MTB Blanket Series

Blanket Series:

The blanket series is designed to be a low key mountain bike race
series for all ages and levels of riders. It is set up so each rider
can have fun and stay in shape in the winter. Races are held on dates
scheduled and are not rescheduled due to bad weather. The entry cost
for each race is a $10 gift to be placed on the blanket. The racers
all start together and go the same distance. After the race each
rider will choose a prize from the blanket in the order of their finish.

All races are held on Sunday and all begin at 2:00PM. For questions
call Golden Belt Bicycle. 800-561-2453.

January 11, 2009 Blanket Series: East River Loop - Great Bend
January 25, 2009 Blanket Series: Lake Wilson - Hell Creek Loop
February 08, 2009 Blanket Series: Hays Trail (785) 625 - 5685
February 22, 2009 Blanket Series: The Old Forest - Great Bend

New Year's Day Ride

Date: Every year on New Year's Day
Time: 12:00 Noon.
Description: This was the inaugural ride of the Lawrence Mountain Bike Club in 1996. Rain, snow, cold — it doesn't matter, we always start the year off by going for a ride at the River Trail then having refreshments at Johnny's Tavern. The New Year's Day Ride is appropriate for riders of all abilities. We begin the ride on the levy and ride to the River Trail where you may opt to ride as much or little of the 9 mile trail as you like before heading back to Johnny’s!
Location: Meet in the parking lot accross from the Lawrence Visitors Center (Restored Union Pacific Depot) in North Lawrence at the intersection of N. 2nd Street (Mass St.) and Locust Streets, just north of the river.

More info: LMBC

Bone Bender 3/6 Hour Odyssey

Big time endurance mountain bike racing returns to KC! Mark your calendars because you will not want to miss it. "A new standard of MTB racing will be reached" says Event Director Chris Locke.

Bone Bender 3/6 Hour MTB Odyssey
March 14th, 2009
Smithville, Missouri.

Come enjoy some of the sweetest trails in the Midwest. Party with your friends and just have a grand old time.

Official website (for now) at http://bonebender.blogspot.com

KCMO Bike Projects Need Your Support

Four priority projects from the Trails KC and Bike KC plans have been submitted for city funding. Your help is needed to let city officials know that these are important uses worthy of government funding. The requests will be evaluated by the Public Improvements Advisory Committee. PIAC is a citizens group that advises the City Council how to spend the city's capital improvements sales tax.

* Update the Bike KC master plan
* Connect the Trolley Track and Indian Creek Trails
* Extend the Riverfront Heritage Trail along the levee
* Build a new Shoal Creek Trail between KCMO and Gladstone

For more information visit: Let's Go KC

Cyclocross Nationals - Day 1 Results

Congrats to Tige Lamb - 4th Place in the Men's 30 - 39 B class and Shad Schreiner - 5th place 29 under B class. Those dudes sure do know how to ride the mud. Elder president Chris Locke got a very disappointing 66th place in the Men's 40+ B class. Expect him to lose his ride for next year....

Carolynn took some pictures:

2008 Missouri State Cyclocross Pictures

Snowy Cross

This past weekend featured two events that had some "classic cross" weather. Snow and Mud :-)

Day two at the Jingle Cross Rock event was all about who could ride in the bad conditions. Some locals did really well including Cow Town Cycling's Tige Lamb. Tige used his bike handling skills to earn 3rd place in the highly competitive Master 35+ class. Complete Jingle Cross Rock results.

Locally here in Kansas City was round #2 of the Boss Cross series. Rain and snow on Saturday brought in just enough snow and precipitation to turn the course into a muddy mess. Complete results for Boss Cross 2

Nebraska Cyclocross Championships

The Lincoln boys put on a very fun cyclocross event this past weekend. The Pioneers Park course is always a blast to ride on.

Shad Schriener and Chris Locke made the trip up to represent the Cow Town team. Shad did great in the Men's 1/2/3 class to take a well deserved 5th place finish. Chris Locke got up on the podium in the Single Speed class on both days.

Complete Day 1 Results

Some fine pictures can be found on Dirt Dobber.

De Stad Cross Cup A Huge Success!

Cow Town Cycling put on one heck of an event on Sunday. Thanks to The Wheel Cyclery and all the volunteers the De Stad Cross Cup / Kansas State Cyclocross Championships were a huge success. Held on what will surely become known has "the best cyclocross venue in the Midwest" - the University of St. Mary's course was "Bad Ass" as one racer commented.


Congratulations to Rich Anderson, Christopher Locke and Chris Locke for taking home De Stad Cyclocross Van Kansas Series titles on Sunday. We have a new state champion on Cow Town. Tige Lamb won the Master's 35+ Kansas State Cyclocross Championship with a great ride on Sunday.

Cow Town Presents the Kansas State Championships

Kansas State Cyclocross Championships

Leavenworth, KS - November 11, 2008 - The Cow Town Cycling Team is proud to present the 2008 Kansas State Cyclocross Championships. This years De Stad Cross Cup doubles as the the state championships on the historic campus of University of Saint Mary. A championship course has been designed using much of the natural 240 acres that the campus offers. "This is by far the sweetest course in the mid-west with sections of cobbles, natural run-ups, challenging sand, a beautiful tree lined hillside and the "mound of mercy", says the Cross Guru. Spectators and racers will both enjoy the course as it offers plenty of opportunities to view the action.

