Happy Holidays and NYD Ride

I hope everyone got at least a little "bike schwag" for Christmas. I received 2 items. A new helmet(white) and a signed copy of the new Lance book(Comeback 2.0). My niece lives in Tuscon and stood in line for 3 hours at the Border's signing there. Pretty cool.
The New Year's Day ride route is determined and here it is http://www.mapmyride.com/route/us/oh/marysville/419126201739054879

FIP is 10am. Cold, snow, wind, and all the other element of bad weather should make this pretty interesting. Dress warm and to keep yourself dry. I am planning on a beverage at Lucky's to warm-up a little after.

Merry Christmas everyone. Enjoy the sights, sounds, and family even more this time of year.
The best part...the days are GETTING LONGER!!!! We made it to the dark side and now we are headed back to longer daylight hours. Soon we will be riding after work OUTSIDE!

New Years Day Ride

One item that was brought up at Rooster's that I forgot to mention was to have a New Year's Day ride. Keep that on your calendar and let's have some fun with it.

Cyclebabble2 Review

We had 6 at Roosters last night. Eric, Jeff, Joe, Scott, John H., and John B. Discussions about mountain biking @ Alum Creek, winter training, spring rides, group ride @ TOSRV, Pelotonia 2010, crit in Marysville, TRC Race track ride, getting jerseys made, winter bike projects. Good time had by all. Next month will be Jan. 6th at Lucky's, just north of 33 on 31.

More Cyclebabble 12/2 @ Roosters in Marysville

Come out and talk cycling or what ever at Rooster's in Marysville. AOS @ 6pm

Cyclebabble

Come and talk bikes, routes, cross, training, goals, ideas, jerseys, trips, and everything cycling at Buffalo Wild Wings, Avery Rd in Dublin @ 6pm

Roads less traveled.

Thursday was suppose to be sunny and 70. What happened? Oh well, had a good ride anyways. We found a few roads that none of us had ever been on and one road that we will never make that mistake again, with out a minimum of a cross bike and most likely nobbi tires. 3000+ feet of climbing in 50 miles and plenty of cold and wind.
Get out to "Uncle Steve's" Saturday and watch cyclocross action. Bring a camera, the costumes will be a hoot. Race is at 18600 Barker Rd Marysville, OH 43040-9206. Barker is off of Raymond Rd at the nursery.

Thursday Ride @ 3pm

Thursday is suppose to be a very nice day so a group of us are planning a ride. We will leave Middleburg at 3pm and head towards Zanesfield to pick up others at 4pm. Here is the map...
http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/oh/-zanesfield/534125596044720134

Sunday 10/18 Ride

This weeks ride is a nice 40 miler out of Middleburg with a couple different hills and sprints. We should be in full color and we should be able to see alot from some of the vistas we will be riding by. Weather will be chilly but not unbearable.
http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/oh/zanesfield/684125546046483490

10/11 Ride...can you say hills!

OK. While the weather is decent and we still are in some sort of shape we need more hills, so I was told. This is what I came up with, starting in Middleburg and just a short 41 miles. FIP 2pm
There is a sprint back into Middleburg, but not exactly sure where it is.

http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/oh/zanesfield/895125508533922061

10/4 Sunday Ride

Sunday is looking good according weather.com. Here is a map of the ride and hope to see you there.
http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/oh/-marysville/429125426558517780

Wed. 9/30 Ride

Looking at the forecast, Wednesday will be the best day to ride this week...until Sunday. Looking at getting out a little early and then maybe catch up and ride with the 6pm group at the courthouse. Looking at FIP about 4:30-4:45 for a quick out and back to the courthouse. Let me know if interested.

Sunday 9/27

Yes! we are riding...you will not melt! Bring a camera, colors are getting good.

Sunday 9/27 Ride 10am

This Sunday we will ride with FIP @ 10am from courthouse. The route
http://www.mapmyride.com/route/us/oh/marysville/779125380668051654
has 9 sprints and 3 KOM in 65 miles. Again, we regroup after sprints and KOMs.
Beautiful weather, changing colors, good route...should be fun!

