.

The Pre--Holiday Storm

2006-12-21T12:59:00.000-08:00

Finals, papers, insomnia, temporary attention deficit disorder, and random chaos are the words which best encompass finals week. For me things were slightly easier than past semesters, however still challenging. I was responsible for creating a Gate II Portfolio, which means if passed they will allow me to student teach...scary I know! The paper ended up being a monster; I think the binder weighs five pounds with over seventy five pages of reflections, papers, and assessments.

Christmas is just around the corner which means little smokeys, winter break, spending money that doesn’t exist, and cross country skiing through the north woods (if there is enough snow!) Today it was raining in Eau Claire, so much for the white Christmas. That being said…Happy Holidays!

On the riding front things have been slow. This past week+ I have put in around 200 miles of high cadence, toe numbing, face burning late December rides. John and I have been out for some rides, mostly night rides along the river and away from crazy holiday drivers in a haze. I will start to pick things up again soon. With a less demanding spring semester I should have more time for quality rides and maybe a routine…although I better not ask for too much at once.

Tuition payments are fast approaching for next spring so it has become increasingly important to liquidate some carbon bikes. If you are interested I am still trying to sell my 2006 Trek 9.9 (21.5inch) carbon laced speed lusting mountain bike. It is currently listed on mtbr, check it out! Tell a friend!

Thank You! I have not said it enough this season to the people who are paying the bills and handing the bottles and screaming on the trailside. Thanks PCW for another great year! Thanks you John (not John Beck, but him too!) for all the race support! I resigned my contract with PCW for another race season in 2007 and am excited to once again ride for the Midwest’s Blue Train. Thank you to the sponsors, I would not be riding without you!

Support Tristan’s world’s campaign!

Quote of the day:

“We each carry our own Tour de France inside of us.” ~ Philippe Brunel

Train Hard Train Smart…

Happy Holidays

Chad

Thanksgiving!

2006-11-17T12:34:00.000-08:00

It is truly a sad sight to see three bikers trying to run, but that has been the story here in Eau Claire for the past month. Chad and John have been at it for the past few weeks, and I joined them for the first time early this week. We only ran for 40 minutes or so, but I'm still hobbling around campus. I'm hoping I adapt pretty quick, or it's going to be a long winter.

John and I have been lifting a few times a week also. Getting huge. Warming up in the weight room on a stationary bike really makes you want to get outside and ride. Unfortunately we've had some snow/rain here. It's fair to say, though, that we have all been in off season mode lately. Chad has been mega busy, and is now officially student teaching at a school in chippewa falls. We're getting close to heading back up to Spoon town for some turkey and mashed potatoes and to catch up with the family.

Couple of other fun things;

Check out Tj Woodruff's new coaching program website: www.momentumendurance.com

and

Chad's 9.9 is on Ebay right now, so if anyone is looking for a lovely bike let us know.

So that's it around here. I hope everyone's cross season is going well!

Happy Thanksgiving,

-Chase

2006-11-16T19:45:00.000-08:00

For your listening enjoyment

The Cranberries, Linger. Enough said.

Chew on this

2006-11-06T14:41:00.000-08:00

This afternoon, while sipping coffee with John and chatting with Ron Kay, we decided it would be a dandy time to put together a list of the stuff that really grinds our gears. Not that we're cynical people (you may disagree in a few minutes), but it just seemed to be the right time. This is the type of list that can't be pre-meditated, it just happens. While your reading this list feel free to say to yourelf (but not too loudly) amen, or wow these guys are in my head, right on, so true, or even just sit back and giggle. Invite your friends over, get into a heated argument, whatever floats your boat.

so here goes....

We are not big fans of:

$40 dollar jeans
11:11 make a wish
Vote No
Vote Yes
Tree huggers
Lumberjacks
slightly cracked ping pong balls
political emails
slightly deflated basketballs
VCR's
Jinco Jeans
animal wallpaper
tube socks
big girls "slipping" into a size 2
People who don't give a damn
people who do give a damn
wasabi (Horseraddish's bastard child)
Litterers
people who drag their shoes when they walk
drunk girls
trying to drink out of a nalgene bottle while walking
femininsts
tools
specialized
black tea
lost remotes
cheap duct tape
slow drivers
rikshaws
credit card statements
people who stand in the middle of the sidwalk to chit chat
popups
freedom fries
foreign professors with thick accents
indecisivness
Rosanne
Mold in water bottles
wet shoes
deodorant that stings your armpits
microwave clocks
overachievers
underachievers
Admiral Nelson
Dr. Phil
Carlos Mencia
straws with a little crack in them
sleeping with contacts still in
HR monitors that don't read quite right
security deposits
trying to balance your checkbook
snakes on a plane
Random Gary fisher contracts
Specialized
Snakes on a Plane
Sher
hangnails
GWB
cordless mice that don't work so hot
uggs
progressivley shorter overlapping t-shirts
dude capris
ass crack (I don't care who it is)
Grey's Anatomy
Riding in August
Specialized
no water hand sanitizer
Liberals
conservatives
liberal/conservatives
Hippies
sign holders
turn only lanes
wet towel from a previous shower
Marylin Manson ( the guy, not the music)
stripped bolts
19th birthdays
chex mix w/ M &M's
almond joy
crying babies (the best birth control)
tofu
scratched CD's
Bad art
Zelda 12
hippocrites
specialized
slow leaks
holes in the toes of socks
paper cuts
feng shui
the mall
specialized
stairs
screen doors
drinking fountains that don't shoot far enough
drinking fountains that shoot too far
people who feel the need to make out with the drinking fountain when the flow is just right
sponge bob
eminem
smell of subways
motion sickness
bat winging
Tomac
grips that spin on handlebars
excuses
specialized
columbia
laguna beach
Rosie O'donnel
Ink stains
lower back tatoos (tramp stamps)
cankles
crocs
specialized
razor burn
best buy (don't get me wrong this place rocks, but it takes your money)
walmart
lint
gypsies
Kevin Bacon
aids
big words in small situations
foldable bikes
"just get me the part, I'll take it back to the farm and fix it"
tiny staplers
paper clips
common cold
vitamin C
garlic
goths
cynical people....

The Late Season Shuffle

2006-10-06T15:50:00.000-07:00

I should start out with my present education situation. I have fallen subject to the hardest semester of my college career. This semester is dreaded by all education majors. They call it Block, which means practice and methodology in the classroom. This translates to a gargantuan amount of time and copious amounts of busy work. I student teach in a small school in Chippewa Falls for half the semester. We go all day for eight weeks straight, and if that’s not enough work we have to pay for it! However, to a put a positive spin on matters I am learning things. For example at recess the other day I learned how to play four square. Do you know how? In addition I am relearning important life skills which I may have forgotten since elementary school, things like listening, cooperation and following direction.

Now for the quick and saddening Wisconsin Rapids race recap. Leading the chase train after slow start I developed a small leak in my front tire. I reached back for my CO2, not there! Rookie mistake I thought as I visualized the cartridge setting in the roof rack. For a while I was able to milk it out, but then tragedy struck in a root slip log slam on the leg over the bars tire roll crash. I was done. Jesrin handed me some air but I had to cut a chunk of trail to catch him. I chased back for the remainder of the lap and drop out at the finish. Such is racing.

So the training volume has been way down the last couple weeks mainly for the reasons listed above, however I have gotten some cool (literally and figuratively) night rides in. Tomorrow John and I are heading south to Shevegas for the PCW race. Chase has two big exams on Monday so he can’t make it. I heard the course has changed so we will be pre-riding tomorrow early afternoon, hope to see you there.

Quote of the day:

This is not Disneyland, or Hollywood. I'll give you an example: I've read that I flew up the hills and mountains of France. But you don't fly up a hill. You struggle slowly and painfully up a hill, and maybe, if you work very hard, you get to the top ahead of everybody else. -Lance Armstrong

Picture from the fat, compliments of Woody.

