Race for Big Dipper and Good-bye to Ivy Ann.

As most of you know - last weeks Hell Ride was called off. I actually stood out in front of my house in full kit, over my bike, watching the lightning strike the Lenaburg's house last Tuesday. I decided (along with everyone else) that riding a lightning rod around on the hillside might not be so smart.

Tomorrow -Let's try again!!! Laps on the Goodan/Keil loop. I still have Big Dipper Ice Cream.

So...please meet at Big Sky Bikes as planned last week. I can't make it to the shop but will be out at on the course by 6:30 meet me out there.

I wonder who will win.....???????

On another note - Ivy Ann will be leaving for Seattle on Thursday. If you want to get in a good-bye hug and to wish her well - come ride tomorrow. I will drag her out there with me.

New Weekend Ride Time....9am

Daylight and warmer temps (we hope) are moving up the ride time on Saturday and Sunday to 9am.
Meet at Le Petit (4th St.).
Spread the word!! Everyone welcome.

Goodan/Keil Loops on Tuesday!

Tuesday we will be riding/racing the Goodan - Keil Loop (same as the UM race and the Ecology Classic).
Meet at Big Sky Bikes at 5:50. We will leave at 6:00 sharp!

Route: From Big Sky Bikes to Madison St. North to N. 2nd St East. West to Ryman. North to N. 3rd St. West through 3rd St. North on Worden to Turner St. West to Scott St. North to Rogers. Rogers St. (also Cemetary Rd) all the way to Expressway(Howard/Raser). Continue West to Airport Rd and head North to the loop. That's the best I can do. You can always just meet us out on the course or send me an email if you need more info.

We will ride the loop clockwise. Number of loops to be determined by those who show.
Big Dipper Ice Cream for the rider who earns the most points.

Points every lap: 1st - 5, 2nd - 3, 3rd - 1

This will be a great warm up for races coming up! Make this as hard as you want. Dropped riders can turn around and ride backwards and get back on for another try.

Meet rider of the month, "Jeffro"

Jeff Cincoski has been named May's rider of the month. Here's a little behind the man of many talents...

First time you knew you had bike fever?

I first discovered that I loved the bike at about age 15. I worked at Grand Performance, a St. Paul shop where I mainly took out the garbage and put glue on tubulars. I was fascinated with the bikes and all of the incredible cyclists who raced them.

Most memorable ride:
My most memorable ride is probably as subject No. 10 in the 2000+mile “study” called Giro d’iscovery that was put on by the WPEM lab at UM. I had been a study subject for years and they pretty much asked a few of us who should do the ride. In the end, I rode 100 miles a day for 20 days with 9 of my best friends. It was amazing. Having your limitations quantified before you every day can be discouraging. I remember riding incredibly hard, almost racing half the time. I put in some opportunistic breaks when people would stop to pee, eat and cry. Infamous.

Favorite ride:
My favorite local ride is hands-down Holloman’s saddle. I go through Clinton, over the Schwartz and down Miller Ck. The climb is suburb and you don’t see so much as a house for the better part of two hours. In my earlier college years my roommates and I used to do the ride after a ridiculous night. We would recant the debauchery and sweat out the shame, leaving it all up on the saddle.

Favorite bike:
It’s hard to say. Since this is for NRO, I’d say my Blue R7 carbon-lugged carbon road bike. I was pretty much given the crashed frame by a Minnesota pro that had gone down in the tour of Ireland. It has J&B weld in the chain stay and I treat it like a stray dog rather than a baby. It’s nice to ride without worrying about your expensive carbon bike. Also, the long, sloping top tube geometry works well for a short-legged beefcake like me.

Who and/or what inspires you?:

I am really keen on the situations where a rider out-performs their ability. That may be why I love road racing. I feel that you don’t need to be the strongest rider to win. A little cunning at the right time gets you pretty far: like when you become aware of a moment of tenderness in you opponent and then exact the surge that breaks them. Likewise, I appreciate a great peak from a moderately talented individual-that moment from which they might define themselves as great. I’d say that I’ve seen some great moments from Josh Tack so far this season. In general, I’m usually pretty impressed by what Alex Gallego can do with a few hours of training each week. I guess it’s a matter of defining the champions around me and deriving inspiration from them.

What is something that people don't know about you?:

I’m a fairly open book- an oversharer- so there’s not a whole lot of Jeffy that folks don’t get in a few minutes. Maybe that’s the thing. When I’m quiet is most likely the time that I’m ready to breathe the most fire. It doesn’t happen all that often, but that would be my biggest surprise.

May Rider of the Month announced!

We would like to announce Jeff Cincoski as the new NRO Rider of the month. Jeff has incredible talent. Not only is he a spectacular and strategical cyclist, he is a talented triathlete as well. Once we can track this beast of a man down, we'll have more on what makes this guy ticks! Glad your riding with us Jeff! You're an animal! Thanks to:www.umt.edu/ urelations/vision/ for the image!

Team Ride tonight is canceled!

Hi everyone! Sorry for the late notice, but due to lack of organizing, and a race this Saturday, I have taken the team ride off the calendar for tonight! We'll get it back on soon, I promise! - Joey

Tour of Walla Walla 2010

I know this is a late entry, but here are some photos from the Tour of Walla Walla. It was an awesome weekend. I think it was also the last time I was warm riding my bike! There was a great crew that went over: Ivy, Tyler, Blair, Josh, Brian, Scott, Tamara and I. We all worked our tails off and finished well in the rankings. Washington riders already had 8+ races under their belts, and the Montana riders gave them a run for their money. Very cool. The U23 team from New Zealand was a surprise - a pleasant one, and also a reminder of the caliber of racers that attend this race. Thanks everyone for a great weekend!

Link to the website: http://picasaweb.google.com/ray.joey/TOWW2010#

See you out there! - Joey