leslie, Kari represents the first female to attend this ride in many years.  Kari we are glad you are on board.  According to Mark Warner you were right in the mix, and as mentioned above, Mark is an honorable guy.
Until next week;  later.
and
one more time
GOOD LUCK CFT RIDERS THIS WEEKEND!

Friday, July 20, 2012

Flint and Ability Tour

Weekend events:

Saturday is the Ability Tour in Lansing.  Great event, and a great cause.  Wade and others leading a group from the Hannah Center at 7am to ride to the route, then back.  It will be a good 70 mile training ride.  Remember to bring your check book or cash to register once you get to the ride.

Sunday, the Flint crit on the bricks.  Good luck to those racing.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

July 17, past weekend results

This past weekend continued on with more of the same, some fine results from the CFT gentleman, and lady.  Here are the highlights.

BTR crit

John Gracely  2nd in the cat 3's
Justin Drobish 5th in the 5's
Zach 11th in the 35M.
Brad 3rd cat 4
Alex 5th Cat 4

Race for Wishes RR

Kari Sederburg 2nd in the women cat 4
AJ 1st in the cat 5
Justin 2nd in the cat 5
Jay 3rd cat 4
Alex 4 cat 4
Zach 3rd 35M


see you tonight at 6

Thursday, July 12, 2012

July 12, tnr ride/weekend results/season update

3 matters to cover in this weeks post.  (1) summary of this weeks ride; (2) past weekend racing results; (3) CFT season update.

1.  the past weeks blistering heat melted away to a very pleasant 85 degrees for this  Tuesday ride.  20 riders made their way to the infamous Spartan Speedway (race home of the champions according to the sign).  We implemented a new scoring system this week.  The point totals will be set at 1 through 6, in conjunction with the sprint number.  In addition, we will have triple points for a breakaway win.  There is no firm rule on what the definition of "breakaway" is.  However, to determine whether a breakaway has merit for triple points we will follow the logic of Justice Potter Stewart, "I will know it when i see it".

All this being said regarding the new point scoring.  I/we/they/all of us did a poor job of tracking who did what this past week.  I know for sure that several EOTS took sprints, and there are others out there I am sure that have more results.  Bottom line, the results did not get memorialized for the TNR history books.  THIS UPCOMING WEEK I WILL BRING THE RECORDING DEVICE TO GET ACCURATE INFO.  As for the rest of the ride.  Awesome, clean and fast.  No mechanical issues, fast pace and fun sprints.

2.  This past weekends racing results at the Terry Reisch road race.  CFT had 3 podium spots.  In the cat 4, Craig and Brad occupied the 2nd and 3rd tier, and in the Masters 45/55, Mark Warner took the highest honor.  Well done men!!

3.  I wanted do a quick summary of our racing season to date for the CFT riders.  I think it was February that we had our meeting at MSU.  At that meeting we outlined some goals for the season.  To an outsider, they may have seemed somewhat lofty for a newly established team.  And maybe they were.  Time will tell.  Below are the highlighted goals we had set, and how we have progressed toward that particular goal.

a.  Our first goal was to have fun.  I feel confident in saying that has been accomplished

b.  2nd goal, win team points competition in 4's and 35masters.  Current points standings in the 4's has CFT in first place by 109 points.  Current point standings for 35m has CFT in first by 16.5 points.

c.  3rd goal, win individual point series:  Current 4 point totals has CFT running one and two with Craig and Brad.  Current 35m has Cary  in first by 13 points.

d.  4th goal, bring an individual state championship back to Lansing.  Those two races are on the horizon.  They will require maximum teamwork to accomplish the goal.

There is much racing left to do, but the team and its members have put themselves in excellent position to accomplish the goals set forth at the beginning of the year.

ONE FINAL IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT.  PLEASE WELCOME THE FOLLOWING TWO TEAMMATES TO THE CFT TEAM.  THEY WILL BE RACING IN CAT 4.

JAKE PRATT AND JUSTIN DROBISH.

that is all for this week.




Thursday, July 5, 2012

Africa Hot!

July 3, 2012, 12 hardy TNR'ers braved the 100 degree weather and 15mph westerly Martian winds.  I actually found myself doing a mental questionnaire.  What is more uncomfortable, today, or early in the year when 12 of us showed up in 36 degree weather and 15mph westerlies?  I had not come to a conclusion before my mind turned to mush. 

We were joined for the festivities by Fast Freddie and Leslie.  It was good to see them slug through the evening with us. 

We did a slow roll down Ewers and Potter road to view the work that has been completed.  It appears the repairs began on the North end of Potter and are working their way South.  North end of Potter is 100% better and there are markings for repairs all the way back to the Ewers entrance.  We will continue to monitor the progress.

Hope all had a good 4th, and good luck racing this weekend.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IUDNMlKW1U

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

June 26

Short and sweet this morning:

The medal tally for the year has been updated.  Nice job by all podium finishers.

The race this past week went well, our official photographer, Jackie Neagos will be wrapping up her photo shoot recap, then we will post the results.

The TNR ride this week had 26 riders, the weather was fantastic,, blue skies, 80 degrees.  If you were not on a bike this evening, you missed out.

Banky took a neutral sprint!

Finally, beginning this Thursday, June 28 we will begin weekly crit training.  This training is meshing with the standing Thursday night ride.  The ride will leave the Hannah Center at 6pm to head to the training grounds.  July has many crits, take advantage of this training to impove your skills.

Did I mention that Banky took a neutral sprint last night?

Later.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Delinquent

My apologies for being MIA for two missing blogs.  I attribute this to time constraints and writers block.  To remedy the matter, I no longer keep track of time and I pulled out some Edgar Allen Poe writings for inspiration:  Lots has happened.  Two TNR nights have come and gone.  I will summarize them in one line.  Fast and furious.  In addition we have been loose on keeping score tally's, which is no big deal as we are accomplishing what we want on the ride.  Two teams are still working hard to hone strategy and tactics and things are meshing fairly well.  We have juggled the lineups and put some parameters on how much one rider can score in one night.  This has opened up sprints to other individuals and it has worked well.

