Autographed by some of Team Columbia’s highest-ranking stars in the professional cycling world and serious contenders in the both European Classics and the Tour de France—including George Hincapie, Mark Cavendish, and Michael (aka Mick”) Rogers—three 2008 Tour de France Team Jerseys have just been released for special auction to raise much-needed support for the American Diabetes Association’s Tour de Cure.
Generously donated by Columbia Sportswear and Sandra Voorhees (Portland Tour de Cure committee), these one-of-a-kind autographed team jerseys being auctioned by BicyclingHub.com are destined to become instant collectors’ item for any passionate cycling fan. Team roster of authentic signatures include George Hincapie, Mark Cavendish, Mick Rogers, Kim Kerchen, Bernhard Eisel, Marcus Burghardt, Gerald Ciolek, Adam Hansen, Thomas Lövkvist, Kanstantsin Siutso and other pros that helped usher in a successful debut year at the 2008 Tour de France.
The dramatic showing of teamwork, determination and panache from Team Columbia through the 2008, 2009 and 2010 Tours de France have won over a large array of new and newly excited cycling fans, and while taking professional cycling in the United States to a new level. Led by American entrepreneur Bob Stapleton with the intent that “common goals and unity of action are the essence of team success,” they have quickly emerged as one of the world’s most winning teams, dominating podiums across the globe while being ranked for two consecutive years as 2008 and 2009 Team of the Year by industry experts. The organization focuses on “providing the athletes with the right attitude, the best tools and continuous support to achieve their goals and the goals of the team.”
Now fans can capture some of the race day action at the 2008 Tour de France with these one-of-a-kind autographed team jerseys from some of today’s great cycling legends while teaming up in the fight against diabetes. All the proceeds from this special online auction will benefit the American Diabetes Association's Portland Tour de Cure on July 31, 2010. Starting from the Hillsboro Stadium, the scenic ride offers cyclists of all abilities an opportunity to enjoy the rolling hills of the Willamette Valley. Tour de Cure is a series of fundraising cycling events held in 43 states nationwide to support the ADA's mission prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. For more information about the event, visit: tour.diabetes.org .
July marks the traditional peak of the American cycling season: multi-day bike tours criss-crossing their way through the U.S., century-a-week and charity rides engaging their local communities, race calendars chock-full of competitive events to keep roadies and mountain-bikers alike occupied, and 2010 Tour de France contenders such as Lance Armstrong, Levi Leipheimer, and Bradley Wiggins on the television each day inspiring club riders to train harder on Tuesday/Thursday night hammerfests. But “whether you're a full-time athlete or a weekend warrior, avoid turning cycling into work,” National Track Champion and professional cyclist turned coach Kendra Wenzel advises. “Keep it as a fun part of your day by varying your schedule and continually reminding yourself of why you head out on the bike.”
BicyclingHub.com staff member Jennifer Clunie met up with Kendra just after her return from the 2010 National Road Race Championships in Bend, OR to discuss how to effectively balance training, work and family life, the growth of women's participation in the sport, and what keeps her cranking on the pedals season after season.
After racing professionally for eleven years, collecting 100 career wins on the road and track and an impressive assortment of medals earned at illustrious events such as the 1990 World Championships in Mabashi, Japan, the Pan American Games in Cuba, the 1994 Collegiate Road Championships and 14 National Track Championship events, Kendra helped found Wenzel Coaching in 1994. Venturing over to the dirty side of the sport and racing mountain bikes for Team Diamondback in 1995, Kendra returned to her first love and served as team caption for the top-ranked Seco/Timex road team from 1997-99 as they raced their way to podium finishes in the National Championships, Tour of Italy (Giro) and Tour de 'Toona. Retiring in 1999 to dedicate her attention to coaching full-time, she continues to fuel her passion by developing up-and-coming racers and encouraging elite-level cyclists to meet (and sometimes exceed) their goals.
