Finally!

     A great ride tonight!  Completely in the dark, no one lost their lights and we did over 2 hours.  Too bad Jim couldn't hang around and enjoy Ali's cooking.  However, we will let it slide since he did bring a pizza last ride.
     Thanks to Ali for cooking up an awesome spread.  Not sure what is going on with beer, who is up, if there will be another ride, etc.

What a Crappy Season!

   I cannot remember a worse season!  Have we ridden one night where the ground hasn't been wet?  I think I am going to call it a year for me.  Unless of course it is 70 degrees and dry one night.  See you spinning.

Watch Out For Deer

1 Flat Tire, 6 Riders.... 20 Minute repair !?!

Well it was a gorgeous night for a ride, a rare October day in the low 70s.  Only 6 riders showed up for a ride that took us through the usual trails, most had lights as it is getting dark early.

We're halfway through Morton Jim says he thinks he's getting a flat...  he rides it out for a bit but is forced to stop to change a tube.  Two tubes and 20 minutes later, the repair was finally made after everyone got in and gave Jim a hand.  At one point Jim and Ali were utilizing their greatest skill - a quick jerking motion to attempt to inflate the tire with a manual pump.  Good thing they get so much practice as they were able to get the tire good and hard!
We then did one lap at Malden of the race course and called it a night.

Also after teasing the gang with a potential barbecue Ali decided to wait until the rest of you slackers show up so everyone can benefit, possibly next week.  Thanks to Jim who ran out to Capri and spoiled the gang with pizza following the ride as everyone was hungry.  Also thanks to Dave for providing his long overdue case of beer.

Up next for beers is Ian, Rob then Matt.  Ian please let us know if you can attend, and if not drop it off at Ali's if possible through the week.

We will also have to discuss when to push the rides back to 6:30 and do a full ride in the dark.  One more week at 6?  Lets figure it out guys.

The Unofficial Ride

Last night Mark, Ian and myself headed to the trails in spite of the earlier rainy conditions. On the first climb we found a lonely Jim searching for riding companions. It was wet and muddy but ended up being a great night for a ride. The temperature was nice and cool and I got a chance to try out my new light (surely to keep me high in the attendance ranks this year). It was a great ride finished off with a cool beer and a bike cleaning party at Mark's.

The Tribe has Spoken.......

It was a brisk and muddy evening, but a majority of riders had a solid ride. Morton was slick and Malden was clean and cut. Overall a nice evening was had, until ............our mouths became drier than a fiddler's fart.

After a couple weeks of deliberating a group decision has been made regarding the "Great Beer Debacle of 2011". The CRC has ruled that a rider who does not supply his bevies after a week of notice (without some chance of providing) will be deducted a point for ever week that the beer is not supplied. This may sound harsh, but rules are rules and a majority decided.

This is a dark day, and hopefully this will set a tone for the future.

The tribe has spoken.

Ps. Who is bringing the beer next week?

Dave is still up for beer, then Ian, then Rob.   For the love of God figure it out amongst yourselves and someone man-up and bring some freakin' beer next week!

Otherwise a good ride. Cya next week.

What a Day!

     Well, it was good and it was bad.  We did our best to make CRC proud but in the end it just wasn't to be.  Due to a late start, too many stops and my bum knee, we missed the cutoff by 15 minutes.  We weren't allowed to continue with a chip timer so we took a shortcut and cut out 30 km of the course and then got back on (hehehehehe).  We made some amateur mistakes that we definately learned from and won't repeat.
        Of course we had the usual shenanigans that made the weekend fun, a great Sam Roberts concert, an embro cream in the wrong place incident, and thanks to Rudy for being a great host.  All in all it was an amazing event and one that is going on the calendar in the future.  All told there were 3,000 cyclists.  However, in our group there was 1,000.  It was amazing to see that many cyclists on the road with a helicopter overhead (it is supposed to be on TSN in the fall) and the support was amazing with road closures, SAG support, police at every intersection and tons of people out cheering and cowbelling.  The course was really tough as expected with 5 major (and I mean major) climbs.  Some of the stats:

The winner- 4:27 (average speed 37.7 kph)
Feet climbed- 4774
Max downhill speed- 76 kph (Rob) grade 22.5%
Max uphill grade- 17%
Our distance- 137 km in 5:30

The next event is in Niagara Falls July 16-18 which we are planning on attending.