We have to talk about Potter road.  For those of you that do not know it by name, it is the road through the trees leading to the 5th sprint.  Bottom line is the road is crumbling from the edges in.  Those of you that were there Tuesday night know what I mean.  The one section in particular has crumbled halfway across the right lane leaving about 3 and half feet of pavement on our side of the yellow line.  In its place now is a 4 to 5 inch deep gaping hole that devours wheels and bikes.  Until fixed it will only get worse.  There are other areas on the road that present some great hazards also, especially at high speeds.

 There has been some brief talk about finding alternate route around that road.  Maybe continue on up Williamston to Dexter Trail.  Further discussions will happen on this before a decision is made.  In the interim, I propose/suggest this for the next ride:  The 5th sprint and the leadup to it become a neutral zone for this next week.  First of all we need to ride that road slow to see if the bike eating hole is even fixed.  Second, if you have not been on that  section by yourself and your only exposure to that road is in a pack on Tuesday night, then you really don't realize where and how bad that right edge is.  By running that section in a neutral, reasonable pace this upcoming Tuesday it will give all riders the ability to see where not to be on that road at a high rate of speed.  Then after this Tuesday we can discuss further on what to do for the remainder of the rides.   Anyways, that is my suggestion for this upcoming week.

As for the CFT Team.  West Branch and Mt. P.  By now I am sure you have seen the results.  Pretty darn good stuff.  This weekend brings on two more points races.  Good luck to all

Finally, our race is now 10 days away.  Thanks to all that have volunteered and for registering early.

That is all for now.  later.

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Alex and Paul's Most Excellent Adventure

READ BELOW FOR ALEX'S SUMMARY OF HIS MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND IN AMERICA'S HEARTLAND:

This past weekend marked the famous Snake Alley Criterium in Burlington Iowa, which happens every year memorial day weekend. Along with "the snake" there are also 2 more crits which follow up on Sunday and Monday. Paul Gregory who is living in St. Louis for the summer decided to to take the short drive up and meet me for a weekend of racing.

Saturday
The snake lived up to its infamy without a doubt. It was 95 degrees and our race didnt start till 1pm so keeping cool was a snuggle in itself. Those of you who dont know the snake, its a 5 switch back one block climb that averages 12.5 percent with kicks of about 17-18% and a one block lead in that averages about 7% so its no easy roll in.
and it looks something like the pictures attached. The race was awesome and it was an all out sprint to the first climb I was able to wiggle a bad start spot into top 15 at the top of the first climb. I was able to say about 15th for the first 4 laps of 12 but the heat really got to me, and Paul. We both blew up to the point where pedaling in the little ring was a chore. Paul ended up passing me way late in the race but I was far to tired to grab his wheel. He ended up 22nd and I was 26th of about 55. Not a great result but an awesome race and would love to do better there in the future.

Sunday
The 34th annual Melon City Crit was an interesting course of a 1 mile oval with one 90 degree corner and a long grinding climb at the bottom of the decent there was a speed bump that every lap you hit at 30+ mph which was very interesting. The race started fast, and on lap 2 of 14 a crash happened in the only corner and it split the field. I was right behind the crash but able to sneak threw and stay with the group, Paul was not so lucky. But like a MAN he crashed back on solo in one lap and was able to sit in the lead group of ~20. With about
11 to go the first big attack came and a rider went solo for about 6 laps, him being solo it was no huge threat. In this time paul snagged a field prime and I could tell he was feeling good up the hill. I however was not. On the bell lap a good attack came from a michigan guy and with Paul on my wheel I went to the front to try to bring it back. I went to the last climb with an all or nothing mentality, I hammered as hard as I could to string out the field and took Paul up to about 500m to go. He was not able to catch to solo move but ended up 5th and I was 20th of 55. Not the best tactics on earth on my part but Im glad we got a top five. We dealt with the 95 degree heat much better this day.

Monday
Was the Quad Cities crit to cap the weekend. A flat 14 lap 8 corner crit in downtown Rock Island, IL. The race started off very fast and very windy and stayed that way, i had to work hard to move to the front but once I was there it was pretty easy to stay around the top 10. There were not many attacks being that we were holding about 28-30mph the whole time. On the bell lap no one really took control of the race which scared me, and I was right. I was able to stay toward the front and was sixth 7th wheel going into the last corner.
The last corner also had a huge crash which I was in-front of but it still cause the person ahead of me to react to the outside and I was literally inches away from nailing the barrier. When I gained control of my bike I looked back and there was no one in site that was still upright. I was happy to roll in for 7th still on two wheels. Paul was not involved in the crash but was unfortunately popped with about
3 to go in a big acceleration.

Overall, a great weekend of some fast racing with some very good fields from all over the midwest.

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

May29summary/Frankenmuth

The gales of November returned for our May weekly ride and they were  straight out of the West, proving to be a formidable opponent for 20 riders.  But, thanks to Cary, with input from Rick and Mark, they provided an excellent training moment as we headed South.  After a demonstration at Barnes road, we learned the fine art of an efficient echelon in three separate groups.  Some of it was pretty and at times ugly, but the concept was embedded into all.  We need to continue to hone these techniques and skills in the coming weeks so that we all ride more efficiently.

