Announcements!

Hello and welcome to the 2008 Montana season. We are coming to you live from the world wide web...

It looks like we had a record showing to this year's edition of the Snowjoke Half Marathon. It's hard to believe that a footrace held in the dead of winter has become so popular! I guess it's just another outlet for all of us who are just waiting to get out and race now when April seems so far away. Congratulations to all who participated. Looks like Mo Hartmann still has the numbers against beau, Jeff Bookwalter. Sorry to hear you were sick, man, maybe next year. Maybe someone who was there would like to comment on the event.

This just in: Five Valley Velo announces team for the 2008 Banner Bank Tour of Walla Walla. The Cat 4's will include Dan Gager and Kyle Shannon. Both are known to put the hurt on in the mountains. Ely Wilkinson and Erik Digby will certainly bring some power to the time trials and junior, Willy Zelmer will be cutting his teeth in the peloton of 100 riders!

The Grizzly Triathlon and Rocky Mountain Roubaix are just six weeks away and the tension is already mounting. Who will take the men's and women's titles? Will the course records fall? Will the Roubaix be sunny, rainy or snowing? This will be THE YEAR to watch as both the triathlon and cycling races are attracting stellar fields.

The Women's Cycling Clinic will be held again this year in Helena. It is slated to happen on April 26th and will include some excellent instruction. It's undecided that the women's road race on the 27th will happen.

More news to come regarding this year's events. We are planning on sending "teams" to most of the local events, so you should see lots of cowboy hats and orange around the state and beyond. So giddiyup and get on out there!

Monday, Monday. So how's your training coming?

I can't wait to hear more about the Snowjoke Half Marathon on Saturday. I heard that Elliot took second in a shirt and tie! I wish I was there to see that one. Nothing can slow that guy down.

So if anyone wants to comment on the race, feel free. I decided to ease back into any resemblance of a distance run on Sunday with Dean and the "Breakfast Club." Welcome Cyndi, great running girl, and props to both Bill and Dean for getting the lead out the day after the 1/2M. We ran for 75 minutes and that was enough for me. Plus or minus 7 miles, giving me a whopping 10 for the week. It has taken me a couple of weeks longer than I had anticipated to get back into running, but I feel decent and I think I'll be back on track this week. Just don't ask me to race!

I did manage my second "good" week on the bike, however. Cycling has been it for me, since I haven't been able to do anything else. I had 6+ hours on the bike, plus the 1:45 running = 8 hours. I gotta keep thinking "building base mileage."

So keep up with all your winter training, even if it's mostly indoors. Remember that this Wednesday night is the last trainer workout at MBW. I'll be there if the roads are still ugly!

The Saturday Ride: Hills and Heartbeats

Well, it looks as if our weekend group rides are starting to take form. I hope everyone had a chance to get out and enjoy the dry conditions. We had nine riders make it out for today's training ride, and there were a few new faces. Josh Tack and Nadia White came out, sporting the new Northern Rockies Kit. I'm getting into the blue and green! And how about Jason from Salem, OR/Helena? but now he's in Missoula. We need to sign this boy up! Rounding out the group were Tamara, Megan and Blair, all NRO, Jeff Twohig and I from FVV and single-speed/ MTB rider, Andrew. Come on boys and girls...we need a little more orange out there!

We decided to head out west and the general consensus was to go for two hours. We headed out to the mill so if anyone wanted to turn and head home (roughly an hour and a half) they could. All nine of us were game to go two+ hours so we headed out to Frenchtown.

Things started out easy with lots of double paceline in the wide shoulder of Expressway to allow a little chit-chat, and we kept it easy until a few miles from Frenchtown when Blair and Josh started to up the tempo a bit. I guess the spring-like weather had everyone feeling a little spry. By the time we came into Frenchtown I was clocking 25 mph. Note to newbies: it wasn't bad at all, because of a slight tailwind...and the fact that I was letting someone else do the work in front. There are real benefits from riding in groups and this is a big one. Let someone else do the work! Riding in a group like this can save you up to 30% of your strength and this will allow you to ride much farther that you could if you were alone.