Kansas State Championships and De Stad Cyclocross Van Kansas series titles will be decided on Sunday. HRRC/Trek Stores Shadd Smith, lasts years De Sstad series champion, currently sits in 1st place with KCCX's Bill Marshall (National CX promoter) not far behind in 2nd. Past 24 hour National MTB Champion Cameron Chambers, winner of round #4, is in 3rd place and is always a threat to win. Mark Studnicki has been in the mix all season and presides in 4th. Last weekends Veterans Cross winner Success full Living Pro Cycling Team's Brian Jensen has improved with every event and will certainly challenge the other athletes for another win on Sunday. "The best all around cyclocross rider will win on Sunday. You need the complete package to win on this course", says event director Chris Locke.

Racing at the University of Saint Mary campus begins Sunday, November 16th at 10:30 a.m. with the Category 3/4 men going off first. Ladies, don’t forget that KCA is sponsoring the Category 4 women by supplementing your entry, which means you race for only $5. Races continue throughout the day with the Category Men 1/2/3 racing at 1:30 p.m. and the finale at 2:45 with the Juniors, Cat 4 Women, and Masters B. This is a great venue for spectating and you don't want to miss it.

Get your cross bikes ready to roll. There are categories for Men and Women from Pro to beginner with everything in between including the very popular Single Speed class. Visit http://www.kansascitycross.com/ for all the details.

Veterans Cross 2008

Roger Harrison and crew put on a great event. Over 200 riders raced in the 2008 Veterans Cross event. Cow Town was there and had a very strong showing.

Christopher Locke - 3rd Junior,Mark Cole - 2nd Single Speed, Chris Locke - 4th Single Speed, Brent Gowin - 8th Single Speed, Shad Schreiner - 11th Cat 1/2/3, Mark Cole - 4th Cat 3/4 Damian Almanza - 27th Cat 3/4, Tige Lamb - 8th Masters 35+

Here are some pictures by Cross Guru:

Veterans Cross / #5 De Stad Series

Veterans Cross the movie...

Cow Town Leads De Stad Series

The De Stad series points are up. Some great news for team Cow Town - 4 division leaders.

Rich Anderson - 1st Men's 4
Mark Cole - 1st Men's 3/4
Christopher Locke - 1st Junior Men
Chris Locke - 1st Single Speed

Complete series points on www.kansascitycross.com

Good luck to everyone at this weekend's Veterans Cross

Veterans Cross

Round #5 of the De Stad Cyclocross Van Kansas series is this Sunday and heads to what has become Kansas’ cyclocross capital - Leavenworth. The Leavenworth High School course has brought us many great events including last year’s epic snow/icy state championships.

The Lantern Rouge brings us the Veterans Cross on a special course that he himself has designed and built. “Thanks to the Cliff, the LHS grounds crew and my son’s the course is all painted, primped and ready to go for this weekend’s event”

If you are a veteran, please let Roger know. Special honors for all Veterans at this year’s event. Also look for additional awards and SWAG from the one and only Lantern Rouge.

Looks like the weather is finally getting cold for this weekends big event, but don’t worry because we have indoor facilities. Registration, awards, food, restrooms and showers are all indoors.

Go Vote!

Election day is here. Get out there and vote.

The Missouri Bicycle Federation has some good info what the candidates stand for and the proposals that we will be voting on. Check out http://mobikefed.org/

Smithville Halloween Ride

De Stad Series Heads to Cyclocross Paradise

KANSAS CITY, MO - October 21, 2008 - The De Stad Cyclocross Van Kansas Series presented by Paceline Products is proud to present the Smithville Cyclocross Festival Oct. 25th and Oct. 26th. This years festival has moved to what will soon be known has "Cyclocross Paradise" in the small town of Paradise, Missouri (just 25 minutes North of Kansas City). Situated along the shores of the beautiful Smithville Lake is Sailboat Cove Park which offers a great venue for cyclocross with its natural obstacles, tree line paved trails, rolling terrain, woody areas and beach shoreline. Spectators and racers will both enjoy the course as it offers plenty of opportunities to view the action.

Promoter Chris Locke said, “We are excited about the success of the 2008 race series and the growth we have had after 8 years of bringing great cyclocross events to the Kansas City area”. With growing attendance at each event, Kansas City is fast becoming the hotbed for cyclocross. As the numbers rise, the series attracts more sponsors to grow higher payouts and more prizes. This weekend will be no different as we expect over 500 riders.

A well balanced course has been designed by the Cross Guru for the Smithville Cyclocross Festival. The course features 158 feet of climbing per 1.5 mile lap with plenty of pavement, flowing turns, a few off camber turns, a natural steep run up (one the Guru is famous for) and the return of Harter’s Horseshoe V2 along the shores of Smithville Lake.

Conformables by Sidas has joined the great list of sponsors for the festival. The sponsorship brings each class winner custom foot beds ($140 value) made race day. The Wheel Cyclery, Clay County Parks, KCA, Tifosi, FRS, Hammer Nutrition, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Lantern Rouge Volunteer Group, Thoroughly Kneaded Muscle Therapy, Chamois Butt’r, and Santa Fe Bicycle and Coffee Shop bring the event more than $5,000 in prizes.