As for the scoring, the suggested change by Cary was welcomed by all.  Our two team concept will stay intact, but each rider can only score once for the night.  In a duplicate win for one rider, the scoring will default to the second rider across the line.  This worked out well with six different riders taking sprints.  The scoring for the night ended up 16 white and 5 black.(someone double check this)
Totals to date are:
white 43
black 27
eots 6

Frankenmuth
"there are a thousand stories in the Naked City".... great movie... there were also many stories from a Frankenmuth weekend.  If you want the cold hard numbers, the results are posted on the MBRA site.  If you want the rest of the story, here is some of it.  First off, I knew nothing about the goings on of the Dog Bowl, now I do and I am still traumatized.  As for the racing, 15 CFT riders made the journey with many fine showings.  In the cat 5's Tanner had his inaugural RR experience. Thanks to a course marshall snafu, I am sure it did not turn out as planned, but he has the bug now.  Joe Kennedy had a good showing in the 5's, Bryan Waldman and Kevin Gamper had superb showings crossing the line in 1st and 4th place, only to be told otherwise,  (see aforementioned comment about the course marshall snafu).  Both took the disappointing news in stride.  In the 4's, Craig Newell and John Gracely had nice showings and both finished in the points in what proved to be a very fast field finish.  Also in the 4's Brad Neagos suffered through a mechanical issue at the start and watched from the sidelines.  But, as one passer buyer stated to Wade as he saw the issue unfold, "your rider handled the situation with class".  Nice thing to hear about a teammate.  In the 45m's, Mustapha and Mike Williams (good to see Mike racing) finished in the field as did Mark in the 55's.  In the 35 masters the ZACADOWA train (my new acronym for wade, doug, zack and cary, get used to it)  was a major factor in the race.  Although each of them said separately they were a little disappointed in not getting Cary to the line first, the ground work is laid for the future.  In talking with Cary he said it was an "awesome sight" seeing 4 black CFT jerseys come to the front of the field with 1 mile to go and take control of the finish.  End result 3rd place for Cary and a superb effort for the team.

Hope to see all at West Branch, until then, later.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Brad Neagos tell his tale.

WMSR summary by Brad Neagos

West Michigan Stage Race was a great weekend of weather and of racing.  The mystery man John Gracely put CFT on the center stage of the Midwest racing scene with his performances. John had an impressive victory in the crit coming from about 15 riders back to take 1st place and win the field sprint. He followed this up with another 1st place finish in the road race. John finished 8th overall in cat 4. Craig Newell also had a strong performance this weekend finishing 5th overall in cat 4, and dominating all 3 events. In the time trial department Dave Joos put in a strong effort taking 2nd in 55 plus category, For the other 3 CFT riders, John Draminski, Joe Kennedy and Brad Neagos, WMSR proved to be a great learning experience and will certainly help as our racing careers start to take form. 

May 24

Lots to write about.  First the summary of last nights ride.  The weather keeps on getting better and better and our stretch of rainless Tuesdays continues on.  26 riders last night, of which one of them was Dave Jessup, showing no ill effects from last weeks mishap.  Also on the ride was an out of towner from the Fort Wayne Outfitters race team.  Of course I cannot remember his name, but that is to be expected.
As for the scoring, by executive decision, with no objections, last nights scoring has been ruled a "bye" week.  I think we are all in agreement that we are accomplishing all we want to accomplish with the scoring and the two team concept.  We are learning tactics, team riding and enhancing our finishing efforts.  But, we think we can make it better.  Currently the brain trusts are huddled in a darkened cave and pondering some variations.  We will have a conclusion by next Monday and will then unveil it to the masses.

WMSR results.

A solid weekend of racing for the CFT participants, here are the results for the 4/5

Overall Results
5. Craig Newell
8. John Gracely
26. Brad Neagos
56. John Draminski
61. Joe Kennedy
 
75 man field started the race

John Gracely won both the Crit and the Road Race.

The week before had some outstanding results also.
Greg Hughes took 5th in his age group at the 6 hours of Stoney Creek
and
John Wlodarczak (TNR regular, racing for Einstien Bagels) took first in his age group in the 12 hour race.
Well done.

thats all for now.  See follow up entry with Brad Neagos' weekend summary.





Tuesday, May 22, 2012

May 22 point allocations

this week will work the same as last. 

Annis Rd.     6
Blackman Rd.  1
Kinneville Rd.    2
Catholic Church  4  DOUBLE POINTS,, TOTAL OF 8
Potter Rd.    5
MCL        3

see you at 6pm

Friday, May 18, 2012

West Michigan Stage Race

Remember to get your results to Doug on Monday, good luck to all that are racing.

Helmets for Kids is Saturday, see details below

We have mentioned it a few times and this will serve as a final reminder.  One of our sponsors, the Sinas Dramis Law Firm is a proud 10 year sponsor of the "helmets for kids" program to be held tomorrow, Saturday, May 19 at the Marshall Street fire station in Lansing.  They have asked the team for our help.  Its a great cause, so that is reason enough to come and volunteer.   But as a bonus, they want to introduce the team as a group and also help promote our race in June.  So, here is our plan.  Pay attention because it is early.
1.  A group ride is leaving at 7:30 am from the church parking lot right across from the fire station at corner of Marshall and Saginaw.  If you drive your car,  park in the far easterly end of the lot, as the west end is reserved for the event.  This group will do roughly a 3 hour ride and end up at the Beaners (biggby if you prefer) on Grand River in East Lansing at 10:20am.
2.  A second group ride will leave from the church at 8:30am from the same church.  Same drill, this group will do roughly a 2 hour ride and rendezvous with the first group at 10:20am at the Beaners.

So, pick your group, first group will probably be riding a little faster overall than the 2nd, and yes, you guessed it, they will be riding for an hour longer.

3.  Once we rendezvous at the Beaners we will then ride as one group to the fire station.  At the station we will be introduced and then continue on with helping with the event.  If you can't stay for the whole event to help, then just stay for as long as you can.  Your time will be appreciated by all.

Note, to best of my knowledge there is no existing route planned for the above rides, but end goal is to be at Beaners at 10:20.

All should wear your kits.  Black.  See you tomorrow, its suppose to be sunny and warm.
later

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Cone Azalia Category IV Race report

Alex - flat tire, Nikita - flat tire, Loren - flat tire, Jay - crashed out, 2 riders slipped off the front and were gone.  Now you might think this is a story with no happy ending, but despite having no teammates remaining Craig came to the finish with a group of twenty and pulled out 2nd in the field sprint.

It's a team sport, sometimes it does not go your way.  With Alex, Nikita, Loren and Jay the break could would have been brought back, we get a chance to try it again this weekend.