Spring break training trio 2004.

World is Your Playground,
Chad

Chequamegon - The good, the bad, and the Ugly

2006-09-17T12:15:00.000-07:00

At the starting line I knew it was going to be fast, but I had no idea how fast. Looking around I saw all the local guns scatterd between several national superstars along with some world class athletes. The road lead out was crazy as usual with several crashes near the rear and tire burns at the front. I was riding the north side of the road trying to avoid the wind and keep out of trouble for the majority of 77. I hit Rosey's field on Hall's wheel rounding out the top ten. Rosey's was managable but when we hit the birkie I was on the rivet! Swanson threw down hard going ballistic on one of the first climbs. I was about ten riders back watching it unfold. I was waiting for the big counter but no one had it. Mike, Doug, Brown, and JHK were off the front! After brief shock we had a stacked chase group with Hall, Matter, Tristan, Ian, Tj, Phillips and myself. Our group worked together for the most part but I know some were in deep debt. I was feeling strong at OO when Tj made a little acceleration; I followed and pulled through. We had a short lived gap but with Hall and Ian in chase it didn't last long. My bad luck came just after the lake when an air borne stick jammed between my frame and chain. I was only off the bike for ten seconds, but thats all it took. For five miles I was chasing hard and came within 20 yards.....not enough I was OTB! I still had twelve miles to go so I put it in TT mode to save a top ten.

www.skinnyski.com

In the end I was a couple minutes behind my group but can't help but wonder what could have been, I was feeling strong. Big congrats to all the finishers especially Tj and Jesrin for awesome results!

Happy Recovery
Chad

Pre-game

2006-09-15T09:59:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update, I guess any update will do these days, about the upcoming Fat Tire. John, Chase and I have been doing some prep rides the past couple weeks but training has been on the rocks. School is crazy and life is chaotic at best! I am super pumped to be racing again after my short absence from the WORS series and will be looking forward to dicing it up this weekend. Tj has his special sauce, Jesse has his predictions, Trek has everyone, Matter is on the up and up, and am excited to get out there! See you at the races, good luck!

World is your playground,
Chad

Live from Trek World 07!

2006-08-19T09:05:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

Grant and I are hanging out in the Monona Terrace in Madison this weekend at the 2007 Trek tailgate party, and I'm updating from about 25-feet away from "the room". "The Room" just happens to contain the entire 2007 trek , gary fisher and lemond bike lines, which, by the way, are going to completely blow your socks off! Grant snapped a few photos in "the room" so here's a sneak peak of whats to come.

Trek top fuel sl (sub 20lbs !)

Equinox TTX 9.5 Flying Ace

Wasabi Dragonfly (this has got John B. written all over it)

Big thanks to the folks at Trek for hooking us up with a free room in the Hilton on the tenth floor overlooking the lake, plus the never ending supply of food and drink. They put on quite the show. The two of us are heading out to Waterloo in a few hours to test ride some of the bikes, so swing in to either riverbrook shop to get the low down.

Keep the rubberside down-under!

-Chase

Sheboygan 'n' Brats

2006-08-09T18:37:00.000-07:00

This weekend John, Chase, and I headed down to Shevegas for the PCW crit and Wors race. Things were a little chaotic throughout but we managed to get some decent racing in our legs. To top things off we saw some dude eat 58 hot dogs, attended brat days, and drove over 700 miles in less than three days. I will skip the non-racing events; John has sweet update to fill you in. Calumet was crazy fast and I was in the hurt locker for the entire first lap. National champ AJ was throttling the road lead out and following climb making for a lead break which I was exactly 5 yards behind for the first three quarters of the lap. I knew things would blow up, especially at that pace, so I was banking on finding my legs later and passing some toasted riders. Phillips and I finished off lap one together and I think he ended up bridging to the chase group, I couldn’t hold the pace. I rode the following two laps alone finding lap traffic around every corner. On the final lap I caught Seth on last climb; he looked to be hurting and didn’t respond. I was starting to find my speed and saw Phillips about twenty seconds up the trail but couldn’t bridge with the down hill finish. Turns out things did blow by the end leaving four riders within a minute of my finishing time. Now its time for rest and prep for O2S which should be a blast, I have only heard good things about the course and competition.

Quote of the day:

“To me, cross-country racing is the mask of pain. You go out and suffer and see who’s at the front. That’s what I think of as classic cross-country race—just the looks on the riders’ faces. How hard it is to do is what makes it so satisfying a sport to be involved in.” – Ned Overend

World is your playground,
Chad

The calm before the storm

2006-07-30T11:34:00.000-07:00

CRAAAACK!....was the horrifying sound I woke up to early this morning as a monster front/ mild tornado touched down right behind my house. Looking out my window was like watching fireworks on the fourth all over again; it was almost like being at a dance club with an obnoxiously loud strobe light. This morning we had no power meaning no fancy Sunday morning breakfast, which I was looking forward to considering the empty race calendar. After riding around on the Honda my dad gave me the full property damage report. Around a half a dozen good sized oak trees uprooted, one even landed in the pond. On the sunny side of things we soaked up around three inches of rain ending our mid summer’s drought and lessening our watering extravaganzas.

On the cycling/schedule front this weekend is the calm before a lengthy storm. This coming Thursday Chase, John, and I are skipping the Equalizer TT to head down south for the PCW crit and Calumet Wors race. After that it’s the O2S in MI and then back to school, RA training, and the crazy college lifestyle which, I think, I am ready to jump back into.

Congrats to all the 24/9 riders out there, I hope you had an awesome ride and avoided our not so riding worthy weather.

Quote of the Day:

“As long as I breathe, I attack.” – Bernard Hinault

World is your Playground!
Chad

The Ride to Phillips

2006-07-24T17:34:00.000-07:00

After an oatmeal breakfast and a quick stop at Holiday, John, Chase, and I made our way east to Phillips. It’s sweet when the drive is only two hours and for once we made it to the venue early. We watched the sport riders take off…..makes you wonder if a future Floyd might be in hiding in the shadows of the field. After a long warm up and some stretching it was go time. Things started out well as I rolled third wheel into the first section of single track. Matter was off the front straightening corners with a slight lead for most of the lap. Mike, Seth, Tristan, and I bridged the gap on the second lap but no sooner had we caught Matter and the group shattered. There was no big attack just a slow and painful plummet into the lactic acid pool. On the third lap I was riding, as usual, behind the leaders and in front of the chase. I was getting time gaps the entire race….two minutes, one minute, thirty seconds. Rarely does it happen but Sunday I was getting faster as the race went on. In the swamp straight away I could see Seth so I pinned it up the finishing climbs and onto the road. I was close but no catch! Today I have a softball size knot in my lower back and the heat has drained me of all ambitions, so a rest day it will be.

Quote of the day:
“Do your homework, because you will never make money riding a bike.” – Greg LeMond’s high school history teacher

Good luck to all those 24/9 riders out there, you are braver than I!

World is your Playground,
Chad

Shooting from the hip.....

2006-07-09T11:29:00.000-07:00

Things have been crazy since our last update and things are only getting crazier. Kewaunee is now a memorie but a I'll give you short and dirty. The race started out slower than normal and I entered the first section of single track about fifth wheel. Chris and Seth opened up a small gap on Matter and I causing a heated chase for the remaining laps. With lap one down I found myself thirty seconds off the lead group and a minute a head of the second chase group. I would hear time checks along the course varying from twenty seconds to a minute. On the second and third lap I road with Jeserin, a talent from up north, with little progress made on the leaders. Once again I was solo on the third lap holding a thirty second gap into the finish. In hindsight I should have struggles more at the initial break to jump the gap but my single track skills still need some sharpening.