Prizes are plentiful and the food abundant. Saturday will feature a Mexican Fiesta and Sunday a Chili Extravaganza. Don’t forget…coffee by the gallon and lots of sweets!

Racing at Sailboat Cove begins Saturday at 10:30 a.m. with the Category 3 / 4 men going off first. Ladies don’t forget that KCA is sponsoring the Category 4 women by supplementing your entry, which means you race for only $5. Races continue throughout the day with the Category Men 1/2/3 racing at 1:30 p.m. and the finale at 2:45 with the Juniors, Cat. 4 Women, and Masters B. This is a great venue for spectating.

Get your cross bikes ready to roll. There are categories for Men and Women from Pro to beginner with everything in between including the very popular Single Speed class. Visit www.kansascitycross.com for all the details.

Smithville Cyclocross Festival Course Pictures.

Capital Cup Cyclocross Results

Congrats to Cow Town's Shad Schreiner for taking 7th in the Capital Cup Cyclocross over in Topeka, Kansas.

Complete results are at HERE.

Chris Cross on YouTube

Michael Ruder send in this cool video of the Men's Elite class at Chris Cross

Chris Cross

Cow Town riders put in a strong showing at yesterday's Chris Cross Cyclocross race.

Special thanks need to go out to everyone who helped make the Chris Cross possible.

Team Results:

Rich Anderson - 1st Masters 35+
Rich Anderson - 4th Cat 4 Male
Christopher Locke - 1st Junior Male
Chris Locke - 2nd Single Speed Open
Keith Baker - 5th Masters 45+
Craig Myers-Arenth - 6th Masters 35+
Brent Gowin - 8th Single Speed
Damian Almanza - 8th Masters 35+
Jeff Arnaud - 33rd Cat 4

Diamond Blackfan CX Results

The team and volunteers did an outstanding job putting on the Diamond Blackfan Cyclocross Challenge. We had a record turnout with 223 entries and everyone seemed like they enjoyed themselves. The weeks of hard work paid off and the event was a tremendous success. Special thanks to The Wheel Cyclery's Heather Jordan and Roger Harrison (a.k.a. Lanterne Rouge) for making this event possible.

Congrats to all the Cow Town members who not only worked their butts off building the course, they raced to top it off. We placed several riders on the podium. The hardest working man out there was Rich Anderson. He worked setting up the course, raced two classes and earned podium spots for both races. Great job to everyone who participated.

Christopher Locke - 2nd Juniors
Chris Locke - 3rd Single speed
Tige Lamb - 4th Masters 35+
Shadd Schreiner - 6th Men's Cat 1/2/3
Rich Anderson - 3rd Men's Cat 4, 2nd Masters 35+ B
Ashley Blum - 7th Single Speed
James Forristal - 36th Men's Cat 4
Damian Almanza - DNF (Chain broke)

Kansas City Cross Series Begins

2008 De Stad Cyclocross Van Kansas Series presented by Paceline Products

The Kansas City cyclocross season opens this weekend with the Diamond Blackfan Cyclocross Challenge presented by Perceptive Software . "Our first event is a great opportunity to not only kick off the cyclocross season in style, but to also raise money and awareness for a much needed cause - The Diamond Blackfan Anemia Foundation," says series director Chris Locke

Our first event will also be a first for the City of Lenexa and will highlight what Sar-Ko-Par Trails Park has to offer. Co-race director Tige Lamb has designed a 1.8 mile course that offers, pavement, sand, steep run-ups, flowing corners and more fun than any one person can handle. Festivities begin at 9 a.m with registration opening and the coffee brewing. New for the 2008 season is the addition of the Category 4 (Beginner) Masters 35+/45+ classes. If you have ever thought about trying your hand at this crazy, exciting, friendly sport, this is a great class for it. Check out one of the other 13 classes offered at www.kansascitycross.com. There is a class for you!

With over $15,000 in cash and prizes to be awarded and custom series awards, the De Stad Cyclocross Van Kansas Series presented by Paceline Products will be the Midwest's premier cyclocross race series. The six event series begins on September 28th and ends with the De Stad Cross Cup/Kansas State Cyclocross Championships on November 16th. As in previous years, a point's competition is being offered for all classes with the top finisher in each class receiving paid entry fees into all 2009 De Stad Cyclocross Van Kansas series events. Register at SportsBaseOnline . For series rules, results, flyers, directions, registration, classes and start times visit the De Stad Series website at www.kansascitycross.com

Pre-register to be entered to win some great prizes including a free Giant frameset, crankbrothers pedals, tools, tires and more.

In an effort to keep the cost of competion down, we have kept our entry fee at $20.00 for Beginner's and Master's classes. All cash payout classes will be $25.00. To help grow the sport and with help from the KCA, we have lowered the entry fee to only $5.00 for all beginner women.

Hermann Cross Under the Lights Video

Courtesy Team Red Wheel

Diamond Blackfan Cyclocross Challenge Course

One lap of the Diamond Blackfan Cyclocross Challenge course.

An Hour of Hell!

Tour of Missouri Pictures

Carolynn and Chris heading out to watch the 2nd Annual Tour of Missouri today. "We had a great time today and hope everyone enjoys the pictures we took"

Roger was up in St. Joseph on Sunday and down on the plaza on Monday for the Women's Criterium. Check out Roger's House of Pictures for some cool shots.