At Frenchtown we split up. Josh rode off into the sunset (West) the NRO ladies headed back toward the mill and the rest of us took the frontage road rollers back to town. So with five of us left, we headed for home. All was calm until Jason hammered up the first hill and I followed right on his wheel. Hey if he wants to do the work...On the next hill I returned the favor and Jeff decided that he'd have some of that too. I really like hitting the hills hard as a way to get some high intensity intervals and the rolling hill terrain that so many of our local roads have makes it easy to do this. A push up to the Wye and one final climb up the Keil loop off Butler Ck. topped off our ride.

So don't all of you wish you had come out for a nice Saturday ride? So show up tomorrow, Bernices, noon through the end of March. Kyle promised to be there. As for me, I need to reconnect with the Sunday run, but I will be there again next weekend.

I hope everyone had a laugh at the Snowjoke today! -E-

My First Date...

Well, what a week it has been! Great weather for training, starting to see the end of winter and the emergence of runners and cyclists on our roads, the Tour of California and finally getting out on my new bike. It was all so exciting and new...

My best bud Morgan has been dying to try road biking, so we decided to go out for a ride last night after work. That meant that I would be taking out my new Orbea and he would ride my cyclocross bike. I got this bike as an early Christmas present to myself and have only had it on the trainer. So any excuse to get on it and ride was welcome. We met at Community, I quickly fit him to the bike, gave him my shoes to wear and he trialed the pedals and shifters. All looked good and we were off to meet another good friend, Renee and her friend Jessie. We rode the Big Flat Loop clockwise on a nice, calm evening. My Orbea is a darling! She's sleek, sexy and fast. I felt giddy riding and I'm totally infatuated. This could be the beginning of a beautiful relationship...

Kudos to Morgan for getting on a road bike for the first time, especially riding with 3 roadies. Also, kudos to Renee who hasn't been on her bike since last June, since she's been traveling the world and to Jessie who was willing to ride with a group of strangers. I had a great time out there last night and I hope we can get out on many more rides together.

Of note, both Renee and Jessie should be racing for the Five Valley Velo Women's Team!!! They are both great riders.

Next post...the Adventures of the weekend group rides and the Snowjoke. So who's gonna shine?

The Tour, Training, and Big Sky IPA

So I went for my first run in several weeks last night. There is something to be said about consistency! I could feel every step of the slow three mile run. I'm not a skier, per se, and I can only stand so much riding on the trainer, so when the wether gets really cold and ugly...I run.

I've run for years and actually enjoy it. I especially like Dean's Sunday Long Run. It's a great mix of personas and is always filled with interesting conversation (since we run at conversation pace.) The Sunday Run was my introduction into Team Stampede. When I knew no one, it was Dean who encouraged me to come out. I couldn't even run 5 miles, but I never felt out of place. There was always someone "going short" or having to get to the master's swimming session at 10:30, etc. My last Sunday run was 4 weeks ago, so I am looking forward to running this Sunday. I'm going to take advantage of running with a bunch of beat up runner's since several of them will be running the Snowjoke 1/2 Marathon this coming Saturday. That should make it easy for me to go short!

This time of the year is the time to get consistent with your running, biking, swimming and beer drinking . Not to much or too intense, just lots of consistency. Beginners should be logging in anywhere from 4 to 6 hours of workouts per week. In triathlon, or any other endurance sport, it's often easier to talk about your time spent doing the activity rather than the distance. I think this takes some of the stress out of meeting "goals" with regard to mileage. Remember, it's about consistency. This building up period is getting your body ready to put in more intense workouts when the weather starts to warm up. But that doesn't mean that you should forego any intensity training. One to two workouts per week can be of higher intensity in order to begin to condition your body to work more efficiently at those higher levels, the one's you'll be going into during racing season. Linsey's Grizzly Triathlon Training Plan is a good resource. This week she has you going out for 5+ hours. There are also many good books about training and racing, bicycles and triathlons.

Now to the serious business...beer and the Tour of California. So after my slog I just had to go over to the Pressbox and watch the TOC. What a way to get pumped! I met two friends, ordered up a pitcher of Big Sky IPA and settled in for the recap. Wasn't JJ Haedo's sprint incredible? If only I had a sprint like that...And our friend from UM was spotted again! I can't believe he's getting more press than me! Does anybody know that guy?

(Tonight's stage was just as good, but I only got to read it.)