When asked to describe her typical client profile these days, Wenzel states, she doesn't really have just one type. “I have elites, elite wanna-bes (some sort of regional up-and-coming racers), and weekend warriors. I have guys that work 40, 60 hours a week and want to make the most of their time to race their bike. And I like it that way. If I had all elites, I'd be so crazy—elites hinge so much whether they have a good or bad day on the bike, whereas people who are working full-time have a little more broader lifestyles, because they have so much more to juggle. I'd say my client profile is someone who has good energy and wants to learn.”
Wenzel credits the platinum-level bicycle friendly community of Davis, California as one of the main things that drew her to enroll at the University of California at Davis. Enjoying competitive team sports such as basketball, softball, track & field in high school, she initially wanted to play collegiate soccer—but it wasn't long before the addictive nature of cycling took hold. “I remember my first 35 mile ride with a couple of guys and came back to the dorm and I could eat more than I had ever eaten before and thought, 'Wow, this is the best diet in the world!'” She laughs. “There was no 'freshman 15' for me—I was too busy riding my bike.”
“Think of every workout you do as digging a hole. Longer or more intense rides dig deeply, as do work tension and emotional stress. Recovery time—relaxing days, massages, proper nutrition and self-care—fill the hole back in. The idea is to avoid digging a hole you can't fill back in, which is just what may happen if you train continuously, without proper recovery, on top of an already stressed system. Sickness and injury are usually the result.”--Excerpt from “Working Overtime” by Kenda Wenzel
Memories of Wenzel's racing days still have her itching to jump into criteriums on occasion—until she remembers she doesn't always want to train that hard. “The ones that always stick out the most are the ones that I had to work the hardest for,” she recalls, such as the 1998 & 1999 Nationals, the Tour de 'Toona. Another memorable experience was being able to absorb the “sheer energy” in the velodrome during the World Championships in Cuba when her counterparts in the US National Team won the men's pursuit—all while Fidel Castro was present and watching.
What are some of the most successful methods you've seen that encourage women to take up cycling?
Make it more social. “Most successful women's programs are based on social connections. They're not just out for a ride; they're a socially connected group, and they're getting more out of it usually than just riding the bike.”
Programs must be balanced, taking into account women often don't have as much time. “The reality is—and this is my experience coaching lots of people—is that if a guy wants to go out for a three hour ride, he doesn't say, 'Will you want the kids for 3 hrs?' Whereas when a woman wants to spend that kind of time on a bike, there's a negotiation that goes on with their partner or whoever who can watch the kid. So there's always that. And then there's a limited amount of time that they have—at least as far as elite cycling goes—an limited amount of time to make or break before they decide whether they're going to move on to something else.”
“I think that's one of the reasons cyclocross is so popular, esp here in Oregon. It's family oriented; you don't have to train hours and hours to have a good time. There's no real pack to get dropped off of, so even just finishing for a lot of people is an accomplishment. And it's fun. It's 45 min. people have 45 minutes. They don't always have 3+ hours to do a race.”
Kendra Wenzel (right) with client and fellow cyclist Sue Butler (left), two-time US Elite World Championship team member in cyclocross.
In your experience, what are some of the most successful ways to get more women into racing?
Host a women's series.
Make the races accessible—don't hold too many in the series.
Keep it local, so groups of women can attend. Ideally, locations where you have less than an hour drive/way to get there.
Devise courses relatively challenging enough so they feel accomplished when they finish it, and not so challenging that they're intimidated.
Referencing the weekly race series held at throughout the summer at Portland International Raceway, Wenzel observes, “The ones usually worried about getting dropped are usually the ones right there into it their first time out, because they're competitive. Finding a way to delve into that side because a lot of them have never realized it before.”
The Oregon Bicycle Racing Association (ORBA) continues to see incremental growth in the women's division every year. When Wenzel started racing Tuesday nights at PIR in 1985-1986, there might have only been one other woman in the Category 4 field; drop ahead to 2010, and between 20-35 women regularly race in the 1/2/3 Category—and another dozen entering the foray in the Beginner Women's Division.
“I think one way is to make it more appealing to women is to make it more team-oriented, so that any particular race might have a team classification. I think that would help the men, too...And it could even be co-ed...I think that's one of the reasons why women's collegiate racing has been so successful, because it's very team-oriented. And because the points for the overall hinge on the women's participation too, so you actually have men recruiting women.”
One piece of advice you'd give a novice who's interested but nervous about in tossing their helmet into the ring?
“Talk to any local racers in your neighborhood and find out where there's a beginner-friendly race in your area. And you just have to go try. The hardest part is just getting to the starting line. Usually once that gun goes off and everyone is rolling over the start line, they usually realize it wasn't as scary as they thought. It's just getting up there—just signing up and just starting, and not being all intimidated by all the clothing and the gear. Because in the end, even if you don't have the best bike, you can overcome that...If you have a good engine and you're fit and you've been training, you could do well in bike racing regardless what kind of equipment you have.”
And one piece of advice you'd share with a seasoned Cat 3 vet struggling to balance work, training schedule and family life in order to keep them from getting burnt out?
“One of the secret to staying motivated is to pick races that suit your strengths and weaknesses...Build a race schedule around races that suit them better. Everyone has a better time when they do better in a race. So that balance is also building structured and unstructured time into their race calendar, and building rest breaks into their programs. There's always this ongoing panic I see when people feel they're not getting enough training in, when they're running themselves into the ground and when they're trying to train too much. They're not recovering enough. You get stronger from the recovery from the training, not just the training.”
What's one piece of gear you never leave home without?
“I always ride in my black, yellow and red Wenzel Coaching jersey and bibshorts. As far as gear: a cell phone, and something to change a flat.”
…Give or take 3,200 miles and 4 months across Canada
With long summer days and school vacations currently stretched out before us, many parents naturally attempt to share their passion for cycling—and excitement over the 2010 Tour de France—with their offspring. But how does one successfully keep tantrums and tears at bay (at least, for the kids involved)?
Make it a “summer camp on wheels,” Joe Kurmaskie advises. “The trick is NOT to make your kids feel like it’s a stage race, or a job, or something they must inherit.”
Rather than inadvertently instilling the feeling “it’s a [mandatory] slave train, all about daddy’s hubris and ego,” this father of four recommends encouraging children to ride by “mak[ing] it part of the fabric of their family—but not the sole focus. The bike is just the way they’re getting there.” Another secret to success? Act as “a camp director on wheels” and bring fishing poles, digital cameras, and other paraphernalia along—“remember, it’s an ADVENTURE you just happen to be doing on a bike.”
Kurmaskie knows of what he speaks. Dubbed “The Metal Cowboy” by a grizzled, tobacco-stained and blind old rancher with a cane as he was bicycling across Pocatello, Idaho in the early 1990’s, Kurmaskie has propelled himself across North America via two wheels several times—with occasional bike trips to other continents such as Australia and New Zealand to round out his perspective. Of all his adventures, he feels his truly most epic journey to date was his trip two years ago across Canada, a transcontinental journey with 450 lbs. gear, bikes, and kids in tow. From June to October 2008, Joe (age 42), his wife Beth, and their three children—Quinn, age 10, Enzo, age 8, and Mateo, age 1, traveled from their home in Portland, Oregon across Canadian Rockies to approx 300 miles east of Saskau, at which point early snowfalls prompted them to board a plane to Novia Scotia and pedal 1,000 more miles throughout that Canadian province before returning home.
Long-distance bicycle touring with “the whole menagerie” is the subject of his latest book, Mud, Sweat and Gears—a story which, Joe says, “culminates everything important in my life: family, and time with them; a gas-free vacation; exploration of another country; relying on ourselves and the kindness of others; what I’m capable of at age 42.” He titles one chapter of his book, “I’m going to miss this body when it’s gone,” reflecting on the amazing shape the thousands of pedal strokes and endless miles of vertical ascents has sculpted his body into, while simultaneously (and preemptively?) mourning its eventual (?) decline. Luckily, Joe says, his wife Beth was there to snap him back into the moment. A high school biology teacher and novice rider, Joe proudly notes her transformation from novice to “Zena Warrior Princess cyclist” over the course of their family journey—all while looking after her 3 children and breast-feeding her 1 year old, to boot.
Another tip from the Metal Cowboy Clan to ensure optimal family happiness: DON’T plan a trip into submission. “Outline where you want to go, bring gear, bring time—and the rest will follow.” There are still some days you might be covering 100 miles in a day, but it may be over the span of 14 hours, with rest stops and sightseeing adventures along the way. Kurmaskie advises, “Throw away your computer and measure your successes and distance in wonder, rather than in miles…and the miles and fitness will come on its own.”
Indeed, Kurmaskie firmly believes kids can be your best training buddy. He fondly recounts the story of climbing Cottonwood Pass, Colorado--one of the highest peaks in the continental U.S.—with his two oldest sons in two three years prior on a father-son bike touring adventure (recounted in Momentum is Your Friend). He somehow found himself “racing” a mohawked young man, sporting a full carbon bike and numerous tattoos, all the while being egged on and rallied by his sons on the trailer: “he’s three switchbacks back, Dad!” “He’s gaining on us, Dad!” Arriving to the top first, gasping deep “Darth Vaider” breaths while waiting for his fellow climber to summit, the young man was greeted by Enzo popping out of the trailer. “Dude! You’ve got another kid on the back!”
Hauling around kids and all that gear, Kurmaskie says, is “like a rolling Bow-Flex on wheels. You get in shape FAST.”
Does The Metal Cowboy Really Wear Cowboy Boots and Metal Spurs when he Rides?
JC: What kind of cycling attire do you wear on the bike? JK: “It depends—around town or commuting, jeans or whatever. But I definitely buy into the idea you need bike shorts and bike jerseys for longer rides—they keep things in place and wick away [sweat]. I suit up.” For his journey across Canada, Joe opted to ride in clip-in Shimano sandals and Seal Skin socks to keep his feet dry. Even in the height of Canadian summer (62 degrees), he still wore wool cycling jerseys and layers: anytime they stopped for more than 10 minutes, he would get chilled.
JC: Bibshorts or regular shorts? JK: “I feel the same way about bibs that I do about texting. Every time I put on a pair of bibs, I start singing Italian opera in a real high voice---Figaro, FIGARO, Figaro!”…but I still wear them. Yeah, I’m a complex and contradictory character,” he laughs.
Mud, Sweat & Gears is a hilarious and heartfelt book spinning yarns revolving around cycling, humanity, and the husband and wife dynamic that makes this emotional journey a truly three-dimensional epic adventure.
FUTURE PLANS A bestselling author, performer, journalist, and educator, Kurmaskie is never one to rest on his laurels. He continues to promote and raise funds for Camp Creative, a bike-centric day camp for kids in Oregon, is already hard at work on his next book and calendar, You Might be a Cyclist If…, and has launched a new publishing press, entitled Cadence Press, with the goal of enabling bicyclists and readers to “find your rhythm.” The first book on the docket to be published? Mia Birk’sJoyride: Pedaling to a Healthier Planet, available August 2010.
“My bicycle has also brought me to the innocence and the best in myself. Collectively, my travels have been the antidote for the cynicism that can gather at the feet of complacency and grow in even the must useful and noble life…My love for cycling has helped shape who I am today.”—From Metal Cowboy, "Oh, to be Young and Go Very, Very Fast.” [NOTE: the newly released 10th anniversary edition of Metal Cowboy includes new stories and updates on some of the characters introduced in the original 1990 edition, including whatever happened to the old rancher in Pocatello, Idaho.]
“There’s no other sporting event on an annual basis that matches up to the Tour de France as an achievement.”--Phil Liggett
“I think suffering in cycling is basically the key to success.”--Rolf Aldag, professional cyclist
What makes cyclists pursue an event as challenging, as glorious, as treacherous and potentially dangerous as a three week stage race covering 3,642 kilometers in 21 stages across France and its European neighbors? With the Pyrenees and Alps jutting upward against the sky, presenting lung-bursting and leg-searing climbs to all those who attempt to summit; where skin-grafting and bone-crushing crashes are expected; and when and (quite literally) every second counts in a professional cyclist’s attempt to make history—or, at least, survive until they cross the finish line? And what keeps fans hooked to their televisions (or standing on small cobblestone steets or narrow mountain passes in Europe) for hours, desperate for more?
That’s what the independent film producers at Gripped Films sought to find out as they followed the HTC-Columbia Team through the 2009 Tour De France as they battle against teams such as Cervelo Test Team, Astana, and Saxo Bank. Gripped Films promises cycling fans a deeply personal and previously unseen glimpse into the world of professional cyclists during the world’s most elite bike race, with narration, commentary and interviews by current and past legends including Eddy Merckx, Phil Liggett, Paul Sherwen, Jens Voigt, Lance Armstrong, George Hincapie, Mark Cavendish and many others.
“It’s so hard and so demanding. It’s the pinnacle of the sport.”--George Hincapie
From the press release: “Chasing Legends highlights the greatest heroes in professional cycling with a dramatic show of teamwork and panache from Team HTC-Columbia through the 2009 Tour de France. The film takes viewers on an absolutely epic ride into the race action. Using a multitude of high tech, high def cameras mounted on bikes, motorcycles, helicopters and team cars, Gripped Films will also include historical race footage, artistic travelogue of the European countryside and villages with narration from the voice of cycling for the USA, Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen.”
BicyclingHub.com and Pedal Nation encourage all cycling fans to experience the passion, the pain and triumph of the Tour de France by joining us for a special airing of the film on Thursday, July 22nd at the Clinton Street Theater, 2522 SE Clinton St., Portland, Oregon. Tickets are $10 each and can be pre-ordered online. Doors open at 6:30pm; film showing begins promptly at 7:00 P.M. We encourage you to come early and increase your chances to win great door prizes and bike schwag courtesy of BicyclingHub.com!
Michael Ward, Lance Armstrong and Phil Liggett Inspire Children (and their Parents) to Ride
“It’s time to hit the road and have some fun two-wheeled action is better than one riding on the bike is a rocking good deal When Mike and the Bike Meet Lucille the Wheel”
It’s not just professional cyclists like Lance Armstrong, Levi Leipheimer and David Zabriskie who tap out a rhythm with each pedal stroke as they take formation in the peloton and soar up hors de category climbs: professional musician and author of Mike and the Bikechildren’s books does the same as he rides west of his Los Angeles home, seeking both musical and literary inspiration.
By all accounts, he’s found it. Motivated by a different kind of “roadie” (in this case, a sound tech) on tour with his band the Wallflowers, Ward first began riding his mountain bike in 1991 all over town, quickly making the switch to a road bike for longer journeys and the mountain passes that beckoned. Ward was soon taking his bike with him everywhere on tour, enabling him to see large portions of the U.S. as well as Australia, Europe, and Japan from the vantage of a bicycle seats. Ward credits cycling for sparking much of his musical creativity: in direct contradiction to the stereotypical partying stoner musician, Ward observes (of both himself and comrades in the industry), “When you’re exercising, no matter what you do--hiking, biking, running, the gym, whatever--[we’re] uniformly better musicians for it.”
It was on one of his favorite solo rides in the mountains outside LA, shortly after his son Tennessee was born, that inspiration for Mike and the Bike struck. “Often, I would get a song idea, pull out a cell phone and sing the idea into my voice mail--wind noise, bouncing over roads and all,” Ward recounts. Three key ideas occurred almost simultaneously:
1. He should write a children’s book about cycling
Ward first met Lance Armstrong in Austin, Texas in 1996 while on tour with the Wallflowers, as Lance was emerging from his battle with cancer. (Ward also had the pleasure of introducing Armstrong to his fellow headline performer Sheryl Crow that evening, although they wouldn’t become romantically involved until much later.) The Wallflowers were subsequently invited to perform at a new fundraising event in Austin for the Livestrong Foundation named “Ride for the Roses;” from that point onward, a strong friendship (and California riding parter) emerged.