12hrs at the Park was a sucess too. We had a small turnout but broke even fiscally and deamed it a thorough dry-run for next years event. John came up form EC and we had a good Seeley showing to boot. Because of our small turn out we decide to even up the teams to make things more competitive, and they were! It was head to head into the last thirty minutes of the twelve hours when things started looking bad for team Ram Rod (Terry T., Ron K., Dan Hanson, and myself). Team Chain Daddys took 10 mins on us by the final lap. All and all an awsome time and I look forward to next year's event....hope to YOU there! I would also like to thank Ron Kay (The Godfather #2) and Gary Crandall (The Fat Man) for the race support and time.

This past weekend was the Firecracker in Eau Claire, making it a home town race for us college folk. John Beck had a smoking race taking 4th in comp...good job John! Things went alright for me as well. To start things off I was second wheel into the first double track right behind the eventual winner AJ, nice race AJ! I then pulled around AJ to rail some single track that I know fairily well, but apparently not that well. I crashed hard a third of the way through the first lap and after putting myself and the bike back together was riding around tenth. I was fighting back most of the race making my way up to second in a small group of riders including T Wood, Seth, and Chris. Chris turned the screws shattering the group and leaving me solo for the final lap. I was on severe damage control as my back screamed for me to stop. I rolled in fifth on the day but considering the big plan things are looking good.

Now back to a much needed lazy Sunday and the World Cup final.

Quote of the day: "You can't train luck." - Eddie B.

World is your playground!
Chad

Green Bay On low budget

2006-06-17T21:39:00.000-07:00

Do you think the Discovery guy's have 5 people and 4 bikes in each of the tiny hotel rooms they stay in?

Well, they should. Its the only way to roll!

This is just a quick update before I go to bed. Things are going be awesome tomorrow. From the looks of it Muraski's gonna be warm tonight sleeping in his sweater. That kid has a hefty load of chest hair. He's a real jack pine savage.

Well I'm off to bed. Its off to the races tomorrow, then down to chicago to visit the extended family and pick up our mother.

Good luck to all the racers!

-Chase

Keep Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'

2006-06-13T14:59:00.000-07:00

Its amazing how much a bike can control your life. Chad and I get up every morning, eat a healthy breakfast and make food for the day so we don't bonk during our ride that evening, go to work at the bike shop, fixing and selling bikes and as soon as the door closes we are into our gear, filling bottles, and heading out to ride our bikes. We then come home, late, and chow down and go to bed so that we can do it again the next day. Ohh, and then there are weekends, ya know, a time of rest. No! We load up the vehicle to drive down to southern Wisconsin to race, yeah....our bikes. Well sunday you would think that we could actually get something done wouldn't you? No Again! Our bodies are so beat up, it's not worth the effort to get up in the morning. I guess this is me thinking out loud. But you know, I don't think I'd trade what I do for anything else. (Thats a lie. but almost anything else.) I guess what it comes down to is that you really just have to enjoy riding your bike. Kudos to Ron Kay who can juggle work, riding, and family so well into his day. He's father at home, and the Godfather on the trails. I can't think of a better group of people to hang out with all day, ride bikes with at night, and race with on the weekends. The Spooner/Seeley area has some pretty cool folks living in it.

Sorry Ron, but you had to see this coming.

Ok, now to the nitty gritty stuff. The 12hr is a BIG GO! Gather your friends, your co-workers, your neighbors, your family, whoever. Just get them to the Spooner City Park on June 25th 2006 at 10am. You can pre-register by contacting us ( sovaca@uwec.edu, 1715 520 7587 (Chase) 1715 520 7586 (Chad) 1715 635 2134 (Riverbrook)) You can choose from both 12 and 6 hour, 4 person, 2 person, and solo teams. The cost is only $20. This is awesome prepartion for the 24/9 event coming up in July. And you know that awesome group of people living in the Spooner/Seeley area that I mentioned earlier? Yeah, they are all gonna be there.

Also the Riverbrook Momentum U23 Development team roster is growing. If you are located in the midwest and want to be part of an awesome new development program let us know. We'll take a look at your race resume (help you make one if you don't already have one), plus get you a sweet team kit and a training plan. The idea is to support young riders until they are ready to make the next step. We can always use more sponsors too, so if you like the idea and want to help us out, that would be awesome.

All for now, I have a group ride in half an hour. Remember, road ride from Riverbrook Spooner every tuesday at 6 ish, and the Thursday Night Time Trials every thursday at 6 30 in the south parking lot of spooner elementary school.

You can never be too safe!

This is why I am NOT America's next top model!

Later all,

Chase

Big Ring

2006-06-05T19:33:00.000-07:00

More like Big Bang! This years Big Ring has topped the all time suffer meter with double the rocky single track and rough new cut trail! Matt, Chase, and I left Spooner around 9am to make the relatively short drive to Wausau. I saw a lot of familiar faces from way up north, the Seeley crew in particular. Things got started in usual WORS fashion with the field stretched single file through a dust storm, only no deer this year! After we exited the first section of single track and I knew I was in for trouble. It felt like someone was driving a rod up my spine, I think I stood three quarters of the race to stop the pain! At one point I had to stop and stretch. I was very disappointed with my performance and today only my back hurts. Matter and I were comparing blisters after the race, you could see the blood surging through our hands, and today I counted around a dozen blisters. Chase had a rough ride too. Around the third lap he cased his rear derailleur on a rock and bent his hanger, bummer because we were riding top ten together until that point. I know we weren’t the only one who had a rough race! Tj had to bag it early after snapping his xo in half! I heard the Kay brothers both got flats on lap one, and I saw many other mechanicals.

Chase and going through the only mud hole……Chase follow my line…..right!

On a more positive note there were some memorable remarks I would like to share!

“My dad was going to sail the ocean but he was concerned about pirates.” M. Muraski
“That felt like my first night in jail!” B. Matter

The world is your playground!

-Chad

OFF the Back!

2006-05-31T16:05:00.000-07:00

I think Tristan says it best, "Off the back!" We'll make an effort to rejoin the serious bloggers soon. As you probably guessed Chase and I are back in Spoon town for the summer, both at Riverbrook wrenching and selling bikes for a living.

Lots of crazy stuff going on these days. Chase and I are running a 12 hour race in Spooner on June 25. There is a big demand for some 24-9 training so we figured what heck, a good opportunity to bring some revenue into the local bike club.

If you are in the Spooner area we are currently running two rides, Tuesday night road rides and Thursday night mountain bike rides. The thursday night ride is part of the equalizer TT series that we start last year. Its a sweet 6 mile course with kick ars single track and good camaraderie.

Training has been good and I would say our summer tans are in full force. Yesterday we had a good road ride with the usuall suspects. Post lampson loop Chase, Mark, Matt, and I did intervals down front street guided only by street lamps and the locals' cheers as we flew by the post office.

This weekend you can find the whole crew at wors 3. Should be a good time and I hear they changed the course around a bit!