It's so nice to see bicycle racing gain popularity in the US again. And to see so many US-based squads like High Road, Rock Racing, BMC, Bissell, Slipstream, Jelly Belly,Toyota United and Health Net all being represented in the race was exciting. I'd be VERY surprised if an American doesn't take the win this coming weekend. My money is on either Levi, Hincapie or Chris Horner.

Spring?

Wasn't today a beautiful day here in the Garden City? I know spring is still five weeks away and this is mother nature's way of tricking us into thinking spring is here, but man did it feel good out there today.

So I wasn't about to miss the best day of the year so far, so off to Bernice's for the noon group ride I went, of course! Today it was Dean, Travis and I. Dean and I were in our kits! With no other takers, we were off.

What was that up the road? More orange, in the form of Jeanne V. then later Riki and Jeff Twohig. Now that's what I like to see, lots of orange sprouting up all over the valley. Maybe spring is here...

So props to all of you who were fortunate enough to get out and swim, bike, run, hike, ski, or do whatever this weekend. It sure was a good weekend to do it.

I had only one question on my mind this weekend, where was all the blue?

Bike Riding Montana-Style

I think this picture just about sums it up. We Montanans are nuts! I just love to see the crazy enthusiasm among the spectators and the riders alike. We got out again today and it was good to see some new faces. Kudos to newcomer, Lisa, who braved the cold and wet roads to ride with the roadies. You did great!

I can feel the Rocky Mountain Roubaix in the air, even though it's still several weeks off. If you aren't familiar with the Roubaix, check out Shaun's blog http://www.montanacyclocross.com/ to get familiar. It is our BIG Spring Classic that combines the challenges of the weather, dirt roads and some serious hills. If you don't ride it, come out to Frenchtown, 'cause you won't want to miss it. It happens the day after the Grizzly Triathlon and is being put on by the Northern Rockies Orthopedic Team.

Favorite Rides

So after heading out on today's ride, I started thinking of all of the amazing rides we have right out our front door. From inside this little fish bowl we call Missoula there are so many routes that we ride on a weekly basis that I just take for granted.

Like today's route up over the South Hills and into the Miller Creek drainage. It's SO close to home, yet I only do it a handful of times per year. Maybe that's why it felt so fresh as we climbed up over the hill. Every turn seemed to highten my awareness to the surrounding landscape. The winding road of Upper Miller Creek and the Roubaixesque dirt section on the way home was such a breath of fresh air. We even included a couple of "hot spots" that we sprinted to in our small chainrings. It was just one of those rides that made you happy that you got out!

So what is your favorite, local ride? Is it the Big Flat loop? How about the Pattee Canyon hill climb? Do you just love going out to Frenchtown? The Bitterroot, Blackfoot or out to Rock Creek? Let's hear what ride out there makes you feel good. Personally, my favorite has to be out to Alberton, especially if we stop for warm cinnamon buns at the Roadside Cafe!

Hope to see you out there!

2007: Raves and Reviews

The 2008 season will soon be upon us, so I thought I'd take a walk down memory lane. I think 2007 was incredible. It seems like every year new athletes come along and surprise us, and some of the veterens keep coming up with phenominal performances. Here are a few of the highlights...

How about TOTAL DOMINATION at the 2007 Grizzly Triathlon! Linsey Corbin 1st place, Jennifer Luebke 2nd and Stefanie Fisher 3rd. In the men, Ben Hoffman, Brendan Halpin and Adam Jensen take it 1,2,3. It was fast and furious.

Rocky Mountain Roubaix: Brendan Halpin 2nd, yours truly 3rd. I would have had him...Howard Williams and Miles Key in a respectable 7th and 10th.

Wildflower: About 10 Stampeders descended onto the course and showed them Californians what Montana Triathlon was all about!

Who can forget IRONMAN Coeur D'Alene! Team Stampede stepped up and performed BIG.

Adam Jensen took 7th in his Pro debut! Former Missoulian and Stampeder, Michael Gordon was 14th, Brendan took his age group, Cincowski, Belkner and Burke all put in solid performances.

Spring Meadow Lake Triathlon. Again, lots more orange. Cinco and Downtown Joel Brown take 2nd and 3rd, Chad latino 7th, Jeanne Veteto and Stefanie Fisher 5th and 6th. Wow!