Masters 55+ Race Report - Cone Azalia


They ran the 45+ and 55+ groups together at Cone.  CFT's Robin Allen was with a group of ten for the first 2 laps but like all Cone races that got whittled down.  This time thanks not only to flats but one 45+ rider pushing the pace to get back on terms in his race.  Coming into the final paved section leading up to the finish Robin was sitting third wheel. The two ahead were both 45+ including the guy mentioned above, the remaining four were 55+.  That meant with Mike Kryanski and Loren Simons (from our very own TNR) away for the 55+'s Robin was racing for the podium, however with 3 other 55+'s behind could have ended up in 6th.  The two 45+'s were motoring along toward the finish but had another lap to go.  Robin sat in, patience.  Finally a 55+ sprinted from behind Robin on his left side, it was too early...  Robin jumped on his wheel,  waiting to get within a hundred or so meters.  Turns out it was the perfect lead out.  As they approached the finish with about 100 meters Robin heard the familiar sound of a chain stretching coming up on his left side so he jumped to the right, planning and thinking done now, game on.  Within sight of the finish Robin fully unleashed and was able to get to the line first to win the field sprint.  

After the race Robin was quoted as saying - "I was happy to win the sprint, but it was so cool to have the sprint work like a dream. We've done it a hundred times on TNR when it's just for fun and bragging rights, but to do it in a race was great!  I'm glad I could help the Capital Fund Title team with a result. We got mentioned several times Sunday with the performance of our guys."


Wednesday, May 16, 2012

NOD's, May 15.

May 15, 2012 will forever be known in TNR history as Night of Dave's (NOD).  If you were one of the 19 that started the ride, then of course you know I am referring to Dave Jessup and Dave Joos.  Both Dave's decided it was their night to do a little soul searching on the pavement.  Dave Joos kicked it off by leading a break on sprint 4, the break got caught, but Dave was not done. He countered with the pursuers to the top of the little rise before the sign, (right across from the last barn on the left, with a sweet garage band that serenaded us while we picked up the mess), then he decided it was time to take a nose dive onto the soft grass.  It must have been due to the lack of oxygen to the brain.  Thankfully it was a fairly soft landing for him and he was back up and riding.
For Dave Jessup, it was not the same soft landing.  Dave was part of a 3 man up break on the run into Mason.  The break was just about to get caught as we cleared the final hill and Dave thought it was a good time to see how well his helmet worked.  His helmet bounced pretty good after smacking the pavement.  Luckily, one of Ingham County's finest was passing by and we waived her down.  One hour later Dave is in Sparrow Hospital making sure he still knows what city he is in.  The report this morning form Dave's wife is that he has a concussion, but all else is well.  Dave and his wife wanted to let everyone know they are very grateful for the response from all teammates on getting Dave taken care of.  Well done!  Hopefully we will see both Dave's back out very soon. 

To think years ago we never even considered wearing helmets, and didn't.  Maybe that is why so many of us over 50 guys are so warped.

As for the sprint totals for the night.  It went white, black, white, white and black,, with no score on the Mason run.  3 week total now is.

White  37
Black  22
eots 6

I promised some new twists this week, but all I came up with was the double points.  Next week though,,we will really have a new fresh twist,, I know you can't wait.

DO NOT FORGET ABOUT THE RIDE OF SILENCE TONIGHT,, RICK (ONE OF THE OVER 50 GUYS) SENT OUT A REMINDER.
ALSO, THE HELMET FOR KIDS THIS WEEKEND, I WILL SEND OUT A DETAILED INFORMATION BLOG BY TOMORROW MORNING.

later

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

MAY 15 TNR POINT ALLOCATIONS

Below are the sprint allocations for this fine sunny Tuesday evening.  Note the 3rd sprint has double point value.

Annis Rd.      4
Blackman Rd.  5
Kinneville Rd.    3  DOUBLE POINTS AVAILABLE 6 TOTAL
Catholic Church  2
Potter Rd.    6
MCL        1

later

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

May 8

"Solid", that is what my son says when you ask him how something is going and it is going well.  This past TNR was a solid night.  The weather was solid.  The rider attendance of 28 was solid.  The pre-ride rehash of the past weekend's racing was solid.  The ride safety was solid*, and the lack of mechanical delays for the most part was solid.

The night was part 2 of the black/white/eots team sprint competition.  It proved to be close to even with the sprint wins, white took 3 sprints, black 2 and eots 1.  The difference in the point totals were the value allocated to each sprint:  the numbers played out as follows:

white  pts11
black  pts 7
eots    pts  3

2 week total
white 25
black 11
eots  6

next week we will throw a little wrinkle into the scoring.  Stay tuned to the blog for details.

Weekend CFT race summary.  Below are the results we know of. 

Cary Roseth, 2nd M35
Bryan Waldman 3rd cat 5
Robin Allen 3rd M55
Craig Newell 4th cat 4
Eric Phreed 16th M45
John Gracely 9th cat 4
John Draminski 10th cat 5
Doug Derdowski and Wade Burch, top dozen of M35, lead group, but we did not see result for final placing.

