January 10-11- 2007

We are only thirty days from the first road race of the 07 season and it looks like there are several early season time trails in Tennessee and Indiana (March and April) which may appeal to our clubs strong tri-cyclic component!  Race flyers are slowing in coming but it looks like the first time trial in in Alcoa, TN on March 10 - 07 with several more TT events up in Indiana.  Road races - TT and Crits are being organized and we could race pretty much every weekend of the year starting in late feb or early march -

Harvey S Jack E and JT have been able to pack on some good winter miles with some great rides over recent weekends.  For those of you who do not train overwinter please feel free to get with us when ever you feel comfortable with the weather.  We are looking forward to some great rides and races this spring and summer!!   I know many of you are concentrating on swimming and running this winter - and that makes since.

We want to welcome Brad to the peleton - a new road cyclist who has tremendous potential!!  Brad is an avid mountain biker who has recently been bitten by the road cycling bug. He is young and powerful and could possibly develop in to one our greatest road racers!  I am personally very excited to have Brad in the fold!  We have other new cyclists joining us that we are excited about as well.  Dave has been riding with us a bit as well as with the London group and he appears to be a very powerful sprinter.  We are looking forward to seeing him complete his foundation!  Arron - currently living in Bowling Green - is from Somerset and has logged some significant sport miles this past year and we are looking forward to his aspirations to join our racing group.

It seems Harvey continues to provide the physical backbone to the group - always setting the pace and always eager for a "firefight" and seemingly always fit enough to be an offensive and defensive cyclist.  Jack - the wise ole man of the group - tends always be alive and well through out all of our rides and tends to ride and in an extremely intelligent manner (whether by accident or on purpose - i can't decide).  Jack is the quiet  ridder who rides a calm and serene MO but seems to be right in the middle of all the exciting razz-a-ma-tazz almost totally controlling any "endgame" that might develop. If Harvey is one of the strongest riders we have - Brad one of the most promising- I would have to say that Jack is one of the smartest.  Jack starts SHT that he knows he can't finish but controls rides in manners he sees fit - whether by accident or on purpose - who knows but it happens almost every time!  And then there's Rick R - always eager to cast himself headlong into any extreme effort in the classic Iron man philosophy.  When  Rick R shows up on rides - it seems he always goes off the front leaving the rest of us in organized chase mode.  Roger - a time trial specialist-  is the best big-man climber you will ever meet.  Adam is one of our best riders who simply will not go away under any circumstance and attacks every incline he comes upon - when it comes to climbing - it seems Adam is the first man always!  Jeff may be the fastest ridder in our area - a California transplant.  Jeff has adopted the Lance Armstrong spin and pays great dividends for him as very few of us can stay with him when he decides to "go" - Jeff never ever gets out of the saddle - and when we tease him - he says - calmly - that he can't - he has a rip in an unfortunate location in his cycling shorts!

As a group- we have been unable to organize consistent rides with everybody in the area and therefore we have been unable to practice group organization to any great extent.  We have been able to execute some short-pull double paceline exercises but with the varied strength levels our riders and our demanding terrane - group organization has been difficult to maintain.  But that is not a problem; every Cumberland Cycles cyclist I have met has their own very unique set of strengths and goals and I am very pleased to be a part of what we are doing here in Somerset!

Having ridden 2500 miles in the last four months with Cumberland Cycles - and just thirty days from the beginning of our race season - please allow me to introduce our most promising early season riders!  Harvey S- Jack E -Adam B- Rick R- and Brad (FNG).  There are many other riders who will rise up to meet later races but these are the individuals who will race (hopefully) for our shop in the early season.

GROUP RIDES:
Every Wednesday at 230 PM from the Vison Center
Sat - January 13 - foul weather - TBA-  call JT 2158307
Sun - January 14 - foul weather - TBA - call JT 2158307