6 Hour's of Fun

Two endurance events took place over the Labor Day weekend. Both the Tall Oak 6 Hour and the Cruise the Blues were a great success.

Congrats to Rich Anderson, Mike Classen and Shad Schreiner on their finishes in both of these events.

Tall Oak 6 Hour Results

Cruise the Blues Individual Results.

Cruise the Blues Team Results.

Cruise The Blues

Cruise The Blues
Saturday, August 30th, 2008 11:00 a.m.
5 hour race - 50 trophies - $2400 cash prizes

Doug and Tracey Palen own and operate Palen Family Farms located east of Tipton in North Central Kansas. Doug is a mountain bike enthusiast and has established 13 miles of trails winding through the creeks, pastures, native grass, and croplands on the farm. Saturday, August 30th, 2008, the Palens will host their 5th annual Cruise the Blues mountain bike festival. The day starts at 11:00 a.m. with a 5-hour ride and race. The day will continue with concessions and raffle drawings for cool stuff donated by our generous sponsors. We will conclude the day's festivities with an awards ceremony including trophies and cash prizes and top everything off with barn-burnin' live music. Cruise the Blues 2008 will again include the Cruiz´n Kids race for the younger riders, starting at 5:00 p.m. Come join us for a day the entire family can enjoy!

http://www.cruisetheblues.com/

Riverfront Trail Opening in Riverside

Got some great news while reading KCBike.info. They are opening the levee for us all to enjoy.

Cow Patties Win Rapture in Misery

Another great showing by the Cow Town Cycling Team at the annual Rapture in Misery. In the Fast division the Cow Patties team (Ashley Blum, James Forristal and Brent Gowin) fought back from a fist lap mishap to take the class win with our Trail Grazers team (Craig Myers-Areth, Jeff Arnaud and Keith Baker) securing the final podium position. It was a tight battle for the entire 12 hour with the Trail Grazers leading for most of the day. Proving that in endurance racing the event is usually decided on the night laps, The Cow Patties team took over the lead after 12 hours of racing to secure the lead on the final lap.

In the Coed class our Mad Cow Stampede team of Gerard Arantowicz, Carolynn Locke and Chris Locke team placed second. All day long Gerard showed that he had great form after finishing the Wilderness 101. Carolynn's first RIM was a success for her as she completed two laps of the tough course. They also earned a special award with Mr. Locke winning the prize for the fastest night lap.

Rich Anderson Teamed up with Doug Stone in the 6 hour duo class and lead for most of the day. Rich, who was suffering from a back injury, posted some fast times with help from Kansas Siddhi Yoga's Gina Caputo. Gina worked with Rich after each lap to keep him going strong. Again it came down to the last lap where the lead was lost to the Bike Shack duo.

In the 6 hour solo division Mike Classen never gave up and climbed up to 4th place after a mechanical and a bad crash. Eric Tiffany put in 5 hard laps to earn a top 10 spot.

Results and photos are up at Heartland

Cycling Risk Assessment Study

"You can’t solve a problem until you can measure it." - late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan

The New York Cycle Club (NYCC) is conducting a survey to gather bicycling accident information from a diverse population of cyclists. Anyone may submit one or more bicycling accident survey responses. Whether you had a minor or major accident, or observed one, live in New York or far away, please click here to enter a survey response.

The results of this ongoing world-wide survey will eventually be compiled, analyzed, and published here. In the meantime, below are links to a few other cycling safety related studies that may be of interest to you. It is worth noting, these studies are the result of compiling accident statistics from police reports or by performing a controlled experiment.

The NYCC Cycling Risk Assessment Study differs as the information collected is completely voluntarily and in most cases represents first hand accounts by the person experiencing the accident or someone closely related to such person. In turn it will provide more up-to-date research as most of the studies cited below are at least 7 years old.

Wilderness 101 - Gerard Does It

Congratulations to Cow Town's Gerard Arantowicz for finishing the very demanding Wilderness 101 in Central Pennsyvania. Gerard's finishing time was 14 hours, 20 min for 101 miles of sweet single track.

Here is the pre race write-up on cyclingnews.

Clydesdale men

1 Steven Blackman (Human Zoom/Pabst Blue Ribbon)               9.18.38
2 Timothy Burton (Jackass Adventure Team)                      2.01.18
3 Mike Cusato (JAAT)                                           2.08.52
4 Timothy Koch (Smart PT/OC Interactive Design)                2.54.26
5 Barry Quigley (Pedal Shop)                                   3.28.20
6 Kirk Emig (Team Cycleworks)                                  4.11.15
7 Gerard Arantowicz (JewelCartoons.com/ Cowtown Cycling)       4.57.00

Complete Results Here.

2008 De Stad Cyclocross Van Kansas Series

The De Stad Cyclocross Van Kansas series is back for 2008 with 6 great events and 3 new exciting locations.

The opening round will be a new event that is sure to be a season favorite of many riders. The Diamond Blackfan Cyclocross Challenge is being held in the So-Kar-Par Trails Park in Lenexa, Kansas. This new venue "is a perfect location for a cyclocross race" says race director Tige Lamb.

Participation will not only make you eligible for exciting prizes from our generous sponsors, but it will also benefit a worthy cause.

Your registration fee will be donated directly to The Diamond Blackfan Anemia Foundation.The DBA Foundation is an organization in desperate need of funding so it can realize its goal of finding a cure for this life-threatening and rare disease.

