Props Where Props are Due

This entry as been a long time coming. It's one that I always want to write but always seem to put off. Well not this time. After all the team would not exist if it weren't for our sponsors. Please support them, as they support grassroots cycling.

First up, we'll talk about the bike people. Our team has, in my opinion, the best of the best. We have rockin' Van Dessel frames. Anything from the super light Rivet to the ever so versatile Ramble Tamble (this can be run as a single speed, full X.O grouppo, or with a Ruhloff). Not to mention the awesomeness in between.

Honey Stinger is also back again. These guys are just super easy to work with and their products are like honey. Yum! They do have a new item out this year, the organic energy chews. They are delish. I highly recommend them to anyone looking for a little boost on a long ride. Easier on the stomach than gel (I think so anyway). Also, HS does not outsource the production of their peanut butter from the company that was involved in the Salmonella outbreak. ++.

Crank Bros will once again be under our feet. These pedals have always been a personal favorite for a few reasons...First they are super easy to use. No spring tension to set. Second, they shed mud on nasty days. Clip in and forget about it. Third, they are super easy to rebuild. Let's face it, if you ride as much as we do bearings wear out. CB got your back with complete rebuild kits and easy to follow instructions.

AMC will also be on Stan's No Tubes wheels again. These are cutting edge when it comes to light weight, tubeless wheels. Good people. What else could you ask for?

New to this year will be Tifosi, Schwalbe, Nuun, SRAM, and Magura.

Tifosi has been really cool to deal with. They hooked our team up with some of the nicest glasses I've ever had on my face. Lightwieght, three sets of lenses (with great optics), and a nice rubber nose piece. The model is the Tyrant. Check them out.

Schwalbe Tires gave us a deal we couldn't turn down. We feel that their tires are about as good as you can get on the road, mountain, or 'cross. Maybe the only ones better would be the ones still handmade...maybe. With Schwalbe we have a huge selection to choose from and I was like a kid in a candy store. I will say this though, I showed some restraint when I opted to not get the 295 gram Furious Fred. I did however get the 425 gram tubeless version. Ha! Look out suckers.

Nuun is a hydration company that has really just recently popped their head this way. Unless of course I just wasn't paying attention. They offer us an electrolyte tablet for our water bottles that should keep the Milk(wo)men from cramping up this summer. Again, look out suckers.

SRAM hooked us up with road grouppos on the cheap. SRAM is always at the cutting edge of technology and is the parent company of Avid and Rock Shox but...

We have Magura for brakes and forks which are awesome. They are the parent company of Syntace and Mawri. Can I get a what what?

Next we can cover the money people. Arro, Isaac's Deli, and of course Allied Milk Producers' Cooperative. Without their continued support there would not be a team at all. This milk's for you...

Farmersville

My goal at Farmersville was to keep the pace high and drop the weaker riders at the start line so at the gun I jumped into the pace line. The early races are always good for a stupid crash. I'd say 4 or 5 of us were working together pretty well. Each taking short pulls and rotating back. There were a few that just wanted to hang out in the front and we let them burn up. Then back to short pulls. I did this for the first 3 or 4 laps and then drifted back to see what was left of the group. I estimated we were down to about 40 of the 60+ starters. Not bad.

I worked my way back to the front for some more work. I was feeling strong. My power was there. My heart rate was managed. The course was easy. A little too easy but it is a long season so I will take an easy one every now and then.

I'd say on lap 6 (of 8) my heart rate started screaming. I'm not really sure why but I slowly drifted back in the pack trying to get it to calm down. I slipped behind Shawn. I let him know that I thought I was about to pop. I got all the way back to the back and it finally calmed down. I'm not really sure what happened but I recovered in time to move back up to the front half of the group.

The finish was a bit interesting. There was a 10-12% hill (very short) and a hard 90 degree turn into the finishing straight (probably a 2-3% uphill). Coming into the final turn I was in a fairly good position so I thought I might go for the sprint but as we were rounding the final turn the guys in front of me slammed the brakes. I was forced to scrub all my speed. I knew that my chances were over so I just rode the slipstreams to the finish line. Shawn and I both finished (guessing) top 20. I do know that we crossed the line at 31 or 32 mph and we weren't even sprinting. It was a fast race at over 24 mph.

I was pleased with the race since my goal was to not get caught in a stupid crash and to make the others hurt a little.

Here's to small steps.

Here We Go Again

Saturday March 14th (tomorrow) is the start of the road season in Brownstown. I know that most of the team will not be racing but Shawn and I will be there. He talked me into it. Honestly I was having fun with my training this year and hope to hit the mountain season prepared. Last year I had to race myself into shape and that was rough. My sinus infection didn't help either.

All I can say about the race tomorrow is that at least it's not going to be windy. These early season races can go either way for me. I prefer May.

Number 100

Yes, it's hard to believe but this is post number 100. If you've been reading since the beginning you should probably find something to do. Seriously.

So the team meeting has come and gone. The fine folks at Isaac's always come through for us. They opened an hour early and let us hog up about 5 tables and a booth. They really are a class act.

If you live in the Central PA/Delaware region you may see some snazzy new Allied Milk uniforms zipping around. Do not be alarmed. We really are going that slow.

Pre-season orders and Uniforms

Temps are rising, pre-season orders are coming in, and with the arrival of the team uniforms today it really feels like racing season. It is, for us cyclists, a time of great anticipation. We've frozen our fingers, toes, and faces for months now. We crossed semi-frozen streams hoping to not get our feet or legs wet. Hiked down icy trails so we wouldn't die. We've found articles of clothing on the trail, were so cold we wore it hoping Karma would stay on our good side. We've battled frozen water bottles/three hour rides in 5 degrees with at best a slushy to quench our thirst. We've dealt with 2 or 3 inches of standing water (on the roads!) when the snow started to melt. This caused us to eat our fair share of horse poo. Now is our time (well, soon anyway).

Coming soon...Spring 2009.

Rockin' the Snotcycle

A new race took place today in Leesburg VA. It was the Snotcycle. The rider formerly known as Fort James was there competing in the under 39 Sport group. James is a new addition to the Allied Milk Cycling team this year and he didn't disappoint.

Now, I'm still waiting for the full race report (and hopefully some pictures) but from what he said it was sloppy. He compared it to a messy 'cross race. Sliding into and out of turns. Virginia never had the deep freeze that we had here so the trails were a mess. Yum.

All said and done James took 3rd in his category of about 60 or so riders. Nice. A month into 2009 and a podium already. I knew I had a good feeling about the team this year.

Just around the Corner

'09 schedules are starting to take shape and BikeReg.com has some road and mountain races posted already. Our uniforms are in production. Pre-season orders are being filled. Of course the January weather is not cooperating to get some good base miles in so it looks like it's officially cross-training and trainer season.

Shawn is finally back on the bike after a detached ligament in his thumb. Yum. He was on the Sunday ride with us and was hanging pretty well (even pulled me back to the group when I started to fall out). Not bad seeing as he hasn't been able to ride for 4-5 weeks.

The MASS team leader/race promoter meeting is this Sunday and that means the season is almost here.