World is your Playground!
Chad

Iola

2006-05-08T07:45:00.000-07:00

Wors #1 is in the books and it was crazy. Things got started in usual Wors fashion with call ups, the National Anthem, and a traditional Don GOOOO. I had a sweet start up the first climb right behind Seth who was setting a scorching pace as the field strung out down the climb. We hit the bowl climb and AJ one upped the pace so I jump ship over to his wheel. AJ had me redlined over the first couple climbs and he kept the pace rolling as we enter the first ski trail section. I was struggling as the gap opened but to my surprise a Kona rider came around and I was able to grab his wheel as we hit the first single track. A minute later I was in the hurt locker again as I watched the gap open on the next ski trail section. I was in a tough spot twenty second behind the two leaders and twenty second in front of Matter and Seth. Seth and Brian caught me in the single track and we rode together for the next two laps as the gap to leaders hovered around thirty seconds.

http://fattires-n-beer.com/v-web/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=WORS200601IolaRusty

Starting the third lap I went gang busters up the first climb to start a bridge to the leaders. I felt great and was flying up the climbs but couldn't close the gap and by the end of the third lap I was caught by Brain and Seth. We rode the fourth lap as a group but I could tell Brian had been playing poker all day, saving some juice for the final. Up the first technical climb we gapped Seth by ten seconds but he fought back on, again three riders strong mid way through the last lap. All day long I was struggling in the single track and thats what put the nail my coffin. Brain opened the gap, Seth was able to dice back, and I was gapped for the last time. Lap traffic was at full strength and we passed the majority of the comp field making a last ditch attempt to chase nearly impossible. I rolled over the line in 5th, which I am content with, just need some more time on the mountain bike!
See you in Cable!

World is your playground!
Chad

Off Road...finally.

2006-04-27T16:39:00.000-07:00

I can't describe to you how nice it is to be finally riding my mountain bike consistently. I thought for a couple months that I was slowly turning into a roadie. Whoa, it's like a bad dream, a nightmare in fact. I'm just joking roadies....but not really. In any case, John is on a field trip to Arkansas so Chad and I are flying solo here in EC. We went for a nice ride down at Lowes Creek, and other than a few incidents we had a darn good time.

We were cruising down a nice section of single track, and I, thinking I was JHK, came into a corner a little too hot. I wouldn't have minded it at all, except I was 6 or 7 feet in front of a bridge when it happpend. I managed to slow down a enough so that I didn't go smoking into the water below, but I was really really close. The situation reminded me of the movies when a semi half falls over a cliff and the guys inside start moving real slow towards the back of the truck. I managed to pull my self back to level, but only because my rotor had kept me upright. So needless to say I have a mega bent rotor that needs replacing. It only gets worse from here. After removing my front brake and wrapping it around my handlebars so we could keep riding, Chad's bike, which was resting on the side of the bridge falls over and lands against a metal sign post. It was sad to see a decent scrape in the side of that beutiful candy red paint job.

Other than that though it was a great ride!

Thats it for now,

Chase

Durand Durand

2006-04-23T20:05:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a tornado! Friday night my mother and two of her lovely friends joined Chase, John, and I for some dancing at Eau Claire's eloquent Vienesse Ball. The dance itself is crazy, the entire UWEC student center is turned into a dance/music hall. Everything from women's acapella groups to Scottish bands, moldy cheese to White Russians. We couldn't seem to get enough and after dropping our dates off I finally hit the sack around 2:30am.

I woke up to the sound of my buzzing alarm at 8am. I ran down stairs for some oatmeal and pre-race pep talk before loading up the scort for Durand! It was a super day for racing. Slightly over-cast with the sun peeking out occasionaly and winds out of the north at a much gentler demeanor than normal. I lined up with the big dogs this year so there was sea of GP and Flanders riders all looking lean and tan. We did five laps for a total of sixty some miles. On the first lap you could cut the tension with a knife, which I think that goes hand and hand with the first race of the season, and it was Dan in a two man break off the front. The break was out front for a couple laps and the pace stayed at tempo until we were once again whole. "The move" came on the fourth lap when I least expected it (on the fastest and realitivly flatest section of the course)! A monster surge at the front, with myself around 20th wheel, left gaps in the field and me behind. I was really pissed at myself at this point because I knew all the major rollers were in that group. I knew I needed to act so I made a desperate attacked from the front in hopes of catching back on. A GP rider followed me but didn't pull through until he decided to attack me! Drooling from the mouth I was force to limp back into the main field as the ten man break road off. After that point I knew I need to cut my losses so I conserved some until the final climb. Another rider from our group made a gut busting attack and I followed. We broke away but I was toast! He wanted me to pull through but I couldn't. At this point it was a struggle to push 360 watts and he must been at 400. We were only a five minutes from the finish so I humped it in crossing the line in the low teens. Overall I'm happy with the result especially considering my power tap hasn't read over 400 all spring, which is soon to change as the mountain bike season rapidly approaches.

In other exciting new Chase and I made the drive back to Spooner for the day to build up our new mountain bikes! They are sweeet! I'm in love with the white pin strips on the candy red sparkling bass boat paint job! And if that wasn't enough PCW got a sweet face lift in the jersy department with double the style points on our dark to baby blue lightning yellow outfits! Louis Garneau made our stuff this year and the quality is through the roof (I sound like a used car salesmen) but in all honesty its baller!

World is your playground!
Chad

New Developments

2006-04-20T10:10:00.000-07:00

Hey y'all, sorry we've been so long without an update! I know I say this everytime, but we have really been busy with school and visting the family for Easter.

Moving on though to the new developements.

1) Chad and I now have Mountain bikes! We EP'd them through our shop back home and they should be in today! It is going to be awesome to get off the road finally. Chad is the proud new owner of an Elite 9.9, and I'm sporting a Fuel 98. They should move us down the trail pretty quickly.

2) The PCW 06' clothing is in and on its way to Eau Claire. This could not come at a better time. For one, I'm down to one rideable pair of shorts, and two, we have a race this weekend.

3) So on to the race. The durand road race is this Saturday. Chad is going to try his luck in the A race, and John and I are going to try and bring one home in the B race. It should be quite the race. I predict alot of early season attacks that last 15-2o seconds before they run out of fuel and come wimpering back into the group with their tails between their legs. Plus the forcast says wind and rain. Ohh yeah!

4) Chad and John and I are all starting to get faster! Enough interval and threshold workouts to go around. Heres a powertap file of one set of intervals I did on monday. This is all I have, no cool pics like john. He's really starting to figure out that camera!

Thats all I have today. Happy Easter everybody! Ride on.

-Chase

Got Banana Boat?

2006-04-14T19:05:00.000-07:00

Today and yesterday were scoarching rides in the hot hot sun! Temperatures have been in the high 70s and we have been taking full advantage. In the last six days I had four 4+ hour rides with some good intervals at threshold. I seem to be coming into form but there is still a ton of work to be done.

If you look real close you can see a burn on my left shoulder from the hole in my jersey.......

Can you tell I'm not wearing a shirt?
And on the legs double sun burn, one from today and one from yesterday! When will I learn.....

Tomorrow will be a shorter ride with sun block before we head to Spoon town for some Easter Dinner, oil change, and Thule parts for the upcoming race venues.

World is your playground!
Chad

I feel like George

2006-04-13T15:11:00.000-07:00

Two days ago I was doing some acceleration stuff on my bike and I had what I like to refer to now as a George Hincapie experience. For all you who dont know, this is when a Trek product unexpectedly breaks/bends/snaps...etc, leaving the rider at the side of the road thinking, "How the hell did that happen?" Now don't get me wrong, I love Trek. It's just that lately they've had some "minor" issues. I realize, that on the grand scale, my problem was maybe a few notches down on the "oh crap" scale from what happended to Georgie, but I'm still pretty proud of it!

Here's some pics of my big chainring, it bent right over, almost half and inch!

And another.

So there is one for the books. We tried to bend it back, but it just won't hold a chain. The folks back at Riverbrook we good enough to order me one up so I can get back on the Road quick.

The season is coming ladies and gentlemen,

Chase

Its all good...