Mike and The Bike book and CD is an adventurous tale about a boy, his bike, and their travels in and around the fictitious small mountain town of Colberg (translation: “cole”= hill; “berg”= hill”), a “bike-riding heaven” located “far and away from big skyscraper buildings and traffic delay.” With contributions by Lance Armstrong and narration by Phil Liggett, widely regarded as the pre-eminent “voice of cycling,” Ward brought together a who’s who in the cycling world to craft a well-written story and share the joy, passion and enthusiasm for bikes that both children and parents can relate to. However, the celebrity voice he is proudest to have included on the CD is his son Tennessee; you can hear his musical accompaniment on the recording (sing-along optional).
Following up on the success of , released in 2005, Mike’s found a new friend and savvy mechanic to join him on his cycling adventures. In the newly-released Mike and the Bike Meet Lucille the Wheel, the authors made an intentional choice to cast a strong female protagonist who could not only match Mike pedal for pedal stroke up the climbs, but fix his flat while he stands by in admiration. “It was a conscious decision to declare the race a tie,” Ward states. “But the bigger message is to get kids excited to go out and ride their bikes—and hopefully for parents to do it with them.”
Recalling childhood days when he and his friends would set out for day-long adventures on their bikes and not return until moms across the neighborhood rang the dinner bells, he simultaneously acknowledges present-day safety concerns have parents a bit more cautious. That sense of freedom? “It’s something that we can’t let slip away as time change, “Ward says. “Look at the Dutch--everyone’s on bikes. When you go to Holland, bikes must outnumber cars 10 to 1...It would be great if we could plant the seed, and get a couple parents to go out and ride with their kids more.”
Diagnosed as a Type-1 diabetic 5 years ago, just as “Mike and the Bike” was being published, Ward’s perceptions on exercise, good health and staying active receive daily reinforcement. “I am consistently motivated to spread the message of health and fitness and taking care of your body. Especially Type 2 diabetes with kids is real concern of epidemic proportion, all around the world—if we can keep them healthy and active and eating right and being outdoors we stand a lot better chance of overcoming something like that.” Involved with fundraising events such as the American Diabetes Association’s Tour de Cure and and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Ward is optimistic: “[we can] raise awareness and get kids active and defeat this thing. And I think it’s possible....I think a cure is within reach.”
Practicing what he preaches, Ward rides regularly with his son Tennessee. About this time last year, they did a metric century (62 miles) together, one week prior to his 10th birthday--an event Ward describes as “a huge accomplishment.” “It’s a magical thing. It’s been the greatest father-son bonding experience, riding with my boy.” He encourages all parents to partake in this family-friendly activity and get out and ride with their kids--”and if you already do it, chapeau to you, as the French would say.”
One thing he never leaves home without? His “Mike and the Bike” team kit (in his affable and self-deprecating style, Ward fully acknowledges his choice of dress as “a silly bike racer, bibshorts all the way” and desire to match the bike liken him to a “ testosterone-laden version of ‘Sex and the City’”) and his Giro helmet. “Helmets have literally saved my skull more than once,” Ward recounts. Partnering up with Giro to now offer children’s Mike and the Bike and Lucille the Wheel helmets, helping keep kids safe? “It was a very proud moment to be able to do something like that.”
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Recalling childhood days when he and his friends would set out for day-long adventures on their bikes and not return until moms across the neighborhood rang the dinner bells, he simultaneously acknowledges present-day safety concerns have parents a bit more cautious. That sense of freedom? “It’s something that we can’t let slip away as time change, “Ward says. “Look at the Dutch--everyone’s on bikes. When you go to Holland, bikes must outnumber cars 10 to 1...It would be great if we could plant the seed, and get a couple parents to go out and ride with their kids more.”
icing what he preaches, Ward rides regularly with his son Tennessee. About this time last year, they did a metric century (62 miles) together, one week prior to his 10th birthday--an event Ward describes as “a huge accomplishment.” “It’s a magical thing. It’s been the greatest father-son bonding experience, riding with my boy.” He encourages all parents to partake in this family-friendly activity and get out and ride with their kids--”and if you already do it, chapeau to you, as the French would say.”