03/07/03 by Ted Ingraham
Hey, the sun is shining today! Not that you need me for your weather forecast but the winter has been so miserable that even a little cold sun makes us feel better! It should also get us in the mood to climb out of that cold basement, dust off the bike, and hit the road! Since racing season is only a month away, I thought it was time to provide an update on what's been happening with the club and hopefully jump-start us all back into cycling shape!
Training: Other than our two indoor training sessions most of us haven't seen much of each other this winter. The miserable weather kept even the most intrepid cyclist off the road. The first good group ride was last Saturday and it looks like outdoor riding is finally back! We will start pre-RATL training sessions at Munroe Falls Park on Saturdays beginning March 22 and running through April 12 starting at 9:00 am each week. We will do various drills, practice race tactics, and generally get familiar with the course. After and hour or so at the park we will go for an extended ride. The sessions will be run by Jim Mullins. This is a great way to improve your conditioning and to learn what you need to know about racing.
Rides - we all need lots of hours in the saddle! The winter riding schedule remains in effect until the time changes. That is, 10:00 am Saturday and Sunday, and 6:00 pm Tuesday and Thursday nights. All rides start at Indian Mound parking lot (except the RATL training at Munroe Falls). On Saturdays (until RATL training starts), the ride will go up to Brecksville to join a large group of Cleveland riders that we meet at 11:00. It is a good ride and an opportunity to ride with all the people you will race against all year. Some people ride later on Sundays so it is best to call around if you want to be sure to meet anyone. The week-night rides should pick up again. The Towpath is too messy to ride but with lights and reflective clothing we will ride the road with either road or mountain bikes. Because of the contrast in the darkness, motorists can easily see you and give cyclists a wide path. You won't believe it till you try it, but cycling at night may be safer than in the day!
Uniforms: We are excited about our new uniform design and supplier (Voler)! The uniform order is in and we expect shipment the week of April 1. Say "thank you" to Angelo Catalano and Brian Shelford who both put out a lot of time and effort to design and organize the uniform order. This will be the earliest we have ever had our uniforms!
Race Team: The Cat 2/3 race team will race under the banner "Allied Decals Cycling Team" this year. All of last year's racers are back and we are excited to have George Liolios racing with the team this year. (George raced with some friends from MVC last year but he was still a Freewheeler and this year he decided he couldn't stay away any longer!) The team captain is Jim Mullins and other members are Shawn Adams, Angelo Catalano, Jim Gilmore, Brian Huntley and Denis Osowski. The team has done a lot of off-season work and we expect another successful year!
Races at the Lakes: Our big spring series will be April 19/26 and May 3/10. A couple of new twists this year: The starting times for the different categories have changes and there is a season-long points series competition to recognize team and individual performance. See the flyer on the website for details. Also, we need volunteers for RATL. If you are willing to help on race day, let Ted know. Volunteers will race free!
Uniform Reimbursement: We are again providing an opportunity for club members to get some reimbursement for their uniform. To qualify, men must participate in 18 races and women in 14. Details are on the website.
Individual News: We have good news and bad news. The bad—Brian Shelford suffered an ankle break while snow boarding in February. I spoke to him recently and it sounds like the healing is going well and Brian hopes to be back on the bike soon. We wish him a speedy recovery! One of our team members, Denis Osowski, has been on a temporary job assignment in PA since November. Denis hopes to be back home by racing season but it depends on how the assignment proceeds. We are keeping our fingers crossed Denis will be back soon; meanwhile, he is getting to work out on Pennsylvania hills! The good news: Tricia Ingraham was gone most of last season on a temporary job assignment but she is now back in town and we look forward to seeing her race again! Catharine Scott from Orrville will join Tricia and Becky Blice on the women's team this year. (we are always looking for more women!) Look for another old friend of ours to be back this year—Mike Evan (Dr. Evan from our long-time sponsor Munroe Falls Dentistry) will be back racing in a Freewheeler uniform. Mike had been racing for CVV then was out for over a year with some serious surgery. It will be great to have him back racing in red and yellow—no, it will be red and blue this year! We are excited to have a junior racing with us this year for the first time in years. Many of you saw Jimmy MacDonald on rides and this year he will be joining us in racing. It will be great to watch another young rider progress! We also have a number of other new faces that have been training hard and will be starting their racing careers this year as well—don't forget that our primary focus continues to be a "developmental" racing club!
Membership Dues: Don't forget to renew your Freewheelers' membership for 2003. If you haven't already done so, download a membership form from the website and mail it off (with 20 bucks) to Angelo today!
See you all on the road!!!
—Ted Ingraham