Visit www.kansascitycross.com

Best of the Northland

Congratulations to Back and Body Works for winning the "Best Place for a Massage" award in the 18th Annual Best of the Northland Winners.

Back and Body Works is a proud sponsor of Cow Town Cycling.

Shawnee Mission 3/6 Hour MTB Race

The 1st Annual Shawnee Mission 3/6 Hour took place today at the very popular Shawnee Mission Park off-road trails. Conditions were needless to say HOT.

Team Cow Town was also hot as the Duo of Rich Anderson and John Wagner won the overall 6 hour event with 12 laps. Solo winner was Cameron Chambers who posted 11 laps on this very hot day. Early race leader was former National Collegiate champion Jeff Winkler who finished off the day in 2nd place.

The 3 hour event belonged to Mark Studnicki as he set the fastest first lap and never looked back. Aaron Elwell was a close 2nd keeping Studnicki honest during for all 6 laps of their event. Cow Town's Tige Lamb rounded out the podium as Tige fought off cramps to secure the final paying position.

Check out Team Seagal's write-up of the race.

Pics are here: Carolynn's Photo Album

Smithville Spazz-Ma-Tazz

The 1st Annual Smithville Spazz-Ma-Tazz was a great success. Henry Bullock did a very good job at his first try at race promotion. A big Thank You to all the volunteers, Earth Riders and the Mountain Bike Patrol for helping make this event happen. It was a Spazz Blast.

It rained a good part of the day Saturday and the course got about 3/4 of an inch of rain. But due to great trail building the trails were in awesome shape and by the second lap were in sweet condition.

Congratulations to our newest Cow Town member Brent Gowin. Brent won the Sport 20-29 division with his teammates close behind. Ashley Blum took a well deserved 3rd and Jeff Arnaud a few seconds back in 4th. In the Marathon class old man Chris Locke took a well deserved 2nd place in a very competitive field.

See you at the next race...

Free Kids Bicycle Race v2

Brendan and Roger are at it again......

Briarcliff-Winnwood Master Plan Meeting

Kansas City, Missouri, is working on a new master plan to guide development and redevelopment of older part of KC North, generally between North Kansas City and Gladstone.

The first public meeting is July 8, 2008 at the Golden Oaks Education Center (3100 N.E. 46th Street, Kansas City, MO 64119). This is a great opportunity for us to ask for better bicycle accommodations in this area, such as implementing bike routes in the Bike KC plan and
providing bicycle parking at businesses and public buildings.

If you can not make the meeting, contact project manager Kyle_Elliott@kcmo.org and offer your suggestions.

Northland Nightmare

The Northland Nightmare Bicycle Tour - July 6th

TIME: Registration beginning at 6:00 a.m. Ride starts at 7:00 a.m.

WHERE: Bennett Park Shelter House #2, 1130 Clayview Drive, Liberty MO 64068

DISTANCE: 100, 62,50 and 25 mile routes available; FULL SAG service and traditional “extra” Goodies.

Flyer can be downloaded HERE

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Please contact Lou Joline @ (816) 679-8185 or LJoline@aol.com if you have any questions.

Free Kids Bicycle Race

Rage Against the Ravine Trail Ride

Come out to Clinton Lake State park over the 4th of July weekend and enjoy the fine trails of Clinton State Park.

What: Rage Against the Ravine Trail Ride
Where: Clinton State Park - Free Parking area at the Corps entrance.
When: Saturday, July 5th, 2008 - 9:00am start time
Why: To ride a full loop of the trails at Clinton State Park including the infamous "Red Trail" We plan to have the trail crew out in force knocking down all the spider webs.....
Info: G (785) 691-7099

Historic Mullet Ride

Update: The Mullet Ride was a great success. Fun was had by all. Be sure to put this ride on the calendar for next year. Pictures from today's ride.

The historic Mullet Ride is back....

What: Gravel Road Ride in Baldwin City
When: Saturday, June 28th, 10:00 am. start.
Where: Collins Gym parking lot, 6th and Fremont, Baldwin City, KS
Info: Gerard @ (785) 691-7099

25 miles connecting famous historic sites. we will ride the ruts of the Santa Fe Trail and tour the lost town of Brooklyn sacked by Quantrills Raid. Parts of the course are hilly, bring food and water, will stop at certain sites, maps provided bring cash for BBQ in Baldwin at local dive afterwards

Cyclocross Season Begins

....In 100 days...

It is hard to believe, but the start of the local cyclocross season is just 100 days away. We are working hard on making this year’s series the best ever. Look for some new venues and unique awards 08’. And as always plenty of food, drinks and a great time. The schedule is coming together – see below.

2008 De Stad Cyclocross Van Kansas Series

Round # 1: Diamond Blackfan Cyclocross Challenge - 9/28/08
Round # 2: Chris Cross, 10/12/08
Round # 3: Riverside Cyclocross Challenge Day 1 – 10/25/08
Round # 4: Riverside Cyclocross Challenge Day 2 – 10/26/08
Round # 5: Veterans Cross – 11/09/08
Round # 6: Kansas State Cyclocross Championships – 11/16/08

For all your cyclocross needs visit http://www.kansascitycross.com

Earth Riders June Meeting

What: Wed Jun 18 6pm – Wed Jun 18 9pm

20080618T180000/20080618T210000

Where: Smithville Lake - Sailboat Cove

What: June EarthRiders Meeting

From Ben..