Tour of the Bitterroot, Star Meadows, Cow Country Classic, and the rest of our racing season. Kyle Shannon dominated in Category 5 and began to make a name for himself in Cat4. John Weyrich got stronger all year, coming back from his injuries, powerhouse Matt Seeley, clearly the strongest guy out there, placed well. Grant Kier hit the off road scene hard and brought home some hardware.

There were so many other competitors that I can't even begin to name them all. Props to all who showed the guts to get out there and participate. The best part about this sport is you are ultimately competing against yourself and your own personal goals. So get after it!

Wednesday Night: Training or Torture?

Okay, I knew that there was a reason for not going to MBW (Missoula Bicycle Works) on Wednesday nights, because they make me hurt! But that is just their intent. So I finally got up the nerve to get my untrained butt over there for a good dose of loud music, sweat, pain and an incredibly high heart rate. Talk about fun.

Alex was the torturer, I mean coach, for tonight's session, and I think he was trying to kill me. After our 10+ minute warm up, (you should get there 10-15 minutes before the starting time of 6:30 pm to get a longer one if you'd like) we went right into intervals. First they were 1 minute intervals, then two and three minute ones, all with only one minute recovery each. I knew it was going to be a good workout when I saw my HR rise and rise and not really come back down. I thought for a moment that maybe I had better see a doctor or something, but then had the reassurance from the group that this was perfectly normal. An hour later we were done and feeling good about all of the hard work that we had just survived. The endorphins felt good too.

So looking back, a good, hard effort is needed in order for your body to get used to "race pace." Remember, if you don't train fast, how do you think you'll race?

It was good to see two juniors, two women and many of my 5VV teamies there. Kudos to all who came. Also, remember that there are only two more weeks of trainer workouts left, so try and come. When the pace isn't too high to talk, there are actually some really nice people there.

E

TS5VV Tri Clinic #1

So where do I sign up? Visit http://www.sportsbaseonline.com/ and search for Team Stampede/Five Valley Velo to join our team! Be sure to put in from Dec 2007 in order to pull it up.

We had our first of several clinics tonight in preparation for the Grizzly Triathlon on April12th. Tonight Jeff, Becky, Linsey and I focused on what to expect and how to be adequately prepared for The Griz. You guys did a great job taking us through the preparation, in training, injury prevention and on race day. It was good to hear everyone's first-hand experiences to help get a good mental picture of the race and what to expect.

Next Clinic: THIS SATURDAY 4pm at the Grizzly Pool to work on swimming form.

Just listening to everyone got me excited about the upcoming racing season. I'm really not a triathlete, but I love competition. I love pushing my limits and I love watching others do the same. I think that this year is going to be great. There has been a lot of buzz here in Missoula lately and I think it's going to translate into a spectacular season.

So are you ready to go for it?

Next Race: Snowjoke 1/2 Marathon, February23rd, Seeley Lake. http://www.cheetahherders.com/

Let's get outside!

So if you all are like me, you're starting to get cabin fever. Here in the northern rockies we've all been holed up in our basements riding our trainers and are just about ready to go nuts. So I jumped on Tamara's suggestion that we take it outside. No time like the present to head out on the open road. Man did it feel good!

We met at Bernice's bakery at high noon. There were seven of us after Elliot arrived fashionably late. Cyclist aren't known for their punctuality, but with a good mix of triathletes, most of us were there right on time. Tamara and Megan represented Northern Rockies while Linsey, Elliot, Matt, Jen and myself gave Team Stampede/Five Valley Velo the numbers.

For a winter's day the weather was holding. No rain or snow, just clouds and probably about 40 degrees. Winds were light out of the southwest so the general consensus was to head west toward Frenchtown, try and stay on (mostly) clear roads, and we were off.

Our ride took us out to the Wye, along Pulp Mill Rd. to the mill, then I turned to come home. It was the perfect, first ride of the season for me. It was a good mix of social and solo riding, lots of flats and three small hills to get the heart pumping! The bunch went on to Frenchtown, I assume, and I hope that they had a grand day out. I'm sure that they had as much fun as I did cleaning our rides afterwards. Salud!

Erik