2006-04-10T17:34:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was good on fronts. Good rides, good blogs, good results, and good times!Saturday John and I headed south on the road bikes for some good hills and some threshold intervals. The first intervals of the year are always a shocker but I think they went pretty well. I have the power tap hooked up again, thanks to Maggie at Cycleops, (as a side note Cycleops has very good customer service) and it is always fun to see watts, the know all tell all of numbers. Anyways the ride was good, lots of sun, hills, and spectators. John and I were chased down and passed by two middle school aged kids on their moped. The kid on the back was carring a BB gun and their ride was wound to the max as they crawled by us. We decided they were "urban hicks" since they replaced the fourwheeler with a moped and the 30-06 with a BB gun. Sunday's ride was solo but much of the same with slightly cooler temperatures. I headed Mondovi way and found some new dirt climbs which are always exciting, especially for the mountain bike blooded. I rolled over several dirt passes and through the woods connecting cty HH to cty Z. All added up it was just shy of 6000 cal knee warmer tan weekend.

On the college front we headed over to 137 Saturday night for a shindy in EC's down town. Things got a little crazy for most but John and I just laughed as our amigas and amigos danced their cares into the night! On sunday night the atmosphere was slightly different as we prepared for Pairis-Roubaix. We were all excited except for me because in my hast Sunday morning I accidently refreshed the velo page with out thinking...Fabian, I was screaming inside, of course I wanted George to win! It was good anyways but I quess thats racing and freak things happen!

Of course I could not get away without mentioning SeaOtter! "What a mess" would be an unstatement from what I heard. Tj was even delayed on his ride home due to a mudslide! A big props to all the midwest and rockymountian riders for the good results! I hope to see some good blog updates from the racers.

Today I also payed my tution deposit for next semester. I am locked in for classes next fall and believe it or not they haven't kick me out yet. As of now it looks like I will be on the market for a high paying teaching job some time in December of 2007!

Train Hard Train Smart!
World is your Playground!
Chad

This one's for Ron Kay

2006-04-08T09:29:00.000-07:00

Well this one is for Ron Kay, who feels that we dont update nearly enough. He's definitively right. So enjoy Ron.

The last few days, John and Chad and I have been placing some bets down on Paris Roubaix, and also on the Seaotter. Since the seaotter is close to finishing up I'll lay down the overall predictions that we made on sunday of last week.

Chad-Todd Wells
John- Kabush
Chase- Bart Brentjens

Paris Roubaix is going to be quite the event around here at school. Well at least for five or six of us. We actually get OLN here in the dorms, so we'll all be riding inside, no matter how nice it is outside! Priorities!

Heres the predictions:

Chad- Hincapie (Go Georgie!)
John- Peter Van Petegem
Chase- Boonen (is it obvious that I chose first?)

Now that the predictions are out there, let me make this entirely clear. Just because I picked Boonen to probably win the thing, I would like nothing more than for someone to wipe the floor with his big mouth. That guy is pretty confident. And George, you need to go this year. No more of this, ohh I made the winning move, now I can just sit on and let the other guy win. No, you are gonna drop it down this year, and bring it home for the US of A.

And a big shout out to Sam Shultz for his huge race at the Seaotter TT yesterday. Sam is on the U23 team, and could be my new hero. Here's to doing it again today in the short track Sam! Heres a pic from velonews of the podi from yesterday's TT, check out all the mud on Sam, he didnt even know he made the podium!

Ron, here's your quote for today. I think it reflects some of the trails you guys put in this summer, and the many more to come!

"Really good mountain bikers are lousy judges of trail difficulty. We haven't a clue, we just ride."
-John Olsen

Well thats it for now, more later, and more ofter!

-Chase

Check this out!

2006-04-05T14:09:00.000-07:00

In the spirit of Nick Martin's last update I found this great video clip. This guy is juggling to a beatles song with 5 balls. It doesnt look at all possible! Check it out!

Unreal Juggler

Chase's Coffee Corner

2006-04-04T08:26:00.000-07:00

Sorry John, but today I'm doing my own little coffee corner talk. This is a one time thing, so I won't be stealin your mojo all too long.

I'm sitting in the davies center today, sippin a cup of crappy coffee from Jazzman's, the campus coffee shop, and I thought since I have a little time on my hand I'd throw together an update. Plus, Tristan is complaining that between the two of us we dont update enough. Well this one is for you Tristan, mostly b/c I dont want to upset you and your enourmous wattage. We need that power on our side!

I dont know squat about coffee, but to comfort John I will say that what I am drinking can be described with a soft but sweet acidity with a wholesome body. It has a nutty caramel aftertaste with superb balance througout. It is very evident that jazzman's searches for coffee beans with unequaled passion, and finds them at their natural peak flavor. The smooth bright finish, makes for the start of a harmonious day. I am very confident that this blend puts most inferior roasts to shame, especially the floral aromas of Alterra.

On the riding front, Tj has had me working pretty hard on the intervals. The weather has been rainy and gloomy around here, so I've been on the trainer. A couple days of 2.5 hour interval workouts on the trainer and I think my head finally got the best of me. I rode a couple intervals in the basement on Sunday, and then I snapped. I started kicking shit and swearing. I swear if I had the right tools, I would have cut my bike in half, and throw it through the first pane of glass I could find. So I went outside into the rain, and suffered for a while longer, then rode home with my tail between my legs, pouting the entire time. If I wasnt so worried about my ego, I would have cried for sure. Haha, but no one said it was going to be easy. Just so your all not worried about me, the next day went just fine, and I dont really want to kill my bike anymore. gotta go to class.

Tomorrow's a new day,

Chase

Efforts 'n' Rain

2006-04-02T10:09:00.000-07:00

Yesterday John, Craig and I head south to the hills. Things started out innocent enough with talk of the summer's races, bike parts and girlfriends but once we hit the hills the animal instincts took over. We rallied up and down several hills, a couple town line sprints, and some good temp before we hit the eye of the storm. Things were rolling smoothly for a short time until...BAAAM!! I look back and Craig is haulted to a stopped on the side of the road....I had thought he went down for sure. At first glance it looked like his frame broke, but it turns out his blue vest, same color as his bike, flew out his jersey pocket and into the rear wheel! It locked up his rear wheel and blew out his casing! Big props to Craig for keeping er up right and an even bigger props to Jess for picking him up! We rolled in just over four hours with some good efforts. Considering it was my first ride with threshold efforts my legs feel good today, but I was dissapointed to see rain slapping my window at 10am, but wait its actually 11am! I think today will be a trainer ride along side "interval maniac" Chase while watching the original Stars Wars flicks.

Quote of the day:
"You can say that climbers suffer the same as the other riders, but they suffer in a different way. You feel the pain, but you're glad to be there." -Richard Virenque

World is your playground!
Chad

Back to the Grind!

2006-03-29T18:03:00.000-08:00

Spring break has come and gone and here are the official 2006 Spring Training Camp Stats:

470 miles
27 hours
12+ lbs of pasta
108 Eggs
4.5 Gallons of Milk
1500+ oz of Power Aid
210 hours of sleep
3 flat tires
4 Reported Saddle sores
1 new digital camera

I would say Spring break was a success for PCW's nothern division. The rodes were clear of snow and we never had to ride in sub 20 degree weather. No casualties, no mechanicals and a nose tan to boot.

School has started back up again and this rest week fell right on the money. Two tests this week and two presentations next week. Time is flying and we are just seven weeks away from summer vacation! The only scary part about those seven weeks is all the school work that still needs to be done!

Training this week is short and slow to get the legs back for a good weekend of riding in the sun, weather man says 50 and sunny!

World is your playground!
Chad

Day 6

2006-03-25T19:18:00.000-08:00

Today we headed back onto the roads for real. We even had a guest with us! Craig Manthe from here in Eau Claire met up with us today for the first three hours of the ride. It seems so strange riding with four people. John and Chad and I are so used to riding alone together, that its weird to have someone to talk to when your sucking wind in the draft. I think I could get used to it!

It's fair to say the week is starting to catch up with our legs and the rest of our bodies. We did just shy of 4.5 hours today, and if I hadn't chowed a plate of pasta this morning after breakfast, I think I would have been in for a rough afternoon! Speaking of a rough afternoon, John was the victim of our second flat of the week. It got him less than a mile away from home. Shit happens I guess.