Trails are going to be dusty according to the reports from the tree clean up crew last night. The meeting is a GO! We are planning on having burgers and dogs for about 80 people. Beans, chips, potato salad and home made chocolate chip cookies.

Grab your kitchen passes, throw on your bike, and grab six of whatever your favorite beverage is. The trails should be sweet! I have to head up tonight to finish trimming a few furry spots. The downed trees were cleared by Tacoboy and DirtyV last night.

We will be meeting @ Sailboat Cove which is south of the usual W highway trail head. I will have a map posted at the W trail head if you show up there and don't know how to get to the Sailboat Cove Shelter.

I should be setting up at the shelter house around 5 pm. The official ride usually starts at 6 pm MTB time. Come earlier, come later, just come up whatever you do.

See you there

St. Jude Bike-A-Thon

Hey! Get some laps in and support the St. Jude Foundation this Saturday. Listen to music by the Lanterne Rouge.

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Bike-A-Thon
Saturday, June 14th 2008
Craig's Crossing Park
9133 Woodland Ave.
Lenexa, Kansas

Time: 9:00am to 12:00pm
Course: .70 mile flat loop on paved trail. The course is suitable for all ages so bring the kids.

All funds raised from the event will help St. Jude in its ongoing fight against childhood cancer and other catastrophic diseases.

All participants will receive a certificate. For participants who raise $35 or more: St. Jude T-shirt $75 or more: St. Jude backpack.

If you are interested in participating or making a donation, please email or call Anita Bandy at 913-522-9281.

Thanks so much!!

Anita

Kansas Road Championships

The Kansas Category Championship Races are coming up fast! Dates are...

RR - Saturday June 7th - Arma, KS

Crit - Sunday June 8th - Pittsburg, KS

TT - Sunday June 22nd - Walnut, KS

You can find all the race specifics plus lodging info at the race website. We have free lodging (BAK style gym floor camping) available on Friday June 6th and Saturday June 7th at Northeast High School gymnasium (site of the RR). Both the RR & Crit have air conditioned buildings and showers availableon-site.

http://www.tailwindcyclists.com/localevents/race/index.htm

You can register online for all the races at sportsbaseonline.com

Contact the promoter with any questions
Roger Lomshek
roger@tailwindcyclists.com
620-231-2212

Jack Wayne Anderson

Congratulations to Mary and Richard Anderson on the birth of their son Jack Wayne Anderson. Jack was born this morning and is doing great. Weight is 8 lbs, 7 oz and he is 21 inches tall.

Holler Wins Bump N' Grind

From our SouthEast squad....New Cow Town member Selby Holler has been training hard with Joey Locke in the Florida heat. Both have been putting in the miles in after their last event, the Cohutta 35, to prepare for the very popular Bump N' Grind (572 racers). Their hard work payed off with Selby taking a class win in only his second mountain bike race and Joey stepping up on the box with a 3rd place. Congrats to them both for representing Cow Town well.

The KC squad will be taking on the Bump N' Grind next year. Mark June 7th, 2009 on your calendar

Penguin Paddle

The one and only Roger Harrison is participating in the annual Penguin Paddle. Each year he swims one mile (33.3 laps) in the Leavenworth Community Center pool to help raise money for the cure of our nations number one cause of disability - Arthritis. Help Roger by donating to his fundraiser.

KCCC Bike Race

The 2008 Kansas City Corporate Challenge bike race kicks off tomorrow. Two days of intense competition will take place out at the Kansas Speedway. Racers will race over a 2.5 mile course. Yea 2.5. miles does not sound hard, but go out and try to sprint for 2.5 miles then say that....Look for dozens of area cyclist wearing their company uniforms instead of their local team kits. This event is always a great time.

Ride of Silence

THE RIDE OF SILENCE? WILL NOT BE QUIET

On May 21, 2008, at 7:00 PM, the Ride of Silence? will begin in North America and roll across the globe. Cyclists will take to the roads in a silent procession to honor cyclists who have been killed or injured while cycling on public roadways. Although cyclists have a legal right to share the road with motorists, the motoring public often isn't aware of these rights, and sometimes not aware of the cyclists themselves.

The Ride Of Silence is a free ride that asks its cyclists to ride no faster than 12 mph and remain silent during the ride. There is no brochure, no sponsors, no registration fees and no t-shirt. The ride, which is held during Bike Safety month, aims to raise the awareness of motorists, police and city officials that cyclists have a legal right to the public roadways. The ride is also a chance to show respect for those who have been killed or injured.

Please check the resources on this site. If there is a Ride Of Silence in your area, we encourage you to join them.

Bike Week Results

Congrats to Heather Jordan and Chris Locke for taking top honors in last weeks Car Free Challenge.