9/22 Retro TUNRR

This weeks ride will have a different feel...in many ways. One, no full carbon bike can win any wristband. Two, no KOM. Three, short, flat and fast, 5 sprints in 31 miles. Darkness will be on us quicker then usual with clouds, possible rain and sunset @ 7:30pm. So, come prepared to ride fast and have head and tail lights ready. Here's the map. FIP @ 5:30 at courthouse.
http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/oh/marysville/207125353996125639

9/16 Review, Sunday and next TUNRR

This time of year it is hard to get everyone together with all the other committments and life pulling at us, it is just good to get out and ride. I do believe this might be the best time of year to ride with the weather cooling off and the colors changing. Bad part is the short daylight hours after work.
Last night we had 4. Ryan won the green, rainbow, and yellow(by a half a wheel) and John B won the black.
Sunday we will be going out from Middleburg for a 65 mile mountain goat ride. FIP will be 3pm. http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/oh/zanesfield/961125303659052453 Let John B know if you are planning on going and we will wait 5 min. if you are not there by 3.

Next TUNRR will be RETRO Day. No Carbon bikes(for wristbands). Only aluminum, steel, even Titanium will be in the running for wristbands. It will be shorter, 30-35 miles and no KOM.

Pace Line Video

Check out this pace line video. Some of the narration is exactly what I say to myself when Matt, Ryan, or Paul are out there hammering. Good stuff!
http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/video/video.asp?Title=pace+riders&File=showcase/paceriders/paceriders&VideoPref=vfastwm

9/16 Wednesday Night Ride

This weeks ride will be on Wednesday, 9/16.
http://www.mapmyride.com/route/us/oh/marysville/674125293142422156
Looks like great weather all week. FIP @ 5:30pm at courthouse.

Thanks Donna

Donna Wilson sent me a pic of one of the bridges that we cross on our rides and I decided to put it as a background for our site.
Results from Tuesday were Jeff taking control and winning green, yellow, and black. Matt got rainbow. Next weeks ride is open for suggestion.
We will start doing Sundays on September 20th. These will be either longer and/or more hills. We may meet and start in Middleburg or Zanesfield, with the option of riding to the meeting point. Let me know what you think!

9/8 TUNRR Review

I was afraid that with the storms all around that I would be doing a solo ride last night. But, a few dedicated pedal pushers showed up and we had 44 miles of fun and no rain. One wet road, one gravel road and one doe that wanted us to slow down so she had to cross in front of us. 5 of us cut our way through the wind and had an average speed of 20.8 according to Garmin. The hills were not long but steep. The sprints were contested but not crazy. Jeff ended with the yellow. Matt got the rainbow. Green and black are close and need to be calculated.

9/8 TUNRR

This week we might be dodging rain and storms. Last week Paul won green, rainbow, and yellow. Jeff won black. Congrats!
http://www.mapmyride.com/route/us/oh/marysville/737125228679539886
We have sprints into Allen Center, N. Lewisburg, Mingo, Woodstock, Milford Center, and Marysville. 2 pretty steep KOM's near Mingo. 8 chances for points. FIP @ 5:30pm at courthouse.

9/2 WINRR Review

WOW! New blood equals ever fast pace. With Andy and Paul showing and Matt leading the charge, the clip was a bit fast as we averaged just over 23mph on our way to Middleburg with Andy and Paul fighting to the sprint win and the older guy got it from my point of view. As we gathered and made it up KOM 1 the skinny, fast guys were up there duking it out, I am still waiting for the results but it looked like there were 3 at the line as they hit the crest of the hill. The next KOM(2) was a quick sprint up a 11% grade and a wrong turn made those in the lead do some extra work. After regrouping and enjoying the nice long downhill, we made it to "childbirth" and enjoyed the view from the top...oh for about 3 seconds as the regroup was at the stop sign afterward. We rolled and an early sprint had everyone confused but Paul led the way into Pickerrelltown. Next the long downhill sprint to the line was a riot as we hit the 40+ going into the line. Coming back in from there was as quick as ever and Paul hit the Johnson Rd and Marysville sign sprints out front with Jeff on his tail. I had an average speed of 20.8 for the 52 mile ride. Fast times by fast guys...thanks! Darin and John B will get an extra point in the total this week because of birthdays.

9/2 WINRR

This week's ride will be Wednesday and will be probably the last "longer" ride on a weekday this year. We should be able to get this one in without daylight issues, but there are places we can cut if we need to.

Sprints will be going into Middleburg just after the cemetery. We had that one earlier.
The next will be going into Pickerrelltown, after the 3 KOM. I am pretty sure there is a green sign.
The next one will be near the end of the long decent from last week picture place. Should be fun!
Next will be on Johnson Rd at Benton Rd (on the curve)...had that one earlier also.
Then we will come in to Marysville on Raymond Rd. The green sign is where 33 goes over Raymond Rd.

KOM will all be different than any previous.
First is on Twp 150. After Middleburg we turn right and go up 287, turn right on Twp150 and there is a good little climb...I will get out and mark it tomorrow.
The next KOM will be one most are familiar with if you have done Top of Ohio. It will be some where near the peak of 178 and 164. I will explain where it is before we go.
The last KOM is what was told to me to be named "childbirth" because it is just that painful. It will be at the top.

http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/oh/marysville/383125145211648964

Again, lets try to regroup after sprints and and KOMs and work together and have fun.

Pelotonia Report

First off, a huge thank you to everyone from Huntington who allowed a person who doesn't work at Huntington (me) to ride with you this weekend. I've attached 4 pictures I took this weekend. My thumb may obscure a couple of them. The start on Saturday was pretty chaotic. 2,200 people lined up in that little chute did not make for a quick start. I had wondered if Lance would ride easy amongst the crowds for the first few miles; turns out that was not the case. After realizing my only chance to ride with Lance was to catch him up the road, I rode 30+mph down Olentangy and Neil. I finally caught the "Lance" group in downtown Columbus before the statehouse. There was about 140 people who were pushing themselves to ride along with Lance in the first twenty miles. Luckily for most, a tailwind and a not so crazy speed helped people get a good look at the 7x tour winner. I'd say we averaged about 26mph for the first 25 miles.

As the pace started to get a little harder, the Lance group started to dwindle down. I found myself rolling up to the front next to Lance like it was any other group ride. Determined not to be star-struck, I didn't say anything at first. Lance, being an all around nice guy, actually turned and said hello to me. I thanked him for doing all of the work (he had been) and we really just chatted about a few random things. He asked about the route, I told him there were some hills after we got past mile 50. We talked about Mapmyride.com, bike computers, and bike racing. After a few more minutes he asked me how many people were "left" in our group. I told him it looked like almost 100. He looked back and guessed it was 80-90 at that point. I asked him if I could take a picture or two with my phone, he didn't mind. At that point we were about at mile 40, just about where the rolling hills started.

Lance and his good friend College (who is the current U.S. (35+)National Champion) started drilling it. Our group of 80 quickly became a group of 10. Lance kept the pace high, reminding all of us that he indeed was a world champion cyclist. One of my favorite memories is trying to catch up to College with Lance on my wheel. We're going up a little roller going somewhere around 29mph with some pretty nasty cross winds, Lance rolls up next to me and tells me to, "Get on his wheel!" After flying through the 50 mile rest stop (we never stopped), our group was down to 5 people plus Lance and College. We had a car or two get in the way. At one point Lance bunny hopped up onto a sidewalk to avoid a parked car. Additionally, we may have taken a wrong turn or two. All I know is that for the first 50 miles we averaged 27.5mph. Our small "Lance Group" went through that first rough road around mile 56 and we approached the biggest climb of the day. I had been prepared for this hill and knew how steep it was.

For the only time in my life, I can say the following: I was on Lance Armstrong's wheel heading into the steepest climb of the day. Our group of 7 split immediately. Lance hit the climb and didn't really seem to slow down. I stuck on his wheel for about 10m before I was dropped. Over the next half a mile, I turned myself inside out trying to stay in contact with Lance. Garth Prosser (local Pro mountain bike racer) and College ended up going by me. At one point College shouted to Lance "You better wait!" and Lance turned around to look, just as he had done in the Tour, and said something funny. I'd say I went up the hill at around 10mph. I'd say Lance did it in about 14 or 15mph. Needless to say, there is a reason why he's a 7x tour winner and I'm not. After that, the remaining 4 riders from that Lance group worked together to try and catch Lance. We never had a chance of course, but it was fun. We rolled across the finish line, finishing 4th-7th, at about 11:55 a.m. We had missed Lance by about 15 minutes.

Our group - Distance 102.22 miles; 24.1 mph average; 48.9 mph max

Lance - Distance 102.22 miles; 25 mph average; ?

The Dispatch took some photos of us after we crossed the lines. Hopefully my Team Huntington jersey is shown! The 80 mile ride home wasn't nearly as fun or as fast without Lance there. I left with the group at 7:15 and rode with people until the first hills. After that I was by my lonesome for 40 miles. I was the first person to arrive at the finish that had started at 7:15. (A group of 4 beat me there, but they left at 6:45!) Again, a million thanks to Huntington for giving me this once in a lifetime chance. I had a blast and we raised a lot of money for a great cause.

Pelotonia 2009 was an awesome event that I was so privledged to be a part of. Great ride, great friends, great event! Below is a gallery of pics collected along the way by Jeff Greutt.
http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=amd41t2.54g6k6wm&x=0&y=7ihyk6&localeid=en_US
Ryan Stubenrauch had an awesome ride.
Being a part of Team Huntington was way cool. It allowed us to get a pic with Lance, we got great jerseys, and was able to meet a lot of new riders. I hope that they keep the passion for cycling and they all do it again next year.

8/28 PELOTONIA 2009

Pelotonia is finally here! I first heard about this ride in early March and made the commitment at that time to ride at least 100 miles. I am fortunate to have great friends in good places and with the help of Team Huntington I am riding down and back, the full 180+ miles. Happy Birthday Donna, Thank You and Huntington. I look forward to riding with everyone and seeing all the different bikes. I am sure there will be some bike envy this weekend. Hope the weather cooperates for the festivities today and the ride all weekend. I am psyched!
Check out the background pic above. Know what road? I will be changing it often as I take pics when we ride. Don't be surprised to see your face( or at least your bike) up there soon!
Next weeks ride will be on Wednesday instead of Tuesday. I have had a request to get "childbirth" in and I think I have it. After a review, I will post it.

8/25 TUNRR Review...Specialized vs Trek

With the time change we only had 5 people. Ryan and Scott on Specialized and Jen, Jeff, and John on Trek. The Peoria sprint was 1, 2 Specialized. The West Mansfield was 1 Specialized, 2&3 Trek. KOM 1 and 2 were both Specialized. Zanesfield was 1 Specialized, 2 &3 Trek. CR 287 was 1&2 Trek and 3 Specialized. Then Marysville was 1 Specialized, 2, 3 &4 Trek. Great night and good route. Ryan gathered the Yellow, Green and Rainbow wristbands while the Black ended up a tie between Scott and John with Jeff 1 point back. Age has it's benefits.
The picture didn't happen unfortunately. Directions miscommunication.
But the break and the view were enjoyed by all.

8/25 Map 1

8/25 TUNRR

The TUNRR for 8/25 will be FIP @ 5:30pm at courthouse. The extra half an hour will help get us out to the hills and back before low light conditions. If anyone would like a flashing tail light let me know, I have a few extras that are small and can go on your helmet or seatpost.
This weeks ride will be new.
I am sending you 2 links with 2 different rides from about mile 20-26. I am going out tonight to mark sprints and KOM. On the maps I marked all sprint points and KOM and I will choose which one after marking them tonight.
http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/oh/marysville/233125108021334721 will be ride A

http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/oh/marysville/223125108066041235 will be ride B

Don't forget The Road to Roubiax on Wednesday night. If anyone is interested contact Ginger.

Pelotonia is this weekend. Matt is in Chicago. Mark is near Detroit for a duathlon. Ryan?
I get another point added to my total next week. So will Donna if she ever dares to come out.
See ya tomorrow.

Saturday Ride 8/22

What's everyone's plan for the weekend before Pelotonia???
I am planning a 40-50 miler Friday night and an 85 miler on Saturday. Friday nights ride will be next weeks TUNRR,
http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/oh/marysville/376125071785561735
and Saturdays ride looks like this http://www.mapmyride.com/route/us/oh/marysville/479125088020856760
Right now it is just Jeff and myself. Want to join in? I will be leaving my house about 7:30 and meeting Jeff in Plain City about 8:30. We will probably stop at Lake Choctaw and refuel and take a break. Then it is up to Catawba and Mechanicsburg. Then let the winds blows us back to Plain City.

Here We Go!

Well, I have been looking for a place where anyone could post upcoming rides they are doing and if they would like company on that ride put up a post...this may be the site!
This blog can have up to 100 "authors" that can post comments or "blogs" about rides.
I will try to add everyone from TUNRR as authors and if that works I will try to get the whole Marysville group and then the world! lol
It maybe where TUNRR rides and results are posted instead of emails. Let me get a handle on everything and we will see what happens.
Anything you would like to see on this blog?
On the 8/25 TUNRR I want to take a pic of the group at a certain point of the ride and post it here so make sure your hair is combed and you smile big...oh... it will be after corkscrew so forget about the hair, just keep the helmet on.
With daylight getting shorter we will be FIP at 5:30pm. And soon we will need to look at a weekend time to do TUNRR. Let me know your thoughts. My thoughts are Sunday afternoons so we can ride late into the year. Plus, I will be going to OC soccer games on Saturdays all fall.