John has the camera right now with the pics on it from today, so be sure to check out coffee and bikes for all of the other pics. So just to break up the blog I stuck this one in. I believe it is from the Sheboygen race.

We headed out south of town and crossed one or two the ridges south of hwy 10 before heading back up north. We rode back close to town with Craig, and then headed west for 45 min and looped back home.

Day 5 Recovery

2006-03-24T18:06:00.000-08:00

Today was active recovery and it felt good. John, Chase and I got off to a late start after cruzing the town looking for an old bike shop know as the Bike Doctor. Apparently the Bike Doctor moved and then went out of buisness, or at least 212 Barstow had a for rent sign on the door. Chase needed a shift cable so we headed to water street, home to three other small bike shops. Chase picked up his cable and we head home to gear up. We rode just over two hours and thirty five miles all in zone one.

The weather is looking good for the next two days and Craig is joining us tomorrow so we should end the week on a good note. Check out John's site for the outdoor zoo sighting.

Quote of the day:
"Bad pros make more than good amateurs." -Greg LeMond

World is your playground
Chad

Day 4

2006-03-23T20:54:00.000-08:00

Day four of training camp started out much like the past few days with one exception, no sun! We count on weather.com to tell us whats up with the weather and today they weren't far off. Overcast with a 50% chance of flurries was right on. Today we had our first flat and if one wasn't enough the value snapped and Chase had to start all over.

I wonder if we should be using better tubes?!?

We managed to crank out another four hour ride today and I think I may be entering the hurt locker soon. The hardest part of training this much is eating enough food. We made another trip to Festival foods tonight for the essentials and dropped another seventy some bucks on pasta and veggies. Eat to ride and ride to eat!

Quote of the day:

"I thought of that while riding my bike." -Albert Einstein, on the theory of relativity

World is your playground

Chad

Day 3

2006-03-22T19:16:00.000-08:00

It is now day three of training camp and the wind has still not subsided. Today we rolled north to Bloomer via a plethora of number roads some of which were not paved. The wind was strong from the northwest and despite level roads our average speed was low. On a more positive note the sun was out in full force. Chase and I both have a small case of sun burn and some helmet tan lines to boot. The legs are definitely starting to feel the training load as we ticked over the twelve hour mark. It’s nice to have your legs as the limiter instead of college and work. The remainder of the week looks more of the same, I think tomorrow’s forecast will be high winds with the sun in the sky. Another seventy or so miles south of town is the tentative plan. However I think it’s important to keep in mind the words of professional mountain biker Rune Hoydahl, “Cycling takes so many hours to train and so many years to be really strong. Being good at cycling doesn’t happen because you train hard one year.”

We had a couple stops on today’s ride but nothing too serious and no coffee shops, only a couple leaks and some photo opportunities. John has been using his new camera to document camp and Wisconsin’s country side.

Tonight we’re watching Batman Begins with some friends from school; it seems we are not the only ones who couldn’t pop the bill for Cancun. Also on the schedule is a trip to Target for some groceries. You would not believe the food we have gone through and I now understand why my dad gave me a one way bus ticket on my eighteenth birthday. Several boxes of pancake mix, two boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios, three gallons of milk, 54 eggs, 8 pounds of pasta, and lots of Gatorade mix and were not even half way through camp.

To end the day I would like to leave all the bloggers and blog readers out there with a question. How much of “making it big” is trained and how much is genetics? Can anyone go pro? Is Juli Furtado correct in saying “I’ve always thought it starts with genetics. It doesn’t matter how hard you train, or how tough you are. Those are important, but you’ve got to have it in you to be a world-class athlete.” Either way I’ll be riding tomorrow and for all those aspiring athletes….ride on!

World is your playground!
Chad

Day 2

2006-03-21T19:10:00.000-08:00

After another huge plate of pancakes and some scrambled eggs, we headed out for ride number two of training camp. What a great day for it too, we had mid 30's and sunny the entire ride. We headed out towards UW stout by taking some really cool back-country roads, and eventually found our way to the campus. We were originally going to visit with some friends there , but when we couldn't meet up with them, we headed to the Menomonie Aucustic Cafe for a quick cup of joe before the ride home.

Here is a great photoshopped pic of Chad and I sipping and chowing down, thanks for the pic John!

We had a strong cross/tailwind the entire ride home, so it was smooth sailing. The route we rode to and from Stout was great, so for those of you looking for a four hour ride, drop us a line and we'll send you some directions.

So day two was a complete success, see you again tomorrow!

-Sova bros

Training Camp 2006 Day 1

2006-03-20T19:27:00.000-08:00

Today we kicked off the 2006 spring training camp. John, Chase and I are taking residence down town at friends place because the dorms are closed for the week. You don't know what you got till it's gone, and it may sound silly but having to buy, cook, and clean to eat is a pain especially when you're used to the all you can eat cafeteria. Today's ride was over fours and around seventy miles. We headed south because there was a 20mph gusting easterly wind that just wouldn't give up. We did the usual route south to Hwy 10 and then took some never seen before roads down and around hwy 121 to loop back. Today's ride had at least a dozen climbs around 200 feet which keep you humble, especially this time of year.

"You want to be like a carpet unrolling. Get faster as the climb goes on." - Chris Carmichael

In other news I made a trip to NMU this past weekend to visit an old high school friend. I have never been to Marguette before but I was glad I made the drive. On the way through Ironwood I had to laugh because the snow banks were over 10 feet high, I guess I can't complain about a little sand on the roads in Eau Claire. I went to a car show in the biggest wooden dome in the world. I think my favorite car was the Solstice.

We'll keep you posted as the rides and action unfold!

World is your playground

Chad

Start You Engines

2006-03-19T16:06:00.000-08:00

John and I were so anxious for camp on monday that we just had to go on a quick ride today! Plus it was a chance for John to test out his new camera. Since we all have alot of time on our hands, both our sites will have daily updates with some different pics from each day, so check out John Beck's site http://www.coffeeandbikes.blogspot.com too!

Lots of snow still here, but it does do a nice job of holding your bike up!
If you're a frequent reader of John's site then you already have heard this quote, but I think it deserves some more web time.

"I am the reference point, if they beat me, they win.
-Miguel Indurain

All for now, I'll talk to ya tomarrow!

-Chase Sova

Pre-Camp Thoughts

2006-03-17T16:09:00.000-08:00

Hey all,

Today John and I are setting up base camp here at 137 niagra street in Eau Claire. We just grabbed some food for the next couple of days and should be ready to go. Chad is up in the sticks visiting his friends in Michigan, so hes missing out on the early fun. The idea is to chill out in Eau Claire while the rest of campus is vacationing in Mexico, and put together a mini, but still sweet, PCW Training camp. Without the stress of school I'd imagine we will get some pretty good riding in. I think the weather will hold out for us too, looks like mid 30's.

In other news, yesterday I did a conconi test on the trainer to see what kind of power I was putting out and to set up the zones for this year. I think the results were better than I would have expected, especially so early in the year. Big thanks to TJ for setting everything up for me and crunching the numbers. (http://www.tjwoodruffonline.com) Tj and I are going to be working with eachother the next couple of months to test a new style of training, which is looking pretty promising. I'll keep you updated and hand out some details as it goes along. The general idea is to get fast!

Keep checking in, we'll have alot of time on our hands this week so look for frequent updates.

Later
Chase

Spring Rides and Winter Weather

2006-03-13T19:35:00.000-08:00

The last few days we have been spoiled! Weather has been in the high 40s and even the 50s with the sun high in the sky. It seems however the weather has taken a turn for the worst! This morning I woke up to over 6inches of snow/slush. What a mess! This morning I was walking down some wooden steps, covered in packed wet snow, when I saw this dude skid down the stairs on his rear bouncing off every step! I was trying not to laugh when I almost fell myself.