Final Rankings and Results

Team: Garmin
8,080 miles, 3,765 bike miles, 191 people

Bike Miles
Chris Locke - Cow Town Cycling Team - 331 miles
Kelly Ricke - Team OP - 203 miles

New Bike Commuter
Jevon Carlson - Team Frank Stallone - 185 miles
Heather Jordan - The Wheel Cyclery Team - 139.5 miles

Walking Trips
Melody Windisch - Black & Veatch - 28 trips
Matthew Keys - HOK Flying Buttresses - 13 trips

Bus Trips
Craig Smith - Corps of Engineers Midtown Maulers - 8 trips
Davida Miller - Linda Hall Library Team Hedgehog - 8 trips

Carpool Trips
Mark Emge - Garmin - 10 trips
Patricia Williams - Tetra Tech - 10 trips

Total Miles: 41,019
People Registered: 1094
People who logged trips: 799
Teams: 61
Solo Commuters: 163
First-timers: 216
Carbon Dioxide saved: 38,885 pounds
Gasoline saved: 2,279 gallons and $8,363

Big Cycling Events Coming to St. Joseph

The Tour of Missouri is not the only cycling events that are coming to this fine city in Northwestern Missouri. The city of St. Joseph and Lantern Rouge Racing are bringing your a 3 person Team Time Trail and a Road Race. Not only that, but a Women's criterium and kids race are planned.

All of these events are planned the weekend before the Tour of Missouri comes to town. More info can be found at www.kansascitycross.com

All proceeds from these fine events will be donated to The Mark Reynolds Fund. Mark was a native of St. Joseph, Missouri.

Event flyers found HERE.

Car Free Challenge is ON

Cow Town Cycling Team announces it's roster for the 2008 Car Free Challenge:

Rich Anderson, Richard Brown, Roger Harrison, Kristen Haug, Jeffrey, Haug, Joshua Haug, Chris Locke, Carolynn Locke, Chris Locke Jr., Wayne Lubis, Jenny McGee, David Wathen, Brandon Young.

Good Luck to all!

Women's Criteruim - A Great Success

Roger Harrison and his crew put on the 2nd Annual Lanzing Daze Criterium on Sunday. This is a special event and will contiune to grow in the coming years.

Pictures can be found at Roger's House of Photos.

From Roger:

A tremendous success. I want to thank all the support from the Lansing Community, the Police, EMS, Street Department, School District, City Hall, and the Mayor. The event has improved due to the efforts of your community spirit and the efforts of Teri Chang, Amy Whittaker, Stacie Louthan, Mike Patterson, Lamont Cranston, Joe Tripodi, EMan, Chris Locke and Mark Thomas. This event will continue next year but at a different venue in Lansing. Through the efforts of these persons this event is growing and becoming a mainstay in the area for racing. See you on the roads, hopefully very soon, Roger.

Results below:

Kansas City Bike Week - Car Free Challenge

Kansas City's Bike Week is May 10 - 18. Over sixty events are planned. One of the most popular and most important is the Car-Free Challenge (formally Commuter Challenge)

The Car-Free Challenge is a friendly competition that encourages Kansas Citians to reduce the number of trips that we take by ourselves in our automobiles. Great prizes are available for the folks that log the most miles and/or the most trips.

Cow Town Cycling Team has formed a team again this year. Last year we placed 3rd overall has a team and even had the individual winner (yours truly).

To join our team or form a team of your own with your co-workers, go to http://kcbike.info/bikeweek/challenge.php

You can even go solo if you like. But, Just go car free!

Calling All Women Riders.

"All is set for the 2nd Annual Lansing DAZE Criterium. This is a Women ONLY event being held in Lansing, Kansas. Prizes galore, a new and personalized trophy for the Women's Masters Group Winners both Open and Category 4 in all age groups, personalized medals for second and third places, large cash payouts for Juniors, and Category 3/4 women, primes from the Susan Komen foundation(some of the primes are wrapped in a Longaberger basket donated by my special friend Rosalee Robinson), police protected closed course, city street sweeper swept course on day of race, and FREE massages, KCKCC Message Therapy Students, donated by Farmer's Group Insurance, and Tailwind Cycling. NEW Riders ONLY, bring the discount card provided by our friends at Boulevard, see what kind of a discount that you receive for your entry fee.
New added field, Masters Women Open 30+, preregistration via fax, 913.682.5247, scan to this address jpg please, or drop off at Santa Fe Trails Bicycle and Coffee Shop.

More info visit: www.kansascitycross.com

Heartland Race Cancelled Again

Will we ever get to race???

Crocodile Rock cancelled

Written by Craig Stoeltzing

Sunday, 27 April 2008

It rained solid here from 9:30 to 1:00 am. We've checked the trails this morning and will have to cancel the race due to conditions. Stay tuned for updates.

Kansas City Trails System Logo Competition

LOGO DESIGN AND NAMING COMPETITION

The KCMO Citywide Trails Plan project team is challenging the creative minds of Kansas City (no age or expertise requirements) to a trails logo and naming competition. The winning logo and name may appear on trail signage, trail promotional materials, and mile markers and serve as the new "brand" for Kansas City's trail system.

FIRST PRIZE: Gary Fisher hybrid bike

DEADLINE: MAY 30TH AT NOON

Please forward the entry form and informational flyer to your friends, family, colleagues, students, and neighbors.

Here is the Entry Form
For more information please visit http://www.kcmotrails.com.

Cohutta 100

Cow Town Cycling would like to wish the following riders luck at this weekends Cohutta 100. The Cohutta is the first round of the very popular National Ultra Endurance Mountain Bike Series (N.U.E)

Good Luck to all!