Wheres the Beer...? Part 2

After a glorious day of sunshine and cool temps in the 60s the showers decided to show up exactly at 6pm on Wednesday.  3 dedicated riders went for a short (yet point-qualifying) ride while others went for a road ride to Belle River and back.  It was another bad night for riding, 2011 is turning into a disappointing riding season after 2010 was record setting.

The gang headed to Smitty's to feast on Roxanne's delicious spread of ribs, chili and salad.  Thanks again Smitty we look forward to this every year.  The topic of the night once again was the lack of alcoholic beverages as Dave couldn't show up on his beer night.  Luckily, Smitty cracked out his secret stache and we were able to have some beers.  But unfortunately for Dave.... he is subject to article 6.4 as noted on the Constitution Page:

6.4 if you forget your beer turn, you are required to bring beer for two (2) weeks in a row

Dave, this could be up for discussion if you were willing to spoil us with some high end "premium" beer one week as opposed to the usual Coors Light!

Attendence is updated, and Dave is next for beers of course. 

 

Michigan game in just over a week, guys lets make a list this coming Wednesday of everything we need to tail-gate in style.   We'll need a small BBQ, a table, propane, a bean bag toss game.... The rest we will get there - Burgers, Beer, Boobies, etc...

Back to School!

Well 11 of us got out for a good ride on a nice night. We did about 24k through Morton and Malden. Some of the guys say the northern part of Morton is very rideable, perhaps we can all make it through those trails as a group one of these weeks. Jacques had us over once again to toast some Moosehead and Coronas to the poor teachers that are back to work after their usual lazy summer off. (Rough life!)

As per usual after Labour day weekend we move the rides up to 6pm as its getting too dark. This doesn't mean showing up at 6pm, Tires on the road by 6 !! Get your light systems together, night riding is only a month or so away.

Rod is up for beer next.... Are you still riding Rod? If not, Dave please be ready you would be after.

Collingwood Centurion

      I have registered a team in this event (Collingwood Centurion) for the weekend of September 17,18th.  I rode up there this week and all I can say is it is some of the most enjoyable road riding I have ever done.  Here is the ride.  Quiet roads, lots of challenging hills and some great 70 km/hr descents.  So far, Rob, Ali, Rudy (not a CRC member but he rode with us on the road) and I are participating.  To participate as a "team" we need one more person.  It is set up like a Gran Fondo.  It is fully supported , with rest stops every 25 km. It can be raced, or just ridden.  They are closing the roads and anticipating 3,000 people.  There are 3 days worth of events, but we only plan on doing the last day, but will likely head up Saturday morning and believe we have a place to stay right at the mountain.  Here is the video from last year's ride.  We plan on riding this together.  If you are interested, let me know.  If you want to join, the team is Chain Reaction Cycling.  Go to the website and click register and select our team from the dropdown menu.

Where's the beer ???

Attendance is updated after 7 guys took to the trails this week..... A fairly uneventful ride that ended at Jacques place for a quick dip in the pool and sausage from the grill. We barely got the ride in before the rain came..... was that the tornado they were calling for all day? A very very hot and humid night for a ride where we did 24K, map from my iPhone above.. click the picture for full screen.

Mark gets credit for his beer night as he supplied beverages and food. Jim is still up next for beer then Smitty. Can you guys please let us know so we can actually have beer next week? Again, thanks for hosting Mark on zero notice.

Mark was also out for the first ride on his new Rocky Mountain hardtail. Someone remind me to get a picture next week....

24 Wheels, 24 Beers and 2 Queers

You can always tell when summer is starting to wind down. It starts getting darker earlier. The CornFest is just around the corner. Back to school adds all over the place.... and of course, attendance on Wednesday nights starts to improve! We had 12 riders this week for a change after a few pathetic weeks of poor attendance.

The CRC gang did the usual ride through dryer trails this week at Morton then on to Malden for a few laps. The night was relatively average until the gang decided to do one last ride through the bottom singletrack of Malden. After gathering some data here's what I put together: Jay went one way, Ali went the other way..... the trail joined back up. (Who would have thought? LOL)

Apparently there was a collision where the bikes rubbed, one guys tire got stuck in the other guys crank... the tube poppped... after which there was some yelling and a near slap-fest. Wow does that sound gay! Guys, if I wanted to see 2 queers grappling in spandex I'll just stick to UFC.

Thanks to Jason Lamb for returning to provide a lovely selection of beer. Jim is next for beers, then Smitty.

Bye bye Gary Fisher. Hello new Trek!