On a more positive note the last three days I have been able to get some good rides in. Thursday was a solid four hours solo but with no wind which is really rare and relaxing. Friday's ride, John and I put in over three hours cruzing on and around the Duran RR course. Yesterday's ride was also pretty epic. We ended up riding south of Elk Creek on Hwy 121, a road I have never riden on before, and made it home just before dark. With brutal winds that just wouldn't cooperate and a weather forecast calling for thunderstorms I was skeptical from the beginning. Chase, John and I rolled back into Murray four and half hours later beat and ready for dinner.

Spring break plans are still in the mix, but with limited budgets and time it seems we may be sticking around the northwoods. I hope to make it up to NMU to visit a old high school buddy on the first weekend and then head to Eau Claire for the remainder of the week. I hope the snow disappears or it will be a long week in a wet saddle.

This past week I almost hit the twenty hour mark so its time for a recovery week before the big spring break training. In the words of Roger Young, U.S. Olympic Cycling coach "You've got to rest as hard as you train." And in the words of Laurent Jalabert, "I'm going to sleep when I need sleep and train when I feel up to it."

World is your playground
Chad

Got Snow?

2006-03-06T10:46:00.000-08:00

Saturday was beautiful no wind, sunny skys, and an open road! John and I put in 3.5 hrs east of town cruzing through the small towns of Fall Creek and Strum. Can you ever remember specific converstions you had at exact locations during previous rides? Kind of a day-ja vu if you will. Yesterday John and I were rattling off what we talked about a year ago when we did the same loop with Graig and Tj; and this fall with Chase and Tj when we flated a couple miles from home and it was already dark out. In any case it was good we got our miles in on Saturday because early Sunday morning mother nature released over 6inches of heavy wet snow! I didnt realize it until I headed out the door for breakfast and buried my shoe in snow. It was so nice the day before. I quess its back to plastic bags, hot showers, and hot chocolate.

In other news have you heard about the new Jeep Mountain bikes! They are all wheel drive! Chain driven rear wheel and with the push of a button a shaft driven front wheel. What will they come up with next, I bet the thing weighs 40lbs! Check it out here!

Most importantly we hope Whitey has a safe and fast recovery, I know everyone up north is pulling for you. As we know actions speak louder than words and the cyclists have taken action! Check out Whitey's journal with the details!

World is your playground!
Chad

Mud, Nutrition, and the Birkie

2006-03-02T09:19:00.000-08:00

In northern Wisconsin sometimes you have to ask "What bike should I be riding?" The past two rides John, Chase, and I almost needed to exchange our road bikes for dirt bikes! We were riding down some narrow farm road west of campus and the road quickly went from blacktop to gravel to ice/snow to mud. I felt like McGrath flinging mud like a 250. I bet our rims were sunk in at least 3inches. Its a testimony to the Trek and Shimano b/c our bikes take some serious abused in the winter months.

On other fronts did you know your brain needs at least 130grams of glucose a day, and that glucose is the only carb your brain can use? Two thirds of glucose is stored in your muscles and the other third in your liver. According to Susan Krueger, professor at UWEC, the liver can only store 12-13hours of glucose. So what does this mean? Since your the brain receives its glucose from the liver you need to keep it fueled, if you don't your body will break down muscles and organs in a process called Gluconeogenesis. In conclusion you should eat breakfast everyday and never go over 12 hours without carb intake!

I know it was mentioned in the last post but I can't not talk about the birkie. What an event, if you have seen or participated put it on the list of things to do. John, mom, Kevin and I headed to Hayward's main street on Saturday morning to catch the finish. We were twenty yards from the line! It was pretty sweet watching the Italians dominate both the men and women's race.

In other news Chase has a birthday on March 4th so make sure to give him a shout out! Happy Birthday Chase!

World is your playground!
Chad

We're Back!

2006-02-25T10:02:00.000-08:00

We apologize for not posting in such a long time, I hope it hasnt effected anyone's life too much! School has definitively taken priority over posting, and time has been difficult to find around here. Its midterm season! College is very much an on and off animal. I've spent the first 5 weeks of the semester watching movies and mastering the art of the X-Box. Things change though, and all the profs feel like throwing everything they have at you this week.

Complaining aside, the birkie was today! The italians have surely stomped their athourity on this midwest race. For the past 4 or 5 years they have made rest of the world look pretty bad here, especially the Americans! Today was no exception. The italian men and women both took all 3 places on the podium! The top two men crossed the line with their timing chips purpously lined up, so as of now I still dont know who the actual winnner is! Silvio Fauner, who we all know from the italian team who handed it to the Norwegians a few olympics ago in the relay, finished 6th as he dropped the 3 americans with him in the final K's into hayward.

On the riding front, it hasnt stopped since the last update. Chad and John and I have been putting in as many rides as we can in between class. The weather has been colder than normal for this winter here, so we've been suiting up heavy. A couple trainer rides in there too!

Ride on,

Chase

Cold Weather, Wind, and Birthdays!

2006-02-12T19:56:00.000-08:00

It seems as though the cold winter temperatures have finally set in for the long haul. The past week and the remainder of the month look to be "normal" temps at around 15 degrees in what meteoroligists are calling an "arctic freeze". This weekend was no different and both rides were around 5 degrees with wind chill. Saturday morning John, Chase, and I headed out for a three hour ride on Duran Road Race loop. We fought winds most of the ride and I think we were all feeling drained by the end. Riding the race loop we reminisced about last years race and its many travesties including being dropped for the lead group and being crashed out of a W! Goes back to Phil Liggett's time old saying "It's a viciously cruel sport." In any case we made it home wind burnt and block footed. Sunday was much of the same, high winds and and cold temps. Chase and I head for Elk Mound with a stong head wind from the North West, I think we average under 14mph, but we had a nice tail wind rolling back into the river valley.

On the social front it seems everyother person I know is having a birthday and most are turning 21. My good friends Alex and Melissa both headed to water street this weekend for their 21st birthdays and I won't be far behind. This coming weekend Sunday Feb 19th at midnight I will be heading to the Nasty on Water Street to celebrate my 21st birthday. If your in town (Craig and Jess) I hope to see you there! In the mean time train hard and train smart!

World is your playground!
Chad

You have to slay a few dragons to get to the princess

2006-02-09T13:54:00.000-08:00

We decided that with everything going on at school this week that we would tone down the riding and take a rest week. Chad and I rode together on tuesday outside for a couple hours. It was one of the nicest days off the year on the bikes. Relatively no wind, nice warm temps, and on top of it all it was sunny sunny sunny. The quote came up "You have to slay a few dragons to get to the princess." Now this can have multiple meanings, and I think you can use it in almost any situation. For instance, if Chad is dating a girl that we, his friends, dont believe is up to par, we just brush it of and say "Hey, hes gotta slay some dragons before he finds his princess" etc etc. We, however, used it to describe all of the shitty weather that a cyclist rides through, to get one nice day like on tuesday. You midwest folks all know what I'm talking about!

Today(thursday)Chad and John and I went out for just shy of a 2 hour ride. The cold was a real shock for all of us, especially john, who's been inside on the trainer the past few days. I dont think we dressed up to snuff for the ride. However, it is February, and while I'm complaining about 24 degrees, it could be a hell of a lot worse. Lets hope the snow just decides to skip out on us this year, and doesnt try to make a fashionably late appearance in the end of March.

Pasea como el viento!

Chase

Windchill!