Randy Cartwright - 65 Mile
Selby Holler - 35 Mile
Tige Lamb - 100 Mile
Chris Locke - 100 Mile
Christopher Locke - 35 Mile
Carolynn Locke - 35 Mile
Joey Locke - 35 Mile
Eric Tiffany - 100 Mile Single Speed

Look for a full race report and pictures here.

5th Annual VeloTek Grand Prix.

The 5th Annual VeloTek Grand Prix is just around the corning. Coach Jim Whittaker and his GP VeloTek team put on this annual time based stage race.

A 2.5 km TT and Criterium are will be held on Saturday April 26th out at Clinton Lake. Sunday April 27th brings the Lake Perry Road Race. Time bonuses for top placings are available - see event flyer.

Here is the flyer for the 08' Velotek Grand Prix.

Paseo Bridge Groundbreaking

We need your support for a safe bike/pedestrian crossing on the Paseo Bridge by having your presence at the ground breaking Friday, April 18 at 2 pm. Ride your bike, walk, run or take transit to the ceremony. MoDOT and Senator Kit Bond will be there.

Paseo Bridge Ground-Breaking Ceremony
Friday, April 18, 2:00 p.m.
Isle of Capri Casino parking lot
1870 East Front Street, Kansas City, MO 64120 (map/directions)

* Bike there: A group of cyclists will ride 1.5 miles from the KCATA park-and-ride lot at 3rd and Grand, leaving promptly at 1:40 p.m.
* Bus there: The Isle of Capri is served by Metro bus #173 - Casino Cruiser. It leaves the 10th & Main Transit Center at 1:41 p.m. and arrives at the casino at 1:50 p.m. The return bus leaves at 3:08 p.m. Route map and schedule (PDF).
* Walk there: The Isle of Capri is walkable from Berkley Riverfront Park, via the Riverfront Heritage Trail.

Background:
Work is being done to design and get funding for the Paseo bridgebike/ped ramps that MODOT said has to happen to get them to completethe bike/ped lane on the bridge. There are 2 separate KCMO council resolutions asking for it and a regional River Crossing Policy that recommends it. KCMO is committed to it and MODOT needs to see that they must stand behind their agreement to finish the bike/ped lane on the bridge deck if other agencies can get the connecting ramps there.

Crank 'n' Cruise Postponed!

04.11.2008
KANSAS CITY, MO.
Crank ‘n’ Cruise POSTPONED
http://www.heartlandrace.com

Racing friends and loyal supporters of HSP:

Do to the current and projected weather conditions at Crowder State Park, the Crank-N-Cruise Mountain Bike Race that was scheduled for Sunday, April 13th has been POSTPONED…More details forthcoming. I'm sure you were probably expecting this message. I know you are frustrated, as are we.

The winter from "Hades" has continued to rear its ugly head into the spring racing season. Crowder State Park has received over an inch of rain on Tuesday, a quarter of an inch last night, and it has rained all day today. The extended forecast is calling for possible rain and below average temperatures. There is even a chance for snow flurries Friday night. The Thompson River is currently rising and Grundy County is under a flood alert. With all these contributing factors

We have already stated our reasoning for not supporting "Rain or Shine" races in past posts. I've stated my personal view points on "Pappy's Place" but I'll give you the short version anyway:

We choose to look at the "Big Picture" and the impact our decisions will make in the long run, not for immediate gratification. Racing in the mud is not fun and is detrimental to the ecology of the trail systems we utilize for our race venues.

'm not willing to compromise our trails or cobble together an alternative "short option" that would simply satisfy the requirements of "calling it a race." We have some of the best trails in north Missouri. That is why we host a race. We want to showcase our wonderful trails. We would rather wait until the conditions improve and we can offer a better racing experience. We, Heartland Sport Promotions [HSP], have very high standards and expectations for our events. We strive for the best and that is what racers have come to expect when they participate in our events.

The decision to cancel or reschedule a race is not totally ours to make. We are utilizing public lands and have a land manager that has jurisdiction in making the final decision as to whether an event will proceed or be cancelled. At Crowder State Park that decision is based on environmental impact, public safety, and following the established policies concerning inclement weather and trail closures.

Please continue to monitor the Heartland web page for updated information on the 2008 race schedule. We are looking at possible options for rescheduling events.

I hope you will continue to support our efforts to provide the racing community with quality events. We love to ride bikes and share trails just like you do!

Doug “Pappy” Long

Ouachita Challenge Results and Pictures

The 7th Annual Quachita Challenge was held this past weekend in Oden, AR. The Ouachita Cycling Club put on a great event with a ride on Saturday and then the race on Sunday. Both events sell out quickly so be sure to put this event on your "must do" list.

The Womble and Quachita trails were used to make up the majority of the planned 60 mile route. Due to the recent rains that the area received parts of the course had to be cut out. The final course distance turned out to be about 52 miles, but with the muddy conditions it felt more like 75 miles...

Still waiting on the official results, but here is what I do know. Jeff Winkler (former National Collegiate Road Champion) won the overall title in 4 hrs 29 min. For Cow Town Rich Anderson had a great race to finish in around 25th (~5hrs 20 min). Chris Locke finished in 35th (~5hrs 30min). Randy Cartwright had some mechanical troubles but still finished in 51st. Mike Classed ended up coming in a little under 6 hours, 30 min.

Below are some pictures Carolnn Locke took: