Mad FORCs Race Team

Stump Farm Race Report

2011-05-20T19:24:00.000-06:00

The FORCS had a great showing at the first WEMS race of the year! We had a 3 person 100 mile team (Berlie, Sabrina, and Sue) and two solo 100 mile riders (Carol and Deb). We also had a wonderful pit crew with Kathy and an intrepid bike riding turtle to cheer us forward. FORCS purple dominated the woods!

The weather was not friendly, with intermittent rain and mist and quite chilly temps. As it had been raining all week, they had to reroute a lot of the course to avoid the worst of the swamps. This left some sticky single track at times, and two massive "lakes" for us to ride through in a lower part of the course.

Despite the tough weather, this venue was terrific as usual. The race organizers did a great job, there was a warm building for needed breaks from the cold, and they offered great door prizes (including a Niner frame. One of these years I'm going to win that bad boy).

Carol and Deb both did wonderfully cranking out those solo miles, despite mechanical issues for both. Carol had some uncooperative Stans in a tire and had to backtrack some miles for a fix. When I encountered her returning to the pits for a fix she was smiling and cheerful as usual. Deb's single speed decided to drag its brakes so hard that she could barely get the bike to move in her first lap. Way to add some resistance training Deb!

The team managed to avoid any mechanicals or serious mishaps. Berlie managed to pull a beautiful track stand after getting bogged down in the middle of one of the lakes, thereby avoiding a wet slog through the muck. Wish I could have seen that. Sabrina got tough and pulled an extra last lap for the team late in the day. Thanks Sabrina - I was cheering you on while sitting in front of the warm fireplace!

The next WEMS race is in 1 1/2 weeks at Greenbush. That's another great venue. Hope we can have another big turnout. Those of you who haven't ridden much WEMS races are welcome to come too. They will have a shorter 30 mile solo option, or we can get together a second team for the day if we have enough riders.

-- Sue

Spring Winds

2010-04-05T13:47:00.003-06:00

I feel like I've had a slow start to the riding season this year. However, the unusually warm weather makes me forget that most years I don't ride that much before April. After racing cyclocross until Nov or Dec and then ski racing until March I usually find the spring to be a good time to get caught up on the rest of life.

However, what is a person to do when we have 80 degree temps in March? The only answer is to get out on the bike. Next thing you know you are trying to get back to a regular schedule of riding as you can't help but remember that the first WEMS race is just around the corner and maybe you would want to do the Cable Area Off Road Classic again this year. And even though you skied the Birkie you can't believe how slow you feel on a bike so better get riding!

That's all well and good but spring in Wisconsin means WIND. This Sunday I decided I needed to do a longer ride and headed off to Belleville. The winds were fierce - either in your face or trying to blow you over with a nasty cross wind. I don't like winds . . . they are even worse than hills by my estimation. In all of my many, many times riding to Belleville it has never taken so long and felt so painful. Getting there is supposed to be the fun part as it is super flat and usually fast. At least the wind was at my back for the hills on Fritz and Riverside or I may have never made it home. I persevered though so hopefully what didn't kill me will actually make me stronger (faster would sure be nice too!).

Unfortunately I imagine there will be many more windy rides this Spring. Hopefully we luck out for our Mad FORCs Tuesday night road rides and avoid the worst of the windy nights. Tuesday rides start this Tuesday, April 6 at 5:30pm at the east end of the Arboretum. First week is to Paoli. Tues, April 13 I'm leading the ride to Goodland Park.

Renee

2010

2010-04-01T13:35:00.002-06:00

With 70 degree days I guess the riding season is here!

The Mad FORCs Kick Off Meeting will be held this coming Monday, April 5 at the Wil-Mar Neighborhood Center's Youth Room at 7pm. Returning, new and prospective members are encouraged to attend.

Road and mountain bike rides are starting now. We'll go over the schedule at the meeting and I hope to get the website updated soon.

Renee

Mad FORCs host the Dirt Retreat with Alison Dunlap

2009-07-10T20:10:00.003-06:00

An excellent weekend of mountain biking was had by all who

attended the Mad FORCs Dirt Retreat June 27th & 28th in Madison. The weather cooperated beautifully for Alison Dunlap who was one of the many talented instructors teaching mountain biking skills and techniques benefiting every level of rider from beginner to elite racer. Of course this awesome event wouldn't have been possible without the help from our many sponsors, listed to the right, Alison, Instructors and Dirt Retreat attendees. THANK YOU Sponsors for keeping all of us (students, moms, professionals, teachers, doctors, musicians, scientists, engineers) riding !

CAMBA Festival of the Trails

2009-06-24T12:53:00.003-06:00

Renee C, Renee V, Pam and Carolyn all made their way "up north" to enjoy the first Festival of the Trails on the CAMBA trails. Good times were had by all . . . with food, schwag, and excellent singletrack!

Renee C. after getting drenched at the end of her ride on the Rock Lake trail. And yes it rained really hard!

Pam rocking the Hatchery Creek trails.

Carolyn enjoying some tasty food during the "Taste of the Trails" part of the weekend.

12 Hours of Northern Kettles

2009-05-27T07:38:00.002-06:00

Some pics stolen from Brittany from the 2nd WEMS race, 12 Hours of Northern Kettles. Kathy, Berlie and Barb did a 12-Hour Women's team and Amelia rocked the 3-hour solo. Nice job gals!

Kathy

Barb

Amelia

Photos of our Middle School Ride

2009-05-07T11:18:00.004-06:00

Middle School Ride

2009-05-04T12:48:00.002-06:00

Last Thursday Deb, Melissa and Renee had the opportunity to go with kids from Spring Harbor Middle School on a bike ride. Originally the plan was to go mountain biking at the Kettles but the weather did not cooperate and the trails were closed that day. However, since the kids were anxious to ride and they had brought bikes to school Jen, their teacher, came up with a new plan. In stead we all rode from their school around the Capitol City Trail loop for a total distance of 20 miles.

It was quite a site - 22 middle school kids and 5 adults - making their way through town and around the trail. For most of the kids 20 miles of riding was a huge deal and at times I think all the adults had doubts if everyone would make it. However, we successfully got all the kids around the loop and back to school at the appointed time and with the only injury being some skinned knees.

Let's hope we can get them out mountain biking in the future!

Watch Women Mnt Bike Racing!

2009-04-09T13:26:00.000-06:00

Know how you end up on websites you weren't really meaning to visit? This morning I stumbled upon female US Cup mnt bike racer Melanie McQuaid's website, racegirl.com. Her April 2nd entry has a video from the Fontana City, CA US Cup race.

The race starts on a nice downhill. Notice the stupe spectators at the bottom who almost get clipped. They would have deserved it too! About halfway through, they are coming off another downhill section and onto a road. Notice the black guardrail. I can't tell if it's solid or plastic, but that's a pretty scary "obstacle" to avoid coming off a downhill.

I think we so could ride that trail! I did notice much of the video showed hill climbing, and most of you know I am NOT a fan of the climb. But this year I hope to get over that. Funny thing is I love to climb on my road bike (got a new one-yay!), but not so much on the mnt bike. Maybe I need therapy to find out why.

Chequamegon Bound!

2009-03-26T11:19:00.004-06:00

I just looked in my checking account and saw that my check for the Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival has cleared! I made it in. Now I am 4 for 4. My goal this year is to do it under 3 hours and 40 minutes. The last time I did the race I completed it in 4h 10m.

Yay!!