Well done.  Cat 5's  time to upgrade and help the 4 effort!

later

*I saw one blatant yellow line violation, not just a violation, but a violation to advance position. Not cool! Think twice next week, you know who you are.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

TUESDAY MAY 8
Below are sprint points allocation for tonights ride

Annis Rd.      3pts    
Blackman Rd.  4pts 
Kinneville Rd.    1pt
Catholic Church  2pts
Potter Rd.    5pts       
MCL        6pts

2 EVENT REMINDERS
FARM DAZE THIS SATURDAY 8AM AT THE PAVILION

"HELMETS FOR KIDS" SATURDAY, MAY 19, 10AM MARSHALL STREET FIRE STATION.

see you tonight           

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

May Day 2012

Attendance. 23
Temp 59
Overcast
East winds @ 8mph
Let me first say a few things about the weather. All day long the forecast for the afternoon was 70 degrees, sunny and zero chance of rain. Well the sun was not seen all day, it may have cracked 60 for a few moments and we got sprinkled on. All this leads to further proof that there is no science to weather forecasting, it is a crapshoot done by idiots. Ok, I am done whining, now for the ride. It was the first night of team scoring for the May/ June shoot out.  Maybe there was some "hangover" legs from the weekend for black, and if so, white showed no mercy with a dominant performance.
Annis Rd, white (cary) took the sprint for 5 points.
Blackman Rd., when the field snoozes, someone will react and that is what happened on the next sprint.  An EOT rider ( and I am sorry I do not know your name, but I put in a name disclaimer many blogs ago, and for the purposes of this posting you are the unknown to Steve EOTS rider) took a lone flyer with Joe Kennedy (black) trying to latch on.  In the end EOTS got the 3 points.
Kinneville Rd, was another 2 points for white.
Black came back to grab the Catholic Church Rd., sprint (Craig) and get on the board for the night with 4 points.
Potter road, although only worth 1 point tonight proved to be a nice team effort by all squads.  Five or six riders got away after the big sweeping right turn.  White had Zach and Wade, black had Jay and Craig in the mix.  At the line Zach took the sprint for white and the 1 point.
The roll into Mason with the wind at our backs turned into a white train after the last hill.  Numbers can rule the day when you have them and that proved to be the case as Cary was delivered to the line for 6 more points for white.
Hopefully I have all my facts straight regarding the scoring, let me know of any corrections.
Tally for the night
White:  14
Black:  4
EOTS: 3

later.

Sunday, April 29, 2012

May/June team competition is here

Tuesday will begin the official team competition:  Black vs White vs EOTS
We will tally the points through the last Tuesday in June.  Winning team will get bragging rights and a pizza dinner:

Let us adhere to a few simple rules:

1.  Safety first
2.  Neutral zone until Columbia Rd.
3.  Ok to test your legs between Columbia and Barnes
4.  Game on after Barnes

Point allocations this week are as follows:

Annis Rd.           5 pts
Blackman Rd.    3 pts
Kinneville Rd.    2 pts
Catholic Church  4 pts
Potter Rd.            1 pt
MCL                    6 pt

SEE YOU TUESDAY AT 6PM

Willow results

Willow Time Trial:
8 CFT riders participated below are the results

Cat 5
Brad Neogos                         12th

Cat 4
Craig Newell                         12th

M35
Cary Roseth                          7th

M45
Eric Phreed                           9th, riding for the infamous Tuesday Nighters
Mustapha                              14th,,, (note, rode 7 laps, 6 was just not enough)
Keven Gamper                      15th

M55
Mark Warner                        8th

Also congrats to TNR alum Adam York;  2nd place overall, just 13 seconds out of first.




Friday, April 27, 2012

Willow TT

good luck to all at Willow tomorrow.  Leave comment to this entry if you plan on riding so we know who to expect results from.  Also, many local riders starting in close proximity, look for car pooling opportunities.
Here it is!  The unofficial, unsubstantiated, unreliable, for the most part unknown, results from the April scrimmage series.  The real games start next week!

Until then, check out the video from last Tuesday's ride HERE



Wednesday, April 25, 2012

4/24/12/ quick exit for one

temps  55ish
winds nw 20ish
partly cloudy

We started with 25 this Tuesday evening, but before we made the first turn we were down to 24.  Steve Halstead had mechanical issue and was done for the night.  We feel your pain Steve, the pain of getting geared up to ride and then not....worse than any pain we felt over the 40 miles.  Next week we will give you a place of honor at the front of the whole ride.. 
The team tactics taking place now seem to have further enhanced the ride.  In case you have missed it, CFT Masters are in white, CFT 4/5's in black and the remainder are now known as Enemies of the State, or in brief the EOTS. 
Black (Craig) took the first sprint this evening, but then white (Cary) went into "shut them down" mode, however the EOTS did edge a wheel in at sprint 4.  Kudos to Dave Joos on sprint 2 for the white, his move forced a chase by black that left them tapped out with any sprint legs.  Also, Dave, Ralph Heidl and Eric Snider got away on the lead up to sprint 5 and refused to be caught.  With a black jersey and white jersey up the road, the pack was neutralized...until the EOTS (MSU)had enough and initiated the chase...the break was doomed..but not until the final few hundred yards.

Next week will mark the end of the "scrimmages", then we will shift to tracking team points for May/June team competition.  Complete rules will be posted soon.  Also, look for correspondence coming this week that will outline procedure for reporting weekly race results.  Finally, it was suggested that there be a posting notifying team mates on who is intending on racing the upcoming weekend.  I think an easy way to do this is as follows:  There will be a blog entry posted pertaining to the upcoming weekend race.  Those that intend on racing can indicate so by doing a "comment" entry to that posting.  That will enable others to see who is racing.....until next week.  later

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

WILLIAMS PRODUCTION CREW

SEE LINK BELOW FOR RIDE SUMMARY FROM 4/17

THANKS TO MIKE WILLIAMS


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7_kAm_jCI8&feature=youtu.be

Game on 6pm

Reminder:  start time 6pm this evening.  2nd week of "scrimmage" leading up to our May/June team competition.   35/45/55 masters in White  cat 4/5 in black.  all others mercenaries in your weekly garb.

teams will be known from this point forward as:

Black
White
Enemies of the State  (thank Webbco for this entry)

we will keep scoring tonight.  points are only allocated to the winning team at each sprint, black, white or EOTS.  Here is how scoring will work  (I will get these rules down in detail for the start of competition but tonight will give you the flavor).  I will draw the sprints randomly out of a hat before each weekly tnr and assign points 1 through 6.  The team that wins that sprint gets the points assigned.  Tonight the point assignments are as follows:

sprint 1:  1point
sprint 2:  4points
sprint 3:  2points
sprint 4:  3points
sprint 5:  5 points
sprint 6:  6 points

see you at 6

Thursday, April 19, 2012

DANGEROUS RIDING IS NOT WELCOME!! PERIOD!


This past TNR ride was a great ride in many aspects. But from a safety perspective it was
the worse ride of the year. It is time to get serious about riding safe. We are not on a closed course. We are in Mason, Michigan, sprinting for street signs. There is no glory and whatever little prizes we may be sharing, they are not worth going home in a body bag over. It is time to take a harsh and serious stand. Yesterday evening and today there was much discussion with about 10 TNR members on the matter. It was unanimous that the following stance be taken:

TNR has two simple rules to keep everyone safe & ensure TNR & CFT Cycling
team are not compromised. Break these rules and you will not be welcome on
the CFT Team and will not be welcome on TNR, period.

Rule1:
Never cross the yellow line. (if you inadvertently get pushed across it
because of the ebb and flow of the group, correct it immediately)

Rule 2:
After each sprint make a 180 before the stop sign, do NOT pass the stop
sign for any reason until everyone has regrouped. (see diagram above)

It is up to all of us to make breaking these rules unacceptable under any
circumstance & communicate these rules to anyone who does not know them.
If you place a value to being on the CFT team or attending TNR do not break
these rules, if you do you are no longer welcome.
Thank you all for acknowledging the seriousness of the above content.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

NEW ATTENDANCE RECORD!, I THINK

APRIL 17, 2012
TEMP. 58 DEGREES
WINDS LIGHT OUT OF NW
TYPICALLY THIS IS A RELIGIOUS FREE BLOG. BUT, TONIGHT I AM GOING TO START WITH SEVERAL BIBLICAL ENTRIES CENTERED AROUND THE NUMBER 40.
40 IS THE NUMBER OF DAYS IT RAINED WHILE NOAH HUNG OUT IN HIS ARK;
40 IS THE NUMBER OF DAYS THE CARPENTERS SON SPENT IN THE WILDERNESS; 40 IS THE THE DOLLARS IT COST THE SECRET SERVICE FOR EACH COLOMBIAN PROSTITUTE IN THE LATEST GOVERNMENT EMBARRASSMENT AND 40 IS THE NUMBER OF RIDERS THAT SHOWED UP FOR THE LATEST VERSION OF TNR.
THIS BLOG WILL WILL SUMMARIZE THE LAST ENTRY. THE OTHER 3 YOU WILL HAVE TO SEARCH OUT ELSEWHERE FOR MORE INFO.
THE NIGHT STARTED OUT WITH JAY AND MIKE WILLIAMS SYNCHRONIZING THEIR VIDEO EQUIPMENT. THE WILLIAMS PRODUCTION CREW CURRENTLY HAS THE FRUITS OF THEIR LABOR IN THE CUTTING ROOM AND WE SHOULD SEE THE RESULTS ON THIS BLOG IN THE NEAR FUTURE. UNFORTUNATELY, JAY HAD SOME TECHNICAL ISSUES THAT WERE DISCOVERED POST RIDE; HE WILL BE BACK WITH THE CAMERA NEXT WEEK.
AS FOR THE RIDE, IT WAS AN IMPRESSIVE SITE. THE CFT TEAM WAS OUT IN FORCE IN THEIR NEW KITS, THEIR WAS ALSO A SCATTERING OF MSU AND OTHER REGALIA. THE NIGHT MARKED THE FIRST "SCRIMMAGE"FOR THE CFT RIDERS. BLACK VS WHITE, SIMULATED RACE TACTICS. FROM SEVERAL VANTAGE POINTS IT WAS A HUGELY SUCCESSFUL FIRST NIGHT. TEAMMATES ASSISTING TEAMMATES IN BREAKS, TEAMMATES TRYING TO KEEP THE FIELD IN CHECK, TEAMMATES NOT CHASING DOWN BREAKS WITH TEAMMATES ALREADY UP THE ROAD. IT WAS FUN TO SEE AND FUN TO BE A PART OF. IN THE END IT APPEARS THE KIDS (4/5) SCHOOLED THE MASTERS 4-2, AND THE SMACK TALKING HAS ALREADY BEGUN.
NEXT WEEK WILL SERVE AS ANOTHER WARMUP FOR THE MAY/JUNE POINTS CLASH. REMEMBER MASTERS RIDERS (35,45,55) IN WHITE THE KIDS (4/5'S) IN BLACK.
CHECK BACK IN A DAY OR SO FOR A VERY IMPORTANT PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT ON SUBJECT MATTER THAT MUST BE ADDRESSED. UNTIL THEN, LATER

Monday, April 16, 2012

4/17: START TIME 6PM

6PM WILL BE THE NEW START TIME FOR OUR WEEKLY TREK FROM ALL THAT IS BANAL. CLEAR SKIES FORECAST, SO LIGHT SHOULD NOT BE AN ISSUE. BUT BRING TAIL LIGHTS TO BE SAFE.
ALSO, REMEMBER CFT MASTERS IN WHITE JERSEYS AND CFT 4/5 IN THEIR HOME BLACKS.
THE REMAINING 3 RIDES IN APRIL WE WILL MONITOR THE BLACK/WHITE SPRINT RESULTS TO MAKE SURE TEAMS ARE EVEN. THEN IN MAY/JUNE WE WILL BEGIN THE TEAM POINTS COMPETITION.
RULES AND MORE DETAILS WILL FOLLOW.

Saturday, April 14, 2012

LET THE REINDEER GAMES BEGIN

TNR, 4/17/12 WILL MARK THE BEGINNING OF CFT CYCLING'S WEEKLY "SCRIMMAGE", WITH AN EMPHASIS ON LEARNING TO RIDE AS A TEAM. CFT MASTER MEMBERS SHOULD WEAR THEIR WHITE JERSEY AND WILL FORM ONE TEAM. CFT CAT 4 AND 5 MEMBERS SHOULD WEAR THEIR BLACK JERSEY AND THEY WILL FORM ANOTHER TEAM. ALL OTHER TNR RIDERS WILL FORM THE 3RD TEAM.
POINTS WILL BE TALLIED FOR THE USUAL SPRINT LINES. ONE POINT TO THE WINNING TEAM AT EACH SPRINT.
FOR REMAINDER OF APRIL WE WILL SEE IF THE TEAMS ARE EVENLY MATCHED, THEN MAKE ANY NECESSARY ADJUSTMENTS.

IN MAY WE WILL START A POINTS COMPETITION AND CONTINUE IT THROUGH JUNE. AT END OF COMPETITION, THE WINNING TEAM WILL BE AWARDED SOME PRIZES.

ALL USUAL TNR SUGGESTIONS/RULES APPLY...WITH EMPHASIS ON YELLOW LINE RULE AND SAFETY. ALSO, THERE WILL BE A NEUTRAL ZONE UNTIL COLUMBIA ROAD, AND IF THINGS HEAT UP BETWEEN COLUMBIA AND BARNES, THERE MUST BE A RE-GROUPING AT BARNES. THOSE INTERSECTIONS ARE TWO DANGEROUS TO BE BLASTING THROUGH THEM. SEE YOU TUESDAY.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

4-10-12 supplement


THANKS TO KEVIN GAMPER WE HAVE A PICTURE FROM THE 4-10-12 RIDE

4/10/12-WIND-COLD AND CATHARTES AURA


TNR tonight was really a tale of two mindsets. Those that showed up to brave the elements and those that opted out. For the 13 that showed, I am sure they were glad they did. For those that did not, they were most likely just as glad they did not.
Howling winds and 38 degrees greeted the 13 as we assembled at the speedway. We broke bread and shared in the discomfort of the cold..and then the ride began. I have no sprint reports, as my brain was lacking oxygen and my mouth could not form words. I have no pictures, because I was wearing lobster claw gloves. This much I do know, some guys are meant to motor in any conditions and there were a few of them there tonight. To those that showed, well done. For those that decided on a more pleasant evening, we will see you next week.
One more thing. Cathartes Aura has discovered the ride. Four or five of them were feeding at the end of the 4th sprint. There presence now is a warning sign for future rides. Remember, there is safety in the herd. For those of you that are not sure what Cathartes Aura is. She is pictured above. Have a good week, see many of you on Saturday at the team meeting.

TIME TO GIVE BACK.....TIME


CFT TEAM MEMBERS AND DEDICATED TNR ENTHUSIASTS;
WE ARE ABOUT 10 DAYS AWAY FROM LETTING THE REST OF THE WORLD KNOW ABOUT OUR LANSING USCF RACE ON JUNE 23, 2012. AT THAT TIME OUR WEB SITE WILL BE GOING LIVE AND THE FLIER CIRCULATED.
PUTTING ON A SUCCESSFUL RACE REQUIRES THE HELP OF MANY VOLUNTEERS. WE ARE COUNTING ON CLUB MEMBERS TO ASSIST THAT DAY; WE ARE COUNTING ON RACE MEMBERS TO ASSIST WHEN THEY ARE DONE RACING. WE ARE HOPING ALL TNR ENTHUSIASTS WILL WANT TO ASSIST ALSO.
AT THIS TIME WE ARE BUILDING OUR VOLUNTEER DATABASE. PLEASE EMAIL ME (STEVE) WITH YOUR COMMITMENT TO ASSIST. YOUR TEAM THANKS YOU!

IMAGINE @ 5:30


WE WILL STICK TO OUR 5:30 START TIME TONIGHT; IMAGINE HOW THAT NORTHWEST WIND IS GOING TO FEEL HEADING FOR THE MASON/DIXON SPRINT LINE. IT SHOULDN'T GET AS BAD AS SHOWN ABOVE, BUT WE WILL BRING THE DE-ICER JUST IN CASE...SEE YOU THEN

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

David Beckham was busy/but we found another bum to model the new kits





April 3, Rolling with the goats

Tnr 4/23/12 by the numbers
temps 61ish
winds NE 8ish
riders 28
average speed 19.67
top end 36ish

It was an odd weather night that greeted 28 riders. Seems like it was as dark when we finished up as when we left, but no rain, so all was good.

"Sustained effort" was how Cary described it, and I would agree. That effort cranked up once we made the turn East and never let up. Cary grabbed the first sprint and then proceeded to break away with Herr Rolfe on sprint 2. The group scrambled to organize and chase, but the damage was done and the break held. Once reorganized, we rolled through Leslie, fast, the KOM, fast and lands further East, fast.....Then things got a little weird. Mark Warner shredded a tire on the final turn heading into sprint 3 and magically out of thin air appears Mustapha in a car (he took the night off from riding and was feeling a little empty by then) and a camera. He picked Mark up, insisted on taking our picture in the middle of a cornfield, snapped a picture of the guy with the goat passing us (see pics), then disappeared again.
After the photo session, the beat continued with Cary, MSU boys, Craig and Dave Joos pushing the pace into the next two sprints.
Rolling through Mason usually becomes a warm-down. Not tonight, I must have missed the memo regarding sprint 7 which took place somewhere just before the parking lot at Spartan Speedway. It was a good night!










Wednesday, March 28, 2012

3/27/12 TNR SUMMARY 58, WIND SE 18MPH

Dual reporting from The Bike Philanthropist and our team benefactor Steve and Webbcorp. Click Pictures to enlarge.

Click HERE for Strava file, check out each sprint and results, upload your files so Newell doesn't have all the glory.

Webbcorp - "Hot Damn Tamale Charlie, you forgot to put the lid on!" Tort Elvis, Dread Zeppelin. It's March right, wrong, these people know no season and will blow the lid off no matter what time of year it is. Normally the MSU boys are fit this time of year, no change. Working backward like Citizen Kane, Bradley Neogos took the Mason sprint in a 23 mph south crosswind against Cary, Craig, Jay, Doug and Wade, strong result, nice work. Just after the Caholic Church Sprint Webbcorp & Blaine busted away, well mostly Blaine really (he is riding strong), they got caught by Wade and Derrick Obrien to make a 4 man break. Webbcorp - nothing, Derrick - toast, Blaine hung on the longest but after a long break Wade was too strong and went solo and was never caught, it was close but he made it, mighty fine finish. Cary took the Annis Road sprint in a crosswind. It was an ultraviolet night my brothers (line stolen from Clockwork Orange) and no drugs, who needs them when you have what we have.

The Bike Philanthropist Steve - In the epic U-Boat thriller, Das Boot, there is a scene where a crippled, torpedoed freighter begins to slowly meet its demise. As it breaks up, grown men are heard groaning and screaming as their protective shelter disappears around them. That scene played out again and again this Tuesday evening. Four, maybe five times the strong cross wind slammed 32 TNR riders and slowly but surely the protective cover disappeared and the silent screams ensued. As spring continues with its strong winds we can expect more of this in the weeks to come.

Some fresh faces were there to witness, or cause the carnage. The long rumored Mason spring tour stop for Webbcorp finally materialized. The stop is smack dab in the middle of trips to Patagonia and Aspen. Cody came up from Atlanta for the night.

He was on his cross bike just to keep things even. Blaine Benson was there, fresh off his secret winter training routine provided by Brian Crosby, and it showed. AJ from MSU's hockey team made the ride. I am sure he would have rather been at Munn practicing for another shot at the Frozen Four.

As for the weather? Two years ago Tuesday after Tuesday we enjoyed stellar weather. This year is starting out the same.

until next week. sjs


Tuesday, March 27, 2012

WEATHER SHOULD BE CLEAR; 5:30 START FOR TNR ON MARCH 27, SEE YOU THEN

Thursday, March 22, 2012

TNR Summary, week 2, March 20, 2012

83 degrees winds out of the South @ 10mph

Banke remembered a camera ( I think it was a camera) and snapped a picture of the 32 of us prior to the start. By the time we passed the golf course we picked up 3 more for an official count of 35. In that count was Brian Crosby, making his initial ride of any type in 2012. Steve Halstead also made the ride. Good to see the both of you. Missing from that count was Webbcorp. Despite rumors swirling that Elvis would be in the building, we could not even declare that “Elvis has left the building”, because as it turns out, Elvis was never in the building. Maybe next week.

The ride stayed fairly intact as we headed South into the wind, but that changed dramatically once we made the left turn and headed East to the first sprint. If you didn’t position yourself well in that cross wind, well, you were screwed. I didn’t see the results of that first sprint, but I did notice that both sides of the duplex on the corner are for rent.

Coming out of Leslie and heading East was the same story, strong cross wind had the back of the bunch fighting to stay out of the ditch on the left, while those leading the charge continued on with their evil grins.

We were able to pay proper homage to the Catholic Church road loop this week, and 5 hearty riders thought they would push for glory as we headed to sprint 5. Didn’t happen though as the group was quick to shut that down. Like Elvis, maybe next week.

82 degrees, sunny skies, in March, rolling the back roads of Michigan with 35 big kids. Enjoy these days, as it does not get much better. Until next week.

Friday, March 16, 2012

Preface:

2012 marks a transition for TNR. As most of you know, Craig Webb has retired and relocated to Traverse City. I will attempt to do the TNR blog justice be compiling a weekly report. In doing so, there will be the obligatory references to pain, suffering, heaven, hell, fire, brimstone, Rambo 4 and Bruce Lee. The plan is for me to distribute the summary to the CFT Team and then Craig will copy it to the TNR blog.

Also, everyone should be aware of a few matters; Remembering names and faces, Craig good, Steve bad. Accurately reporting what happens at sprints, Craig in the mix, Steve usually viewing from the backseat. So, that means one of two things. 1. I will need to quit my job to double my weekly mileage in an attempt to report the sprint results. Or, make shit up. Onward we go.

The ride, March 13, 2012

Temperature 61, Sunshine and Westerly winds 15-18mph.

Odd, is the initial word. It was odd not to have Webbcorp greeting new faces and odd not to be gathered together for a group photo. But, new leaders will emerge and someone will remember to bring a camera.

35, is the initial number. I may be one or two off, but that was the count I had when we rolled out. Amazing. Familiar faces, the Msu boys, Adam York, Cary, Zach, Wade, Dave Joos, Kevin Gamper, the list goes on. Some new faces, John Cisler and a few others. Noticeably absent other than Webbcorp, Cary’s trusty Blue steel steed. Replaced with some new fangled, space aged thing. This probably played a major factor on why things blew up right after we crossed Columbia Road. The surge left debris scattered for ¾ of a mile. It continued like that for most of the ride. Like Charleton Heston trying to control his Chariot, it is not going to happen when those horses want to run.

With two flats on the ride, light became a concern and the Catholic Church Road loop was left out. We should continue the 5:30 start at least through March and then make a decision on when to switch to a 6pm start. Until next week; sjs,,, Note, rumor has it there will be a Webbco sighting for next week’s ride.

Other stuff:

Spartan Speedway: I did get email confirmation last night from the owner that re-affirmed his permission to park there. His one request,, leave no trash, and if you see some, pick it up. He also indicated that there should be a porta-john out there soon that we can use.

Some notes regarding Barry Roubaix. CFT will have a tent and our team banner there, use that as a pre-ride gathering spot. Also, if I recall correctly, last years race had about 500 racers and there was a substantial line of traffic to enter the park. This year’s ride has 1500. Suggestion, get there early.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Capital Fund Title Cycling Team Kits update

The kits are nearly complete and the order will be going in soon go HERE to see kits. Please leave comments.

Hill Climb Thursday

Hill Climb Thursday
Hill Climb Thursday - click on image for Garmin File It's here! We started 9/2, ouch.

sprint Competition Sponsored By the Capital Area Bike Association

sprint Competition Sponsored By the Capital Area Bike Association

Thursday Night Time Trial Series Results

Thursday Night Time Trial Series Results
Thursday Night Time Trial Series Results