Well, after 5 or 6 weeks of waiting, hopefully my new frame...or should I say bike...will come next week. Yep, that's right. I have spoken to the warranty gurus and after repeated backorders of the frame they were going to send me, they have decided to ship me out a new bike. Hopefully all goes better than the last time I heard they were sending me something.

Wednesday in Vegas

Sounds like you had a good ride Wednesday just thought I would throw out a couple pics of my Wednesday night.

My wait staff, about the same service as at Ali's.

A lovely cool summer night!

The weather was perfect this week for a ride, a nice cool dry night. 7 guys got out for a ride and barely broke a sweat through the greasy Morton singletrack then on to Malden for a few laps. Thanks to Mark for hosting again on short notice, and Craig provided beer.

Next up for beer is Jim, if you can't attend please let us know, it would then skip to Jay Lamb, then Smitty.

FYI, Michigan / San Diego State is only 6 weeks away... I can already hear the fight song and see the lovely students through my foggy drunken vision! What did Jay say again? Oh yeah, "Hot girls go to shitty schools."

Just a little something

To my CRC mates.........a little picture of a Spanish lolita. Forgot to post it earlier, and Ali keep it on your spank bank file.

Good ride.... Better Beer!

Summer is here and everyone is on vacation. Only 6 riders tonight, 4 rode Malden, the other 2 did road rides.

Too bad for those that didn't show as they missed out on the Heineken!

Next up for beers is Craig then it goes back to the top of the list: Jim then Jay Lamb. If you are able to attend next week Craig, please let us know if possible...

Also note Ali said he is unavailable to host next week.

Can anyone else host?

Good ride in the rain

This ride got off to a late start. What was that phrase I heard a while back? Tires on the road by 6:30? On this Wednesday the CRC didn't actually leave Ali's until 6:55. Some had bike issues...others running a bit late... but Jim takes the cake as he showed up late, then rode out wearing a button down shirt! Hilarious. Lucky for him Ali went back into his house and came out with a selection of cycling tops for Jim to pick from.

Once the ride finally got going, the gang hit the usual spots, Morton then Malden in a lovely misty rain to cool us off on a humid night. The CRC had 11 dedicated members show up, with all 4 teachers missing in action. Coincidence? You make your own call! Liam provided the beers and all in all it was a great night.

We had a quick chat, and Saturday September 24th has officially been confirmed as this year's Michigan game..... get ready for a good time, its time to go support the maize and blue!

Next week's beer date would be Craig.. but since he is off gallivanting in the east coast it skips to Jeremy, then back to the top of the order, Jim.

Group ride....... Almost!

The heatwave continues. On a day where the heat reached 91 degrees, 8 CRC members set out for a ride at the usual time with temps still in the upper 80s. The goal of the ride: to keep hydrated, and keep the group together after the last few weeks of disorganized riding. Well, that didn't last long as not even halfway through Morton we lose Rob. The group turned back to find him but he was busy taking shortcuts to the end. We found him later at Malden with Smitty.

Mr heat made his presence felt, but let Jay off with a mere warning.... aka the headache but no vomiting. Congrats Jay for telling him where to go.

The ride ended with a lovely dip in Mark's pool to cool off after a hard ride in the heat. Matt provided a full spread of burgers and all the fixings..... thanks again boys.

Next up for beer is Liam then Craig, but I think he's out of town so it would skip to Jeremy.

Attendance

     

Muddy Buddy Champs (again)

CRC Racing took on the Muddy Buddy yesterday in Stoney Creek, Mi. The reigning age group champs defended their title by a whopping 10 minutes. Overall we finished 11th out of 690 teams. More importantly we will share the details of the revealing costumes adorned by some of the female racers on Wednesday. A great day, next year maybe some more CRC members will come out for the experience.

Close Call

      Well, let this be a lesson to all.  One unfortunate CRC member who has a long history of not checking his email (no, not Jim H), failed to realize that it was his turn for beer.  After the ride he had to quickly scramble to pick up the beer.  Because he knew he was under the gun, he must have rushed at the beer store because he inadvertently (I am sure) picked up a "non-premium" beer.  The only person who actually appreciated this oversight was Scotty.  Go figure.
      To put things in perspective, at this time last year we had 14 rides in.  This was our 7th.  Tough ride tonight with the heat.  Mark's pool never felt better after a ride.  And with Scott's second appearance this season, he has now doubled Russ and Jim's combined attendance for the last 10 years.  Well done Scott!

beer schedule

     One of the items discussed on the agenda was the date for the Michigan football game.  I will post a poll on the blog.  Second place date will become our backup date.
     Attached is the beer schedule.  Matt, Jay, Liam are up next.  Hopefully they will read their email.

... and the summer is officially here!

     Now that the teachers are done school that is.  That means no more Ali 10:00 curfew!  As for the ride..... what a bunch of wimps!  I am sipping pina coladas up north on a deck, it's too hot (Jay), I have dinner plans, my son's graduation.  Well at least 6 of us showed up.  Morton is rideable if you don't mind being whipped by overgrown grass and low hanging branches.  Whatever you do, don't stop unless you feel like giving up a litre of blood to the monster size mosquitos.

    It turns out that our missing persons on the milk bottle program is paying off.  A former WNBG member (pre-CRC) showed up to get back into it.  Hopefully he hangs around.  And he is still moaning about "premium" beer.
     Speaking of beer, next up is Rob then Matt.

First Group MTB Ride of the Year

Well we managed to do it. We actually got out for the first group trail ride of the year. Weather conditions were great mild temps and slightly overcast, no chance for Jay's alter ego to make an appearance, but neither did Jay (so we thought).

CRC battled through the sludgy jungles of Black Oak realizing that the conditions and the E.P.O enhanced mosquitos made for a relatively unpleasant trek. After a brief encounter with a skunk (no, not Dave), we made it to Malden where we were pleasently surprised to find Jay who after running over a turtle along Malden road joined us on the trails of Mount Malden. We did a short one lap ride and headed home for some bevies. Possibly a new addition to the CRC riders, Chris Masse joined us for the after party and will make his debut if not on a upcoming Wednesday, on the Boyne trip.

Boyne trip July 15-17. Those confirmed (Mark, Matt, Jay, Liam, a very accomodating Jeremy, Chris Masse, Dave). Anyone else planning on coming please let Mark or I know so we can book a condo. The concensus is that golf will be part of our trip this year. I will borrow some clubs and join you guys.

CRC Century

     Despite many things acting against CRC today, Rob, Craig and Ali completed the TourdeCure century in Brighton, Michigan.  From missing equipment to flat tires to Ali's crash (yes Ali, it was a crash) and not to mention his bladder that is the size of a pea, we completed the course in 6:20, beating our goal.  The weather co-operated and it was a good thing everyone had on sun screen :)  The best part was the massage at the end.  What a sight!  3 "angels" working on Rob and Lou Ferrigno working on Ali.  Where is the camera when you need it?  Thanks to all that supported us.

No Passport = No Ride!

      Tonight was our trial at getting over to the states for a ride as we discussed last year.  The night got off to a bit of a rough start for some of us, at least those that chose to tough out the heat.  And HOT it was.  My car said 37 degrees when we hit the trail.  Back to our lesser organized CRC members.  Yes, Rob and Jim showed up to go over the border without their passports.  They turned around and went home while the rest of us reorganized and headed over.  For future reference, we should hit the highway no later than 4:15.
      Matt, Craig, Jay, Ali and Jeremy toughed out the trail.   Pontiac was in awesome shape and a ton of fun to ride.  Unfortunately, Mr. Heat made his appearance tonight making the trail particularly difficult for one rider.  However, the beers at Mexicantown made him feel much better.
     Points were hard to come by tonight and those that got them earned them.

Race #4

CRC was racing at Malden last night. It was a beautiful night and the trails were great which made for a blistering pace. Most riders were shaving not only their legs but almost 5 minutes off their times. Both CRC riders had great races filled with thrills and spills. Last race in two weeks at 6 pm. Will we see more CRC riders? Let's hope so!

Jacques Night

     What a horrible spring!  Usually by now we have been out 6 or 7 times and not had a Jacques Night.  But not tonight.  After only 3 weeks we had our first Jacques Night.  A great night for a ride too..... if you rode a mountain bike, which some chose to do.  If you rode the road, it was very, very, windy.  Both groups ended up having a great ride.  The largest turnout in a quite a while, including a couple of newcomers.
     But definately the highlight was the burgers and the dogs at Mark's house.  Thanks Mark for the feast and thanks to Jim and Mark for the beer.  Noted.  Nice to see Smitty out for his first CRC ride in a couple of years. And the first half point is on the board.... Jay (thanks for not bringing ass-flavoured chips).  Hopefully we can keep up such a large group as the season progresses.
     Next up for beer is Dave.  Maybe we will all be on the trails by then?????

Nice Saturday Morning Showing

     What a pleasant surprise this morning at the ESR ride.  CRC had a number of their riders out sporting team colours.  We even had a surprise visit from one Mike Smith.  Mike showed up ready to ride.  Does this mean that he is back?  The rumours that his sex change operation are in their final stages and the doctors have given him the OK to get back on the bike.  Overall, a tough ride (I found it so anyways, at least on the way back).  Pace was 35 km/hr going out with wind at our back.  Same pace coming back only now with wind in our face.  65 km in 2 hours.  Nice showing from Mike, Mark, Jay Lamb, Craig and Rob!

Has anyone seen the sun?

What do you guys think about a July mountain bike ride? BTW - Webmaster, can't you lower the blog title? Pretty faces are covered up...

Solo Mission

Went on a solo recon mission today over at Pontiac Lake. The trails were in great shape and the bike was running well. Saw one of the coolest rigs (literally) with a sweet bike set up. A Chevy 4500, actually looks like a miniature semi, loaded with identical Specialized S-Works Epics, carbon 29ers with the Brain on both front and rear shocks. Check it out.

CRC was representing in Michigan as well:

CRC in the News

      Thanks to the newly hired Media Relations/Spokesperson Rob Charlebois, CRC made the news.  Certain CRC members showed up at the Essex Civic center to support the Bike Trails proposal for Essex County.  We chatted it up with other cycling groups and made it known that we are a force to be reckoned with on the West side.  Clearly the other cyclists there were impressed with our organization and team uniforms, or maybe it was the talk about beer after the rides.  Speaking of beers after the ride, it was back to Jay's while Mark brought the beer and chips.  Note to Ali:  he brought Doritos and Lays. 

     In reality, no real riding got done last night as weather looked crappy and it was slow trying to get any kind of organization going.  You can read the article here. 

 

Big Night for Cycling Advocacy

From ESR:

Ok, so there are two very important rides tomorrow night that deals with our safety as cyclists on the roads of Essex County.  IF YOU ONLY MAKE ONE RIDE THIS YEAR, IT SHOULD BE TOMORROW.


The CWAT draft Plan will be presented for the first time to County Council. The Plan is comprehensive and lays out the blueprint for cycling and pedestrian facilities in the County over the next 20 years.  We need to show council and the media how much this means to cyclist in Essex county.  We are expecting a good turnout with little parking available at the Civic Centre, so WE ARE MEETING AT THE ESSEX ARENA PARKING LOT BEFORE 6:00 AND CYCLING DOWN TO THE CIVIC CENTRE.  We will cycle around the Civic Centre from 6:00 to 7:00 as a show of strength and then we’ll have the option of attending council at 7:00.   SEE YOU THERE!!!!

Or if you prefer:

Registration for the RIDE OF SILENCE also starts at 6:00.  There is limited parking behind the mission and free parking after 6:00 in city lots.  Ride starts at 7:00.  SEE YOU THERE!!!!

Different Sort of Night

     For the first time in CRC history we went off in two different directions. Some chose to test the waters (literally) on the trails. While others chose to put in a real workout on the road. Those on the road did about the same distance and speed. We even got to witness Dave's new road riding ability and we may have to remove the "wobbly" from Dave's name and give it to..... However, we can't remove the "crash" from Dave's name as he provided us with the first crash of the year within minutes of mounting his bike.  Jeremy provided us with the second crash of the year shortly after.  Here are the details of the ride courtesy of Rob's Garmin.
     The girls on the trails found Morton to be very wet and Malden to be rideable.  It was nice to see some new faces.  Smitty showed up for beers (but no half-point) and Jim and Liam showed up late for their rides.  Both gave us some song and dance about the rides they did instead.  It was amazing though that nobody bumped into them, hhhhmmmm......
      Thanks to Rodney for the cold beers and Ali for his no-no-name ass-flavoured chips.  Since we had so many guys out we may have to address the beer order.  Next up is Jim (plus speech) and our first Jacques night of the year.  If you think of it, bring some chips.

New Member

    Well it is official!  Jay Lamb has sunk to his lowest cycling level yet.  He is now an official member of CRC.  I don't know if he knows exactly what is in store for him with this group but I can promise a lot of laughs, farts, and beers.  As far as initiation speeches go, by far it was the best.  Rodney's initiation speech was short and lacked any sincerity.  All 5 of Russ's speeches for re-re-re-re-reinitiation were ok.   But Jay's possessed not only intellect (which we lack), thoughtfulness (I won't say anything about leaving his class to fend for themselves while he completed this masterpiece), but had a flair for the dramatic.   All I have to say is a new standard has been set.  Enjoy the video!

Video (courtesy of Mark)

     No words necessary!

Thursday Night Racing CRC Style

Rockin' Red at the 360 race this past Thursday both CRC riders saw the new kit better their race times and wow the screaming crowds.......

Finally!

Chain Reaction Cycling, first ride 2011

        Believe it or not, we finally got out for a ride.  Still a little cool but better than nothing.  Sticking to the road, Chain Reaction Cycling was looking very good sporting their new jerseys.  Everyone we passed (or passed us) took note of how good Jeremy looked in his new shorts.  A good ride of 57 km in just under 2 hours with the usual CRC etiquette.  Can anyone say a straight line???  The turnout was good tonight, taking Ali by surprise, only setting up 5 chairs.  Beer order has begun (thanks Jay L).  Rodney is up next.
   A lot of important things were discussed tonight.  Summer trip? (more to follow)  NO PONTIAC next week!  The feeling was we weren't ready and that once a month was too much (more to follow).  And of course Jay Lamb's initiation.  Beer was great and speech was awesome (more to follow).

CRC Road Ride by rccompete at Garmin Connect - Details

CRC Road Ride by rccompete at Garmin Connect - Details

Guys this is the details of our ride last night. Plus a 40 minute ride on the trainer the night before (forgot to reset it!). Have a look!

Let the Season Begin!!!

   Thanks to the crappiest spring on record (literally), we are finally having our first ride.  Road of course.  Unfortunately we still have a few members that are resisting the dark side.  Heck, even Rodney bought a road bike (but still has no road etiquette).  So for you guys, feel free to join us for beer.  Here is the final attendance from last year.

Therefore, this is the 2011 beer list.  Memorize it.  It looks like Jason Lamb will be the first up.  Plus I believe he owes us a speech.  Jason, let us know if you will be out or if we have to go to the King of No-Shows, Rodney.  I know some people won't be out for a bit due to fake injuries and I assume everyone else is in.  If you can't make your scheduled beer night, make alternate plans or else!  The punishment is strict (you'll have to explain to Jay and Liam) and no excuses will be tolerated!  Here is the new order for this season:

                     1. Russ (out)

                     2. Jim H. (out with fake injury)

                     3. Jason L. 

                     4. Mike (out with even faker injury)

                     5. Rod 

                     6. Dave 

                     7. Ian

                     8. Rob 

                     9. Matt 

                    10. Jay 

                    11. Liam 

                    12. Craig 

                    13. Mark 

                    14. Jeremy  

Thursday Night Racing at Malden

Last night was the first 360 mountain bike race of the season. Two exhausted, muddy and sore CRC riders completed the 3 lap sport race in respectable fashion. Mark with his fresh Florida lungs placed 10th and I struggled to a 7th place finish. It was a tough, muddy but great night of riding, hopefully in two weeks we will see a few more CRC riders battling the trails in our club colours.

Jerseys Are In!

     Ok, it is official!  We are finally a group with some legitimacy.  Thanks to Ian the order arrived safe and sound.  I went through it all and organized it.  Anybody from the South Windsor area, your order will be at Ali's house.  Anyone from the east side, it is at my house.  Any club people, I will carry it in my squash bag.  I hope you like the pics :)

 

Rain, Rain, Go Away..... and the Wind and Cold Too

     Ok, I am officially sick and tired of this weather.  As if the cold isn't bad enough but the rain too?????  Last year at this time we already had 3 weeks under our belts.  The other problem that we are running into with all this rain is that the trails will be wet for a while.  Last year we lucked out with a warm, dry spring.  May 11th is supposed to be our first Michigan ride.  When I set that date I assumed that would have a few weeks of riding in already. We may have to reassess that.
     Despite the weather, Ciociaro races are going off and the MTB spring series (5 races) is set to go tomorrow.  I know Chain Reaction will be well represented at these events.  Jay and I are planning on starting the Sunday morning rides as soon as it looks like decent weather.
     As for the uniforms, they are in!  However, the only person that has seen them is Ian.  They will arriving in our hands shortly and we will figure out some way to get them to everyone.  According to Ian they look great.