2006-02-05T12:18:00.000-08:00

The past two days have been cold, I should say relativley cold because we haven't riden in under 20 degree weather all winter, and to top it off the wind was horrific! Fridays ride started out with some small flurries which accumulated into slick and wet roads by the end. Its almost more of a challenge to keep the rubber side down than it is to move forward. Needless to say we looked like we exited the pool and were caked with enough rode salt to cover a driveway! Saturday's ride wasn't much better and the temps hit a new low, I would guess around 5degrees with windchill! It took two cups of hot chocolate and maybe tear or two to warm up my red toes! Today is superbowl Sunday and John and I are getting ready to head to Castle foods to pick up our hall wide rootbeet keg, hopefully the game and commercials will be exciting! Go Seahawks, I'm gunnin' for coach Mike!

World is your playground!
Chad

Drive by Burrito

2006-02-02T12:58:00.000-08:00

John and I made a trip up to T-bell before class today and picked up a couple seven layer burritos. I tell ya, the combination of beans and tomatos and guac sauce is just unbeatable. We were running late so I chowed one and stuck the other in my bag, with the intention of scrafing it down during class. It got busy so I had to wait till I got back to my room, which was the same time John and chad were getting ready to ride. So I suited up and thought I would just bring the bastard with me. It looked like a decent plan on paper, but riding one handed through campus and EC is tough with a burrito in one hand. I hit a decent bump and had to forget about the burrito for a sec so I didnt hit the deck. I caught it as it bounced off of my handle bars dropping guacamole and refried beans down my fork and onto my brakes. With the burrito in ruins I decided, with some peer pressure, to toss it at the back of the USPS mail truck. Its a pretty heavy burrito so it made a nice sound, got the eagle right in the head. No worries though, some dog, or little kid will find it and eat it.

It was a beutiful day in EC. Over 40 degrees for sure, and sunny on top of that. We rode for around 2 hours on the usual rodes, nothing too serious. Enough to get the blood flowing. I got a flat a couple miles out of town, but otherwise a pretty smooth ride.

This burrito is good, but it is filling......

-Chase

Happy B-day Travis!

2006-01-31T12:23:00.000-08:00

Today is TJ's birthday! Rumor has it he was born in the back of the postal team car, delivered near the end of a grueling alpine stage by Johan Bruyneel himself.... or something like that. So anyway, stop by his blog and leave him some comment love, maybe ask him about his birth, he can probably give you the low down.

Today John and Chad and I rode out to Elk Mound. The EM loop is 2 hours, and we had a strong headwind on our way back towards EC. Thats it, nothing special, but it gets it done.

Happy Birthday Travis,
-Sova Boys

WWLD?

2006-01-29T15:54:00.000-08:00

What would Lance do? I'm not sure who coined the phrase and I'm not so sure Lance would have rode today. Eau Claire was wet today, or better yet wet and getting wetter! John, Chase, and I left Murray Hall with lingering motivation and for me damp riding shoes from yesterday's epic. Today was not much better. Just under 40 degrees with a stinging wind, and to top it off diagonal falling sleet. It took about 10mins of riding to get completely drench to the bone. Precautions for cold and wet weather riding are few and far between, however the most valuable tip, which the three of used, plastic bags under the booties. Or maybe we should invest in some fenders? In any case we arrived home two and half hours later cold and ready for the showers. For those of you training in Wisco be strong, and for those of you training under the hot sun be thankful!

World is your Playground!
Chad

Just One of Those Days

2006-01-28T15:48:00.000-08:00

Today was one of those days where it would have been so easy, and comfortable, to just stay inside and watch TV. We had temps around 37 degrees and a steady light rain. Combine the rain coming from the sky and the rain rooster tailing off of the guy in front of you, and you get a pretty wet ride.

So we left EC, all the while talking ourselves into this ride. I think the biggest driving force of motivation for a ride like this is the hope that your competition is still at home in bed. All the while you're out soaked to the bone, freezing to death, and eating road salt.

We rode south of town again today, across highway 10 and back home. There was no wind to speak of, so the riding was quick. (No need for us to again put together a sub-par echylon!) Total ride time was 2 hours 40 minutes, give or take.

Pasea como el viento!
-Chase

New Seasons

2006-01-27T11:40:00.000-08:00

First off I would like to holler out to my brother for making this sweet blog, with an awesome header, props Chase! Seems as though we have finally hopped on the blog train.

A new season is upon us and with it new goals, aspirations, and sponsors. I am proud to announce John Beck, Chase, and I will all be riding once again for the midwest's blue train, PCW! This year PCW has resigned Hyundai as it carbon sponsor and added some new sponsors, soon to be announced. Always exciting to see our team and sport grow. Along with growing so have my 2006 race season goals. I am looking forward to competing in all three triple crown races along with the WORS series overall. Seems in past years I have always been a few races short for a good overall. So with some top five triple crown races and a good WORS overall my goals are set for 2006.

Along with new goals comes more training, or more accurately, more quality training. This year to combat the mid season slump I am attempting to peak mid season. In the past I have trained big in the spring and raced through the summer, effective to a point but not for late season races which seem to be my priority. However, the weather does not want to cooperate with this slightly water down early season training plan. Seems we have another season! Between 1971 and 2001 the average Eau Claire January temperature was 11.9 degrees F, this January's average temp. has been 28 degrees F. Not to complain but I can see three feet of snow on ground in late March! That would be our luck.

On the school front it seems as though the semesters are just flying by! I can still remember freshman year leaving Towers North Res Hall to go riding with TJ for countless miles and crazy adventures. Five semesters later, accepted to school of education, 80 some credits, and thousands of dollars later I don't feel or look any smarter. My semester should be manageable with mostly science classes and some ed classes, I'll be sure to keep you posted on the excitement.

Thats it for now, I hope to update regularly, thanks for reading.
World is your playground!
Chad

Riding Long

2006-01-26T20:37:00.000-08:00

So today, Chad and John and I couldnt work out a time for all of us to ride together, so we each rode seperate, with an hour in between each of our starting times. Chad and John both rode around 2 hours from what I hear.

Today I put in my longest ride of the new year. I rode south of Eau claire and South of Hwy 10 into some great hills. There was a strong steady wind from the south, so the ride out was a struggle, but the trip home made up for it. It took 2 hours to get out to my turn around point, but the ride back to ec took just under an hour and a half. Smooth sailing! There are 3 major climbs on the ride, or at least for our area. 4-5 minute climbs I would guess. I was definitively spent when I made it back to my room. I didnt bring nearly enough water, and some of the H20 that I did have went towards squirting a mutt dog who was nipping at my heels. Little Shit, I showed him.

Well all for now, be looking for something from Chad in the next few days.

Pasea como el viento!
-Chase

Off and Running!

2006-01-25T08:09:00.001-08:00

Well here it is. The first post on the sova brother's website. Check us out frequently and we'll do our best to keep you updated on our rides and maybe some fun extras from the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire. In combination with John Beck's site, you should be well informed!

Classes started on monday here, and things are already well underway. After wasting a good chunk of my time messing around with our new header for our blog, I had to crack down on the stuff that I really came here to do. If there is anything lacking this semester, its definitively sleep. Its so hard to go from 11 o'clock mornings to 8 am class. Talk to John beck about that, he has 8am's all week!

So the first ride report is from yesterday. A small hurricane passed through EC, and Chad and John and I headed out it to take it on. It was a strong, steady wind from the northwest, gusting at times between 25-30mph! We ended up riding for 2 hours south of town, most of it we were being hammered by a crosswind. So naturally, the three of us demonstrated a textbook echylon......well, I think it would have looked better as a quick snapshot than a video.

Thats it for now, we are all riding on our own today, probably an hour and half on the trainer for me. Keep in touch!

Pasea como el viento!,
Chase

2006-01-24T18:12:00.000-08:00

2006-01-23T22:27:00.000-08:00

Fat Tire 2005

2006-01-23T21:44:00.000-08:00

What do ya think of this Chad? Personally I like it, but I've never had the sence of style that you possess.