Barb

Welcome Unwin Chiropractic and Wellness Center

2009-03-20T14:45:00.003-06:00

The Mad FORCs are pleased to announce our latest sponsor . . . Unwin Chiropractic and Wellness Center. Now everyone can feel comfortable riding and racing as hard as they want and then making a visit for an adjustment or massage. Heck, you could even just get a nice relaxing massage instead of waiting until your muscles are a knotted mess.

Here's what Renee has to say about this new sponsor - I've made several visits this winter for post-ski race massages and I can vouch for how awesome it is to have them on board. I don't think I would have made it through my ski season without Lee's massage work . . . especially post-Birkie (and 35k of skiing with a leg cramp).

Spring is in the air!

2009-03-19T12:49:00.002-06:00

Time to get this blog "rolling" again . . . we've had some nice spring days and people are out riding now. Feel free to post stories and photos!! To that end we've got our April/May ride schedule done and our kick off meeting planned. You can check it out on the FORCs website.

The Kick Off meeting is Tues, March 31 at the Wil-Mar Center on Jenifer Street here in Madison. Meeting at 7pm with treats provided. Our rides start in April with road and Cap City trail rides on the traditional Tuesday/Thursday schedule. Mountain bike rides are tentatively planned to start in May as usually the trails are dry by then. We'll be riding at Cam-Rock more this year due to the trail expansion there offering more riding options. Should be a fun year!!

Oh yeah, and Alison Dunlap is coming back for the Women's Dirt Retreat on June 27 and 28. Maybe we'll get dryer weather this year!!

Sponsors are awesome.

2008-12-19T15:18:00.002-06:00

It's not even 2009 yet and I'm already talking about 2009 sponsors . . .

Gu has come on board for 2009. Good thing because I heard a bunch of talk at the end of season party about an assault on WEMS in 2009. Plus the FORCs love 24-9 and who doesn't need some Gu then??? I've been meaning to try their Roctane so now I will (I'll feel obligated really).

Saris Cycling Group is returning as a sponsor as well. I love having local sponsors. It's cool because you know the people behind the products. Plus now they have a disc compatible power tap so fast girls (you know, like Deb) can have fun playing in the dirt and measuring their power output and geeking out over data. Fun!

Willy Bikes . . . love them. Great local shop, great people, just all around great in my opinion. What else can I say . . . . they're so awesome and they've helped me out so many times.

Horny Toad . . . because it's nice to look good too! I've got so much Horny Toad clothing that sometimes I feel like I just stepped out of the catalog. Ironically I'm wearing a sweet HT top as I write this (in a great shade of purple, of course).

Bob's Copy . . . because who doesn't need some copies from time to time. Flyers, newsletters, posters, signs. Great people. Downtown location. Brings back memories of college and picking up my course packets.

More later . . . .

Renee

Leadville and other adventures

2008-10-24T17:01:00.002-06:00

First of all, I have to say it's pretty awesome to get a hardbody award for attempting Leadville! Thanks!

I've been meaning to give you all a race report on Leadville. So here's what I did on my summer vacation:

This year my husband and I decided to do the Leadville 100 in Leadville, Colorado. Leadville is a tough race and one of the first endurance mountain bike races. The race is a 100 mile/12 hour mountain bike race ranging in elevation from around 9,300 to 12,600 feet. There is an elevation gain of about 14,000 feet.

We decided to do every WEMS race leading up to the event as training, a plan which was stymied by excessive rain washing out two of the events. (P.S. I love the Levis Trow trails! Ride them!) We were also doing a lot of training on the side, but our most serious preparation would be our two week vacation in the upper elevations of Colorado.

Altitude sickness was our biggest concern, so we laid out a demanding plan:

Hike to the top of Long's Peak, a 14er
Ride up Mount Evans, another 14er
Ride the Monarch Crest trail, which flirts with 13,000 feet
Ride Molas Pass, another trail in the 13's
Ride Crested Butte trails, up to the 11's

By the time Leadville rolled around, elevation was no problem for me!

I have to say, I've rarely been on such beautiful rides. It was the height of wildflower season in the mountains and we had several memorable rides where brightly colored wildflowers slapped our handlebars and obscured the turns on winding, cliff-edge trails. Monarch Crest was especially fun. We took a shuttle bus to the top of the trail and rode 34 miles of amazing views and fun, fast singletrack. Crested Butte was also gorgeous for its wildflowers and worthwhile for its fast, creative trails.

For me, Leadville was almost a secondary concern on this trip. I had so much fun doing everything else! However, we arrived in Leadville two days before the race to get ourselves registered and settle in. Leadville is a small town, but that weekend was flooded with cyclists.

We registered and attended the introductory meeting, which felt more like a religious revival as the announcer revved up the crowd for the upcoming race. Dave Wiens (the several-year champion) was introduced to his many adoring fans and competitors, and Lance Armstrong also made a bashful appearance.

We hadn't done much preriding, so I wasn't sure what to expect when the race started. Prior to the race we'd received dire warnings about the difficulty of the course - impossibly steep slopes, deadly ruts, etc. And that was on top of the elevation. On your own, the course wouldn't be too difficult. Crammed in with hundreds of other riders is a different story and there was much calling out of directions and riding in long lines at the beginning of the race.

Nearing Powerline descent, which received the brunt of dire warnings, things started to thin out. The ascent to powerline is a cool gravel road that runs along the back of a scenic ridge. Passing over the ridge, you begin Powerline descent. Powerline is a rutted rough double track trail...that's rutted enough to really make it more like single track. There was often only one good line through this. I made it down fine and took off down the road for the next stretch of course just as an ambulance pulled up to take away an injured rider. Powerline is considered the most dangerous part of the course.

The course then went through a series of paved and dirt roads with some double and single track. There were a couple checkpoints and aid stations and then the Columbine climb! Columbine is a big dirt road climb that winds for what seems like ages. As I started the Columbine climb - the top of which was the halfway point, I was passed by Dave Wiens (the leader and eventual winner) with Lance right on his tail!

I started nearing the top where the trees began to thin thinking, "I'm almost there!" I was wrong. It's still a couple more miles of hike-a-bike at 12,000+ feet to get to the top aid station and checkpoint.

Happily, what was a hike-a-bike up due to the huge amount of people was a quick bomb down. Riding downhill, I was able to shave enough time to make it to the checkpoint at the bottom in time. Did I mention? Due to safety concerns, Leadville has time cutoffs at some of their aid stations. If you miss the time cutoff, you get pulled from the race.

I was really pushing the time limit. I made it to the base aid station only ten minutes before the time cutoff. I joined up with a pack of other riders about my speed and we took turns drafting on the paved and dirt roads. Our pack quickly broke up at the North Face, however, which is a ridiculously steep and loose section of trail that we had to achingly tiptoe up. While I pushed it on the last section of doubletrack, I missed the last time cutoff by 15 minutes. I had ridden 74 miles of tough trail in 9 hours and 15 minutes!

Leadville was a very fun and well-organized race. Their support volunteers were fantastic. Schedule permitting, I may be open to doing this race again someday. And of course, Leadville helped for my other big (non-biking) accomplishment this year - my first marathon! After all that elevation training, I had lungs of steel.

View my photo album here: Colorado Trip Pics

End of Season Party

2008-10-23T12:02:00.003-06:00

Last night was the Mad FORCs End of Season party . . . . we ate some delicious food, drank some beer, caught up on what everyone is doing these days and plotted for next year. We also handed out our annual awards.

This year's winners are:
Hardbody Awards -
Deb Joseph for her 12 Hour Solo victory at 24-9.
Carol Hassler for giving it a go at Leadville 100.
Ridge Benedum for tackling Ironman (and fitting a 12 hour duo into her training!).

New Racer of the Year -
Gwenn Davis - Although Gwenn isn't technically brand new to racing she hasn't raced much and not in a while and this year she did a WORS and a WEMS. We hope it inspired her to come out to a few more next year!

Party Girl of the Year -
Is it really a contest? Michelle Reddington showed us all how to party by spending a lot of time and consuming a few drinks at Stop #1 at 24-9. She showed us that life at 40 can still be filled with laughs and good times!

Spirit of Mad FORCs -
Diane Nordstrom for leading almost all of the Tuesday night road rides and making sure people came out so she could whip them into shape. She also serves on the Steering Committee and is the one who keeps everything (and everyone) organized and on track.

Ladies Night

2008-07-09T21:49:00.004-06:00

Ladies Night in Photos . . .

First off a huge happy birthday to Michelle!

Michelle looking strong and making 40 look like the new 20!

Congratulations to Miss Blackhawk 2008 - Nice job Spencer! Girls dig the hippy chick look.

Who's Ben checking out . . . the runner up in Miss Blackhawk 2008 . . . Dave "always a bridesmaid" Bell

Diane likes to get the fire roaring!

The racing action:

FORCs go International

2008-06-30T05:45:00.001-06:00

There is mountain biking in Taiwan , and Kerry managed to get invited to enter a race under a local team’s banner – 2nd in the over 30’s – on a truly hideous day, on a borrowed bike.
The Forcs go global…

Kerry's looking forward to seeing everyone at 24-9 as she'll be back in the states.

Tuesday Road Rides

2008-06-25T11:44:00.002-06:00

I finally got out for my first Mad FORCs Tuesday ride last night. For those of you who haven't been on one yet all I can say is that you need to get in on the fun! This week it was Diane, Deb, Michelle R, and myself and we headed to the lovely Goodland Park and back.

Now I showed up for this ride with too few miles on the bike and legs that were tired from too much running and rollerskiing. However, it can be hard to concede that you are no longer a biker when hanging with your teammates. To that end I knew I would need to employe every trick I've learned in my days as a "roadie" to hang on to this ride.

Here's some tricks for those of you who might have few miles on the bike but a strong desire to look like you've been riding:

1. The most important thing you can do to ensure that you look like you've been putting in chamois time is to always (and I mean absolutely always) ride on Diane's wheel. The more wind the more you must never let anyone else on her wheel. Diane is taller and broader shouldered which translates to a killer draft. This works double for me as I can get an amazing draft and since I have very narrow shoulders I give a very small draft which adds to the sensation that I'm fit. This proved to be my saving grace last night!

2. Try to always be at the front of the group when you get to a hill. This serves two purposes: 1. You get to set the tempo and you can set it at a pace you can survive. 2. If someone passes you and increases the pace you can still fall off the pace and remain in the group since you are starting at the front.
*As a sidenote, if you can't be at the front at the hill then do whatever you can to make sure Deb isn't as she can set a blistering pace by slowly inching up the pace and leaving everyone in the dust. Ouch!

3. If you don't have the fitness for the hills then you better work double time on your descending skills because you're going to need them if you don't want to be feeling sad and spit out the back.

4. Keep your time at the front of the group short and sweet. Although Diane wouldn't cut me any slack in my attempts to not pull through it can be beneficial to try and time things. As mentioned taking a pull on the hill is good so you can set your own tempo. Pulling downhill with the wind at your back is also a sweet move. Taking the pull right before a stop sign and then kindly rotating to the back as you clear the intersection can be a nice move as well.

I've got a few more tricks but I think I better keep them to myself or I'll find myself at the front of the group taking a long pull into a hard wind!

Family Night at the Time Trials

2008-06-18T21:05:00.003-06:00

What an event it was! Racers, kids, dogs, people jumping off the new jumps and total craziness everywhere you looked. The grill was going and the night was action packed.

A few shots from the evening:

2008 Women's Dirt Retreat

2008-06-16T20:20:00.003-06:00

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What an amazing weekend! It was so fun to hang out with all the great gals who came as participants and as instructors. Here's some photos of the weekend.

Big Dirt Retreat News

2007-12-30T18:11:00.000-06:00

Although it is full on winter and many of us are out enjoying the snow I thought this would be a perfect time to announce that Alison Dunlap will be one of our instructors at the Dirt Retreat in 2008. This should make for a great event (our ninth). The event will be June 7 and 8. We won't have registration forms for awhile but watch our website for details.

End of Season Party!

2007-11-02T16:57:00.001-06:00

Last night was the rockin' Mad FORCs end of the season PARTY. It was a delightful potluck affair with plenty of Sobe for all as well as some good beer. In addition to the usual hanging out, socializing, drinking and eating we had our end of the year awards.

Award winners were:
Mad FORCs Crash of the Year - A shared honor between Barb L. and Shannon K. both for lovely dives off the obstacles that we had built out at Blackhawk. Barb took a dive off the tall bridge and Shannon went off the teeter totter.

Mad FORCs Climber of the Year - Gwenn D. for her love of climbing. She always wants to know if we're climbing ski hill 6 out at Blackhawk. Crazy girl!

Mad FORCs Most Improved - Kerry R who showed up at her first ride out at Quarry Ridge on her hybrid. Then she bought a mountain bike, came to the Dirt Retreat and raced on a team at 24-9. We can't wait to see what she accomplishes in her 2nd season of mountain biking!

Mad FORCs Racer of the Year - Deb J. who seems to be at every event possible - WORS, WEMS, 24-9, Ore to Shore. She is a racing maniac and is an inspiration for the rest of us.

Mad FORCs Spirit of the Club - Melissa S. who has put together many great club events this year (including this party). She also has been on tons of the rides, raced at 24-9 and Rock Cut, and generally has made a huge contribution to the club this year.

Mad FORCs embrace the mud

2007-10-15T12:20:00.001-06:00

Sue J. out for her first cross race where she took 4th in the Women's 1/2/3 race!

I think she enjoyed it!

Sue wasn't the only Mad FORC out getting dirty so a big congrats go out to all the racers . . . Gwenn, Amelia, Renee V, Shannon, and Sam were also there. Renee C. was the race director for Badger Cross and Michele was there "recovering" from an adventure race by helping with course set-up, registration, and clean up.

More 24-9 photos

2007-08-02T10:36:00.000-06:00

Event photos are online now!

Check out our sweet encampment! Next year lavender pop up tents!!! That would be SWEET.

24 Hours of Good Times

2007-07-31T09:21:00.001-06:00

There have been so many times over the last 13 years that I've been extremely proud to be a member of the Mad FORCs and I have to tell you that this last weekend was another such time.

This weekend was the 24 Hours of Nine Mile in Wausau and over the course of 24 hours there are, of course, many tales to tell so it is hard to know where to start. Here's a few things I'd like to mention that made me glad to be sporting the purple!

1. Kerry R. and Emily
They both were doing their first race. Kerry joined the FORCs earlier this summer and did her first rides on her hybrid and didn't even have a mtn bike when she said she'd be on a 12 hour team for 24-9. She bought a mtn bike and did the Dirt Retreat and now she's done her first race. Emily came to the Dirt Retreat and she must have enjoyed it as she joined the FORCs and signed up to also do the 12 hour team at 24-9. I don't think I've ever met two people with better attitudes than these two. It was awesome having them at the event as it reminded me of how great mtn biking is.

2. Our Moms
How cool is it that there have always been FORCs who are Moms that not only keep on mountain biking but also find time to do events like 24-9. This year Shannon was at the event with 6-month old Ryan who was also wearing lavender all weekend. In addition, we had Moms Amy and Melissa doing the duo. I don't have any kids myself but seeing those gals out there living life to the fullest totally inspires me!

3. Our "mature" racers
I've always been impressed by how kick butt our "mature" riders are and how they keep riding strong. While it's true that they always say that endurance increases as you get older I don't think they necessarily meant over 50. However, the FORCs "mature" members have always shown that over 50 is a prescription for keeping on riding and riding. This year it was Deb who made all of us younger gals realize that not only can you keep riding as you get older but you can set hard goals for yourself and make it happen. It always makes me feel good when the older gals kick some bootie as it gives me hope for my future riding.

4. Our "oh so pro" gals
I would be the first to tell you that racing isn't about your results. If it's only about results then you probably won't stick around the sport too long as a long racing career is bound to have ups and downs. However, over the years we've had some seriously fast FORCs. This year a group of fast gals from the Midwest banded together to try and take the 24 Hour Women's Team National title. That team had some real fire power and it included a FORC - Sue Juedes. Sue now has a beautiful stars and stripes jersey! Of course, that team also included Corie Berrigan who not only is a regular Dirt Retreat instructor but also a former FORC. Holly Liske was also on the team and she was a former Dirt Retreat attendee and current instructor. Now we just need to invite Anne Grabowski to the Dirt Retreat so she can get some FORCs mojo too (and so we can get some of her fast girl mojo)! Now I'll never be as fast as those gals so it sure is awesome living vicariously through them and rooting them on to victory. It absolutely could not have happened to a nicer bunch of gals! The guys in the woods during the night must have wondered what that blur of purple was as Sue did two back-to-back high speed laps!

5. FORCs attitude
Everyone has challenges during the course of a race whether that race is 1 hour, 2 hours, 6 hours, 12 hours or 24 hours. I don't know what everyone's challenge were but I bet there were plenty from crashes, to light problems, to tired legs, to light problems, to stomach problems to who knows what. I know I always wish I were more prepared, more driven, more something. Yet everyone kept going and we certainly seemed like a pretty upbeat group of gals. I know Kerry P. hasn't been racing as she is busy preparing for her imminent move to Taiwan. However, could there possibly be a more upbeat, fun gal who still is fast even with all she has going on??? Barb made all of us at the FORCs encampment cool necklaces that look like little chainrings which was such a cool thing to do. I wish I had a story to tell about everyone because everyone made the weekend special!

6. The Mad DORCs
No, that isn't a typo. We had a group of 4 guys with an awesome sense of humor who registered as the Mad DORCs (dirty off road carnage). Hopefully they enjoyed spending time in the encampment of a gaggle of hard racing gals. Dave and Ben are Chainsmokers, Glenn I knoww from cyclocrosser and Woody from nordic skiing. They held up well in the estrogen zone and even pulled out a 3rd in the Older than Dirt category. Dean was along to do baby duty with Shannon and Andy came with Stephanie to support her and all of us. John E showed up off and on to heckle us as well. Personally I think all the other guys at the event wanted to know how those 7 guys got so lucky to be hanging with us.

7. My 24 hour team teammates
It might just have been insane to register for the Women's National Championship category. However, you have to be a little insane to do a 24 hour race at all. Winning was a long shot at best but we made sure that no team could just coast it in without trying. This team was made up of me and 3 new FORCs. Ridge did 24-9 with us last year and then I convinced her to join the FORCs officially. Michele is an adventure racer, cyclocrosser, roadie gal who I recruited to the team this year as well. Carol showed up at the Rock Cut race on a purple bike and it was a sign that she too should be a FORC. None of us are pro racers and we were out gunned by "fast girl" teams. Out gunned maybe but definitely not out classed! I have to say it was pretty awesome racing with those gals and getting to know them better. I think we represented pretty well.

Okay, okay I guess I should stop gushing but it's hard not to go on and on about everyone and how they rocked out at 24-9. Hats off to Deb, Melissa, Amy, Kerry R, Emily, Renee V, Shannon K, Barb, Kathy, Berlie, Stephanie, Ridge, Carol, Michele , Kerry P, and Sue. The time is now to make plans for your own 24-9 adventure. Talk has already started about those who want to do solos, duos and teams of all kinds for next year.

Here some photos of the FORCs and the DORCs and a few other people too . . .

Renee C

Dirt Retreat Photos

2007-07-13T20:00:00.001-06:00

12 Hours @ Blue Mounds Race Report

2007-07-09T23:38:00.000-06:00

Hello! Sorry to have missed you all at the dirt retreat. Sounds like it went really well!

Here's my race report. I'm sorry. I'm really long-winded :)

First of all, I can't believe I hadn't ridden at Blue Mounds until Saturday's race! You all should have slapped me around and told me about these awesome trails so near to my dear new home.

Ok, I started out a little nervous and almost didn't do the race. Why? Well, I heard there were many roots and rocks. Hmm, I thought, I'm kind of used to rocks, what with the whole Southwestern US riding experience. It probably won't be that bad. Of course, the shoulder I'd dislocated in Utah had other ideas. Rocks? It said. ROCKS? ARE THERE ROCK STAIRCASES? *whimper*

Anyway...so that was one issue. I'd do anything for a couple laps, but could I take a day of tough riding? Would it be tougher than Blufflands?

Then, of course, I checked the weather. Um. 90 degrees, you say?

Then I slapped myself around a bit, whimpered to (and got berated by) my husband, and packed for the race.

I actually made it to Blue Mounds in time for the race start. I was a giant sack of nerves, as I always am the morning of a race. In this case, however, I was a bit worse than usual, on account of the grim tales I'd gleaned from the internet. In the car on the way over to the trails, I couldn't even finish my bagel, which I knew I'd regret. Still, chewing and swallowing was not working so well and I ended up just packing extra goo packs into my camelbak.

The race start seemed casual enough. We ran a silly tiny boomerang lap towards our bikes and took off. I lagged in the back. I hate messing up other people who ride behind me on the trails and I thought it was a possibility, considering the trail stories I'd heard and my not-so-great talent on the bike. I figured I had 12 hours to make up for any slow starts, anyway. (And that, my friends, is why I like the long races!)

On the first downhill, I was astonished to find my knees were actually shaking. Then the girl in front of me had to get off her bike and I suddenly relaxed and flowed down the rest of the downhill. The first downhill was certainly a promise of trails to come, with some nice rocks to go over and around. We coasted out onto a brief section of doubletrack that cut around the swimming pool and a parking lot, then plunged into singletrack.

The first section of singletrack is definitely fast and fun. We started out on the "Gneiss and Smooth" trail, which was, in fact, nice and smooth. Sure, there were scary-looking rock garden-ish type things laid out in low creeky sections of trail, but they were actually super easy and smooth to go over, and made you feel really awesome. A very fast, blessedly flat trail, with lots of fun twists and turns, it was an enjoyable start to each lap. Also making up what, to my mind, was the first half of the lap, were the Chert, Serpentine Climb (which is easier than it sounds), and Basalty Bail trails. There was a super fun downhill section somewhere in the middle of this first half...if you do it fast enough, you just loop and swerve and make wee hops all the way down the trail. The rocks on the course really, REALLY are not that bad. I was pleased to find they provided a lot of traction (at least when dry, which they were) and were usually more reliable than log piles or roots. There was a section I think in that downhill where you went over a rock, then a log/rock combo, then a log again. I cleared all three once smoothly, which makes the next section of wiggling your way down (also not really so bad) rocks really, really fun. The other times, I kept taking the wrong line on the last teeny weeny log, or was going too slow.

About halfway through the lap mileage, we came to another fairly short doubletrack section, where they had a drink stand set up. I took advantage of the Heed. Mmmm...cold Heed.

The second section of singletrack went over Basalt & Pepper and Holy Schist. Basically, the trail went all fun and loopy for a while, then took you up one painful but doable climb, then another steeper and taller walkable climb. None of the climbs were horrendous and certainly didn't take too long to walk. Once past the climbs, the trails were fun, fun, fun again. More fast, mostly level singletrack with some interesting rocks and roots thrown in. Then, the course rolled up a doubletrack hill to the finish/start area. On the subject of the doubletrack hill, on my fifth lap I was eating as I spun oh-so-slowly up that hill. I looked to my right, where a rider had been keeping pace with me, and realized that he was walking up the hill, not riding as I'd thought. Argh!

I can't say enough how fun these trails are. They're great for learning about rocks and how not-so-scary they can be. Oh, yes, they are challenging. Oh, yes, there were sections I walked every single time. But most of the time, I rode and had a blast.

Aside from the trails, this race was an experiment in eating...or rather, what not to eat. I packed a variety of cool, juicy things, like fruit, (in anticipation of the heat) but I think I needed to bring more fat and protein laden food. I also discovered that yogurt + bagel = disaster for nearly an entire lap. And I found that eating less to compensate for eating too much results in finding my personal wall that day. I didn't quite bonk as I didn't feel hungry; I was just overcome by tiredness and soreness and as a result, my last lap was about a half hour longer than my others. I definitely learned I need to eat more consistently - and that I do better on a liquid/gel/oatmeal-cream-pie diet than on "real food".

Of course, in my defense of my last lap, I did get a flat. Oh, sure, it didn't take that long to fix but, you know, excuses, excuses.

Results:
Got 3rd out of three again, though I think I'm improving a bit. At least I did the same number of laps as the 2nd place girl...and wasn't horribly far away, time-wise. I did 6 laps in 10 hours and 56 minutes, for a total of 49.2 miles. I gained 5280 ft of elevation. My cycle computer says I actually rode my bike for 9 hours and 19 minutes. I also rode the trails with great abandon, hugging trees and rocks alike, which maybe means I am becoming a little bit less of a chicken. I count around 13 new bruises, 3 scrapes, and two blisters. Not bad for a day's work!

And because I'm obviously a narcissist, in purple bike watch news:

Wow, product placement at Blue Mounds. Luckily, the picture of me is too small to see my red, red face.

Here's me looking like a turtle at Blufflands

Here's me looking kinda like a 12 year old. Hmmm.

Hope to see/meet some of you at the WORS race next weekend!

Carol

Dirt Retreat time

2007-07-05T10:20:00.000-06:00

This weekend is the annual Women's Dirt Retreat that the Mad FORCs are sponsoring for the 8th year. Check out the coverage at the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (scroll down to July 2).

Family Night Fun

2007-06-25T21:17:00.000-06:00

Some riding . . .

A little more riding . . .

Some trike riding action . . .

Lily the future super star racer . . .

Dave rollerskied over to join the festivities . . .

It was good to see everyone . . . and the food was delicious!

FORCs Family Night at Quarry Ridge MONDAY June 25

2007-06-21T19:56:00.000-06:00

With June almost over, it is time for the FORCs Family Night. Bring along your significant others for a big “Thank You” for supporting the FORCs and introduce them to the rest of the Club. Show them why we love Off Road Cycling at our local park!

We’ll have an assortment of delicious breads there along with some tasty spreads to try out, Sobe from our sponsor, and even some PB & J for the little ones! It’s a Pot-Luck so be sure to bring an item to share with the families.

Bring out the bicycles, tricycles & the training wheels for a fun evening of riding. Cones will be set up for a fun course, some 2x4’s to test your abilities and we’ll have various people leading different rides – FUN FOR ALL starting at 6:00 p.m. !!

Deb represents at Phillips

2007-06-18T10:59:00.000-06:00

Here's a shot of Deb on the podium at the Phillips WORS race . . . Amelia did great as well!

Poker Night

2007-06-15T10:31:00.000-06:00

Imagine riding the trails with map in hand looking desperately for items that have been described only as reflective. That's what a few hardy Mad FORCs did on Thursday night at Poker Ride Night.

Armed only with a map showing only the wide nordic ski trails, the chalets, bathrooms and tow ropes riders headed out looking for the spots I had marked on the map. At 6 locations I placed reflective items like a mini Yield sign, a relfective pumpkin, a bat, a spider and more. For every location that they found within about 30 minutes they received one playing card. The best hand of the night won a prize (well, the two best actually).

Funny part was that our best hand was a pair of 9s from Berlie.

Family Night at the Time Trials

2007-06-14T21:32:00.001-06:00

WEMS - John Muir

2007-06-10T16:31:00.000-06:00

Lots of FORCs out racing at the WEMS race at John Muir. We had Amelia rockin' the 6 hour solo. Barb and Amy A. did a 6 hour duo as did Kathy and Berlie. Shannon was doing the 6 hour duo (and baby exchange) with Dean. Melissa and I were doing the 3 hour solo. A great showing on an awesome day to be out on the bike.

Everyone looked great! It was awesome to have teammates to keep my motivation high for the whole 3 hours.

Highlights for me include - a guy riding behind me telling me how good my skills were (see I'm not a roadie), getting some desperately need swigs of coke from former FORC Sonia, the cheers when I came through the start/finish which kept me going, and the fact that I had a whole lot more fun that I ever realized that I would.

Thanks for the support, the camaraderie and the good times! Anyone take any photos??? We need some photos on the blog.

Renee

First Blackhawk Time Trial

2007-06-07T07:31:00.000-06:00

Wednesday was the first Blackhawk Time Trial for 2007. It wasn't the perfect night as the afternoon was rainy but 14 riders turned out to race including our own MaryAnn Knoke who was looking strong and fit.

Hopefully next week will provide a nicer night for racing as it will be the Mad FORCs sponsored Family Night with regular time trial racing, some racing for the kids and a cookout to follow. Make your plans now to attend.

A little Time Trial history - I moved to Madison in the fall of 1989 and discovered the Blackhawk Time Trials in the summer of 1990. It was being run by Erewhon back then and you had to have proof of health insurance to race. That was a problem for Dave and I so we weren't able to participate regularly. A few years later we got health insurance (and that requirement went away eventually) and the event was run by Blackhawk itself. Eventually that ended and WORBA took over. I was the vice president of WORBA back in the day and I had the pleasure of setting a lot of the courses for awhile (a bit of a challenge for someone as spatially challenged as me!). Back then mountain bike was in its hey day and attendance was capped at 60 riders and we actually got them many on a regular basis. Eventually WORBA decided they didn't want to run them and now the Chainsmokers are keeping the tradition alive. Now the racing is free but you have to be a member to race.

It's great to see this fun event continue on and I hope to see lots of you there next week!

Reforestation Camp - Sat. May 12th

2007-05-14T08:09:00.000-06:00

Heaven!

Barbara

No ticks, Tour de Dells, & Whatnot

2007-05-10T16:59:00.000-06:00

Last Thursday's club ride out at Quarry Ridge resulted in no ticks! Whew! I'd rather do a hill than deal with a tick.

The Tour de Dells started out windy and just a tad chilly to my ears, so I put on my Mad Forc beanie and was toasty and ready for the race. In short, the race was a challenge to ride the trail 3x's. There were some challenging hill climbs and lovely singletrack. Much of it was covered in pine needles, sucking the energy right out of me. But it reminded me of sections of Kettles.

On the last lap I went over a deep dip and when I came up on the other side my butt came down hard on the seat, tipping the front of the seat UP! NOT comfortable, if you know what I mean. I didn't want to take the time to adjust it back, so I had an interesting half lap.

I came across Renee V. and she filled me in on her bike woes. I completely felt for her b/c I've been there more than I'd like to remember.

I finished as hard as I could, aching lower back and all. I then headed back to the car to change my clothes and I returned to the tent to get something to eat, just in time to hear my name called as a 2nd place finisher in my age category. I rewarded myself with a brat and Dew!

Friday the 11th I will be getting a bike fit at Cronometro and hopefully my lower back issues will be a thing of the past.

I saw a cool Saris bike rack on the back of a Honda Element, and I can't wait to get mine! Traveling will be so much easier.

Barbara

Time to breathe...

2007-05-07T20:14:00.000-06:00

It's been fun reading the posts of the races. Great job ladies on all the early season racing. Rockcut was my first race of the season (um, basically my first/second real race -- my FatTire last year I guess partially counts). In previous years I would not have dreamed of considering an early seaon race -- I would shoot for the very last race of the season (uh...thanksgiving race anyone?!) and then something would have diverted me from that goal. 3-4 months is a LONG way to go to keep a goal without small milestones along the way.

So this year, what the heck. I treated it like a practice ride and I had a lot of fun -- it was a challenge for me but I was smiling at the end...I was probably laughing at myself for getting lost, I took a different turn on the remaining road piece (ambulances picking up all the broken bodies Barb mentioned were blocking the real turn), and rambled on to another picnic area and realized I had to turn around...*sigh*. I would have preferred to see a time minus 10 minutes for being a directionally challenged biker ... ;-)

This weekend at Tour De Dells was not so fun, not much of a smile at the end of the ride -- I flatted and had some nasty chain problems. Then I am standing there, go into my pack for a tool, only to find no tool and my Blackberry with a cracked screen. There's a good move, leave the tool in the bike bag, bring a delicate piece of electronic equipment in your pack. And I wracked my right knee somehow (sports massage therapist tonite may have fixed it). I was a bit of a mess Saturday I think, I had that looming feeling when I woke up that this was not my race day. So a big DNF for me. I broke my cardinal rule - always smile at the end of the trail - lesson learned I guess as to how to manage a disappointing race.

I was happy we had a MadFORC on the podium though -- great job Barb!

I am overwhlemed at work, and not getting my head in the right place enough so I am taking some weeks off before racing again. Pre-race anxiety the week before the race seems to be scattering my brain. In the meantime, MadFORC Thursday training, on the road training...see everyone on the trails!

Renee V.

Roots, sand, and a whole lot of fun

2007-05-07T11:57:00.000-06:00

WORS kicked off in fine form this weekend! The weather was perfect for riding hard, the course flowed well, and I somehow managed to hang with the competition.

I had never raced the Iola course, and wasn't able to preride due to work commitments here in Madison. Add to that the fact that I had not yet been on the mountain bike this year (and I am not a very experienced single-track rider!), and you might begin to catch a glimpse of my pre-race nerves. I found Chris Strout from the Pony Shop team and got a quick rundown of the course about 20 minutes before the start, nervously lined up and glanced around for the reassuring purple jerseys worn by teammates I didn't know, and tried to relax while chatting with another very nervous rider at the start line.

The course was fairly open for the first half, with all the major climbs inside the first 4k of the 10k loop. (my markers for judging distance are what I assume were the kilometer markers for the trail run. Any racers who feel like correcting my errors are quite welcome to do so!) Climbs were steep and often a little bit loose. Just enough so that I would lose traction if I stood up to climb. Not remembering how to climb those slopes, I spun out on one climb fairly early in the first lap and managed to step off right in front of an oncoming rider. Sorry!! A couple of the other climbs had roots across the course, and it took me a couple of laps to remember how to ride over those properly, too.

The second half of the lap was winding singletrack with short open sections fairly regularly spaced, so passing racers could get by relatively easily. A few unexpected sandy sections and some loose downhill switchbacks made the first lap a little more interesting than I would have liked, but somehow I cleared most of it having never seen it before.

Laps 2 and 3 were much smoother for me, as I settled into the rhythm of the course. My legs felt great on the climbs, other than those sections I mis-judged and grabbed the wrong gear for. I could make up places on most of the climbs, though riders caught back up to me in the singletrack. I played leap-frog with a few riders around me, and was glad to have the competition to motivate me to keep going hard. It always helps to have that little extra bit of motivation, and I managed to pull around a couple of women when one of them bobbled at about 3k to go, holding my advantage until the finish. I came in not too far behind two FORCs, Deb and Kerry, who stopped at the end of the finishing shoot to share some oranges and introductions. Great rides ladies! My apologies to Kathy, whose name I see in the Sport results, but whom I don't know if I talked to.

I ended up third (of three) finishers in my age category, so I even got a medal for my efforts!

Thanks so much to everyone who cheered me on. Thanks especially to those who recognized the purple jersey though not the face. I'm proud to be part of such a supportive and fantastic team.

Shannon H.

Crazylegs and Rock Cut Race Report

2007-05-01T07:02:00.000-06:00

The weekend was a whirlwind for sure! Crazylegs Saturday was a killer for me, even after all the training I did. After the race I stopped at the new Erik's Bike Store on the East side just to see what they had in stock for mnt bikes (to replace the one I broke last fall). I ended up buying a Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Comp - isn't she a beaut? It matches my helmet too ;-) .

Sunday I was up at 5:30 to get ready to meet fellow Mad FORC racers Kathy, Berlie and Amy A., at 7 to go to Rock Cut State Park and ride the "Do the Rock Cut" Mnt Bike Race. Seven of our mnt bike club members showed up to represent! Four of us did the 10 mile race (Melissa S., Me, Berlie, & Renee V.) and 3 did the 20 (Renee C., Kathy & Amy A.).

Somehow I eneded up finishing first in my age category (18-39) and 3rd overall out of all the women...so I got a cool handmade trophy and a medal. Melissa won second place in the same age cat, and Berlie got 3rd in the 40+ age cat. What a great start of the season! I have to be honest and share that if there wasn't that one confusing part of the trail, Melissa would have been first by at least 5 minutes. She left only her tire rubber at the start and we never saw her again!

We had some medical excitement too. On the 10 mile race one guy fell and broke his knee. We had an ambulance for that. I heard another guy fell and banged his head pretty good. And shortly after the start, a guy's bike frame broke! Eeeesh! But he was okay. I saw him walking back to the start, probably mad as heck.

There was also a woman hiker/walker who fell and smashed her elbow pretty bad. I think she needed an ambulance for that. I heard sirens several times throughout the morning, but only saw the one to take the 'smashed up knee guy' to the hospital.

The thing about holding a race at a state park is they don't close the trails to the public (it's against the rules)...so we have to be extra careful when we come upon non-racers. The woman who fell and got hurt did it of her own accord though. As far as I know a racer had nothing to do with it. I came upon several hikers and a few bikers myself.

It was terribly fun and I'm glad I decided to go and tag along with my buddies. We had some nice-sized log piles, very shallow stream crossings and a little bit of everything else (mud puddles, thick mud, grass, pine needles, large white stones, sand). All of that was great as I was testing out the new mnt bike, and I have no complaints. I just have to figure out why my feet get numb, and I'm good to go!

Barbara

Kick-Off Mountain Bike Ride @ Quarry

2007-04-30T20:08:00.000-06:00

This Thursday, May 3 Mad FORCs

Kick-Off Mountain Bike Ride at Quarry Ridge in Fitchburg!

5:45 Free bike adjustment from our sponsor, Willy Street Bikes
6:00 Rides! Explore the local single track led by Renee C.
7:00 Potluck - Bring your favorite dish to pass. FORCs are proving sandwich fixings!

Don't forget: Your Pro-Deal forms!!

Good times at Rock Cut

2007-04-29T18:15:00.000-06:00

Seven Mad FORCs made the trip to Rockford for the Rock Cut race - Berlie, Melissa, Kathy, Barb, Amy A. , Renee V and myself. And we recruited one new member while we were there. Carol just moved to Madison, she has a purple bike and is a big fan of purple . . . it must have been fate. Hopefully she'll be able to make it to the ride and social on Thursday so everyone can meet her.

.

Awaiting the start . . . Melissa doing her first race (well, except her times doing 24-9)

Renee V. ready for her first mountain bike race.

And they're off!

Here's my thoughts on the race . . .

Wow, 20 miles is a long way in April. I haven't been doing any mtn bike racing for a while now and I really can't remember the last time I raced for 2 hours. It really makes me appreciate cyclocross and racing for only 50-60 minutes!

On the upside I did better than I expected. I was really fading by the end especially given that the last part of the course has lots of climbing and I could feel myself struggling to keep up a good pace. Luckily I was sandwiched in between Carol and a Team Pedal Morraine rider which gave me a lot of motivation to keep going as hard as I was able. All of us went back and forth a bit but Carol got out a head and all I could do was keep her in my sites but not catch her. The Team Pedal Morraine rider was really strong on the uphills but I was able to keep her working by getting little gaps on the downhills and technical sections. In the end she laid down a ferocious sprint on the finishing climb and I was too gassed to respond. Unfortunately for her she missed the finishing chute. I felt bad for her (really!).

I'm glad I got out and did the race and it was nice to be at the race with everyone. Who knows maybe I'll get out to another race again!

Renee C.

...Or not...

2007-04-19T10:24:00.000-06:00

… I definitely did NOT suck wheel well enough for Tuesday’s ride. I got my butt handed to me on my Monday ride with a few members of my husband’s team as we headed for some hills, and of course feeling tired on Tuesday, had it handed to me again. Luckily there were a few of us willing to do some “alternate” riding and broke off a little – I certainly don’t like holding up those at the front of the pack – you deserve to go fast! Of course, you have to laugh, in biker style, Tuesday’s night ride was described as a few “rolling hills” and my current definition at this fitness level is a little ways off from what a “few rolling hills” should be. *Sigh*, so much practice to get in, so little time. In the words of poet Robert Frost – “Miles to ride before I sleep…” (I think he must have done 24-9!).

Renée V., still trying to catch a wheel

The fine art of sucking wheel

2007-04-11T13:24:00.000-06:00

Wow, great previous blog by Renee! I agree with everything she said, especially the parts about sucking wheel and holding on for dear life...

While I did have the awesome opportunity of spending last week riding my bike in North Carolina, I haven't really done that much riding this spring so I didn't really know what to expect on this ride. In the end, I was able to survive and (mostly) hang with the fast girls, but only through the use of roadie skills, including pacelining and drafting (also known as the fine art of sucking wheel). So, while mountain biking is far superior to road riding, the skills and tactics do come in handy :)

All I have to say to all the expert level women out there is watch out for Renee and Jen. They are some fast ladies! While barreling down Seminole, I happened to glance down at my computer and realized that Jen was pulling us straight into a headwind at over 21 mph!

Ironically, my computer gave an average of 15.9 mph for the ride which was technically within the advertised range but it sure felt a lot faster than that.

Enjoy the blizzard of Spring '07!
- Amelia

Ride while the weather is good

2007-04-11T11:35:00.000-06:00

With the forecast for wet weather we decided to go ahead and ride as it looked like the snow wouldn't hit until late in the night. Luckily we were right and it turned out to be a really good night for riding. Seven of us turned out for the ride . . . Diane, Kathy, Berlie, Renee B., Jen, Amelia and myself. Obviously this was a diverse group fitness-wise as we had the expert level gals, the sport racer gals, the citizen racers and a couple of washed-up former mtn bike racers (you can guess who is who in that list).

All was going well in the ride until Kathy, Berlie and Diane announced that they were going for a shortened ride and the rest of us should go on without them to Paoli. I attempted to look non-chalant and hopefully I hid my look of utter horror at this pronouncement. This meant I was left with 3 racers who were ramping up for the season to start soon and two of them were expert racers and one had just done spring break in NC. YIKES! This was not going to be the ride I had planned when I said I would be the Tuesday night ride leader.

At this point all good sense left my head and instead of joining Kathy, Berlie and Diane I set off with Amelia, Renee B and Jen. Now it's not that I haven't ridden at all. Like many of you I was inspired by the March weather to start riding earlier than I do normally. However, I've been out on the bike for no more than 10 rides and most all of them were of the type where your heart rate is in the recovery zone and the ride is less than 1.5 hours. Given that I don't really race until October I like to ease slowly into the season.

However, due to an all to common lack of common sense I headed off to Paoli. I immediately decided to use the common roadie tactic of going to the front of the group to try and dictate the pace as much as possible. This is a good tactic to try and at least moderate the pace to a survival level and I felt that this produced fairly good results into Paoli. Unfortunately as anyone who has ever done a group ride to Paoli knows the trouble never really starts until you head back out of town.

This ride was no different. I'm not much of a hill climber so I knew the double hills on the way back to Madison would likely be a problem. I tried to stay on the front and keep the pace down. I even did the popular roadie aero tuck on the way down the first hill to keep good momentum for the second hill to conserve my limited energy. However, in the end my lack of climbing strength was my demise as I chased the other three desperately trying to keep from being so far off the back they thought I had gotten lost.

However, the fun did not end on the hills and when we rounded the turn into Verona's subdivisions the pace was cranked up. At this point Amelia and I both lost contact with Renee B and Jen. Of course, we weren't particularly surprised by this turn of events since we did see it coming. At this point we relied on our roadie backgrounds and began working together to limit the damage. I wouldn't say we were gaining ground but we stabilized the gap. I was sucking Amelia's wheel in total desperation at this point and with a stiff headwind there was no way I was going to let even a slim gap open up. We each took turns pulling (although I will admit that I sometimes wasn't too quick to pull through) and eventually the speedy expert racer gals slowed up for us.

Amelia and I then glued ourselves to their wheels in hope of making it back to Madison with them. It was all going fairly well on Whalen until we hit Seminole . . . another hot spot for lifting the pace and seeing who can hang on. Well, Amelia and I were hanging on tight but it wasn't easy as we had snot plastered all over our face as we cranked it up one more time headed back to town. The legs were screaming but once again common sense evaded me and I just buried myself to try and keep the wheel in front of me. Relief for me was the stop light at Seminole and PD giving us a red so that we had to stop and I could recover for a minute.

The downhill section after that was pure relief and then it's the annoying hill up Seminole and then the fast plunge into the arboretum. Luckily I ride that section a million times a year and so I know that by that time of night traffic is low and you can take the whole lane to fly down the hill and make the turn into the Arboretum.

We finally reached the Arb bridge but along the way we had a couple of surprise encounters with deer. Unfortunately right at the bridge one had the bad sense to run down the wrong side of the creek, then veer into traffic and almost get hit. Renee B. was determined to wrangle it back to where it was safer but herding deer is too much like herding cats.

So the first official FORCs road training ride for 2007 is in the books . . . hope to see more of you next week.

Renee C.

Lily is Blue

2007-04-06T11:07:00.000-06:00

Well I finally got my check back (uncashed unfortunately) from FatTire. It was not in the stars to be selected for the lottery this year. Lily Blue (my bike) and I are rather sad...it's such a fun race. Hopefully some of the MadFORCs will be at the race having a great time for all of us!

Team Bike Fit

2007-03-23T13:10:00.000-06:00

A huge thanks to Tad from Body Scanning for coming to Madison and doing bike fits for the Mad FORCs! It was a great experience for the team and was a great way to get ready for the upcoming mountain bike season.

It was also a pretty cool process since it is incredibly fast since the process is computerized. No more invasive tape measures. Instead lasers do all the measuring and you get a great computer print out when you are done so you can use it in the future. If you need a bike fit look for a place that has Body Scanning!

Renee

Who's up for an early season race?

2007-03-16T14:45:00.000-06:00

Is anybody else interested in doing the Rock Cut Enduro down in Rockford, IL on April 29th? It's supposed to be a great set of trails and they have three distances ranging from 10-37 miles.

More info and registration info can be found at: http://www.rctrailcrew.org/

I am (tentatively) planning on going down Saturday night and either camping for staying with relatives. Let me know if you're interested!

- Amelia

An ode to the Spring Ride

2007-03-13T19:03:00.000-06:00

Nothing can quite be compared with the spring ride
Except for perhaps the fall ride
but alas I digress

The long dark days are slowly fading away
Time is now on your side as week night rides are no longer done in the dark
The sun is out to warm the long covered skin

But winter is not far from our minds
Piles of snow remind you of winter days past
A frozen lake glistens in the sun

Yet the day calls for shorts and you leave your arm warmers in the jersey pocket
The air warms your skin and you can't help but think of the hot days to come
But snow drifts linger in the shade to keep you cool as you pass by
What could be more perfect

What could be more perfect
Tires hum on the pavement
Lingering salt on the road glistens like glass
Dirt and debris line the road edges
But on a day like this it doesn't matter

Voices of riding companions flow through the air
Everyone excited to be back on the bike
Some for the first time, others off the trainers or out of the gym

It's hard not to love cycling on a day such as this

2007 Sponsors

2007-02-28T09:18:00.000-06:00

The Mad FORCs are pleased to announce the club's 2007 sponsors. Without their support the Mad FORCs would not be the great club that it is. We love these companies and we'd love it if you'd patronize them too.

Williamson Bicycle and Fitness continues it support of the Mad FORCs offering all the help a club could hope for to support members from beginner on up to advanced riders. Willy Bikes, as it's commonly known, is the premier bicycle shop in Madison, WI. With locations on East and West Washington Avenues there is a shop close by staffed by knowledgeable and friendly people just waiting to help you out.

Another long term sponsor, Planet Bike, returns again for 2007. Planet Bike produces great bicycle accessories from lights powerful enough for 24 hour racing to fenders to keep your ride dry and comfortable. The FORCs are excited to continue our relationship with a company as dedicated to advocacy as Planet Bike. We appreciate the support they give the club and all of cycling.

As anyone who mountain bike knows you get a little thirsty out on the dusty, hot trail. That is why the Mad FORCs are excited that Sobe continues to sponsor the team. There's nothing quite as nice as returning from a club ride to a cooler full of Sobe waiting to quench your thirst.

As everyone knows half the battle is looking good (and the other half is showing up for the ride or race). To ensure that the FORCs can win the style competition Madison's coolest outdoor clothing boutique, A Stone's Throw, continues to keep us looking fashionable yet ready for the outdoors.

However, sometimes a girl needs a little extra help in the fashion category. Luckily for 2007 Horny Toad is there to help. With a line of casual and fun clothing you can't go wrong choosing Horny Toad for the office or for around the camp fire. We're excited to add Horny Toad as a sponsor. If you'd like to check out their clothes stop in to A Stone's Throw. I bet you won't leave without something!

Mountain bikers get hungry and sometimes we all like to get together over pizza and talk about our last ride, our upcoming race or who has what new lightweight bike part. Thanks to long time sponsor Rocky Rococo we can hang out over pizza, pasta, breadsticks, salad and a pitcher of beer (or soda).

If you got a FORCs newsletter or postcard, saw our flyer, or picked up a brochure then you can see the great support the club receives from Bob's Copy Shop. If you went to UW Madison then you've probably been into Bob's Copy Shop a million times but you don't have to be in college to enjoy the fast, high quality service at Bob's Copy Shop.

Obviously the FORCs love to have a good time but that doesn't mean we don't have women who are serious about their training. Thanks to new sponsor Saris the FORCs will have access to the right tools for the job. Look for FORCs using the smoothest trainers on the market for warming up at races and for training inside during blizzards. In addition, watch out for FORCs using the best power training tool on the market, the PowerTap. There is no doubt that this season we'll be the ones training the smartest, riding the hardest and still laughing the most.

The Mad FORCs would like to thank all of our sponsors. We're looking forward to an amazing 2007 season!

Went for a run and realized I'm not a runner

2007-02-23T15:33:00.000-06:00

Well, the snow is melting and I have obligations that take me away from the weekend's ski race -- the Birkie (well, the Birkie isn't really a race this year anyway due to a lack of snow) so I went out for a couple of little jogs this week. I haven't really been running at all this winter because of the great snow so it felt a little rough. On Wednesday I got to run along Lake Michigan as I was at my sister's house in Two Rivers. It was cool seeing the waves frozen in place. The weather forecast seems to be offering the promise of more snow so maybe I'll get some more skiing in before I transition to biking. And yes, I do realize that is a sacrilegious statement on a bicycle blog!! However, my last bike race was in mid-December so I don't feel any rush for winter to be over.

Renee

Race Team Meeting

2007-02-19T14:22:00.001-06:00

The Mad FORCs race team will be meeting on Thursday, March 1 at 7pm at ZuZu Cafe (on Drake St across from the zoo). All current and potential members are encouraged to come and help us plan for the season. On the agenda for the evening will be a discussion of training rides, seminars/ways to work with Angie Sturtevant, new sponsors, 24-9 and more!

Time to get back to training.

2007-02-14T21:21:00.000-06:00

My first Blog post ever and I'm thrilled it's for my all-female mountain bike team!

I started training in October and then fell off during the month of December, due to work and the holidays. I blame work for missing January, but I can't blame anything or anyone anymore! I'm feeling excited about getting back to taking spinning classes and weight training.

Another great motivator is I'm getting a new mountain bike to replace the one I ran into the parking structure at The Great Dane-Fitchburg. My first place choice is a Giant Anthem 1. It's a dual-suspension bike, so I hope to adapt quickly. I'm also turning 40 this summer, so I think a new bike is a great way to celebrate.

Barbara

I rode my bike today!

2007-02-09T15:08:00.000-06:00

In the winter I'm not one of those dedicated bike racer gals like many of my teammates who rides their trainer or gets out to do base miles. I like to ski and play in the snow and so I don't do any bike-related training. However, I don't put the bike away completely and continue bike commuting to work. I've been traveling around the state since the coldest spell hit so I haven't been out biking. Today I was back in Madison so I found all my bike commuter gear and pedaled to work. The bank sign said it had "warmed up" and was now only -1. It actually didn't feel that cold although I really needed to have a layer under my tights . . . next week I'll wear either my Craft boxer briefs or some bike shorts if it is still that cold out in the morning.

Renee

Mad FORCs Race Team Blog

2007-02-02T21:59:00.001-06:00

The Mad FORCs are going to give blogging a try as a way to keep everyone informed on our race season. Check back for more info!