First Ride in May

Riders,

Who will ride this weekend? Hopefully, everyone will get in a few miles. There’s an organized ride in Walhalla, Isaqueena’s Last Ride which is SURE to hurt the legs with all the climbing. And I hope that someone will be in the parking lot of New Spring Church to roll out at 0800. But, this weekend, it won’t be me. I’m traveling out of state to ride… that’s out of a state of mind!!!! So, someone needs to step up and lead the charge!! The SVR (Saturday Velo Ride) must continue. I know there are some folks out there who has the addiction to ride.... just come get your fix.

Of note, last Saturday, we had a HUGE group. We welcomed back a few riders who took some time off… one guy had taken “years” off the bike. He said he had a good time and will be back. Now, we need a few new riders!!! We have folks looking for bikes who want to change from that bi-pedal locomotion to the sweet sound of free-wheeling!!! It's true, things come back a round.... round as in circle... circle as in bike wheel!!! So, do as the Queen song says... I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike!!! la, la, la...

Hopefully, if everything goes as planned, I’ll return next Saturday to ride again on the quiet country roads of Anderson County.

Until then,

The Announcer.

PS… if you’re new to the group, give a shout out so someone can assist with keeping you on the route…. And remember our motto for our route… ride one, learn one, teach one

note: this pic is of the Andersonians who made their presence known at the G'wood tri....

Last Ride in April

Riders,

We have some exciting news!!! Mother Nature is sending us a picture perfect weekend… sunshine means you need to wear some sunscreen... otherwise, you'll be "well-done" by the end of the ride. I just hope I didn’t “jinx” us by making that statement! It’s going to be a great weekend for riding the country roads of Anderson County. This Saturday, we’ll gather in the New Spring Parking lot to ROLL OUT at 0800 sharp. The route remains the “tried and true” SVR for about 45 miles, give or take. Some riders will meet us on the road or in Pendleton. If you're late, you can just TT to the group, right Griz??? And if you're late, I hope there's two of you... a two man TT is faster than a one-man effort, right Solo-Follo?

This Saturday is “it” for a group of 8 Anderson riders and 1 Greenville rider. The “it’ is “the last chance workout” before White Lake. This "last chance" workout is different from the TV show... we're looking for endurance and the "contestants" are looking to drop some lbs (that' NOT local bike store!!!) Since I’m part of that group, I’ll make my intentions known: I will attempt to ride “steady, without drafting” and without any “sprint zones” the whole ride with only one stop in Pendleton. I will ride according to HRM and cadence. I will make a concerted effort to have everything I need for 60 miles…. Including nutrition, fluids, electrolytes and tires/tubes/tools. I might even have a chocolate Boost!!! I understand that's the "nutrition" of champions!!!

If you’re so inclined, please join us. If you’re new to the group, give a shout at the beginning so an SVR veteran, who’s not doing White Lake or has planned focus training, can keep an eye on you.

Congrats to some of our SVR riders… who took home some hardware from the Greenwood Sprint Triathlon last Sunday… Ryno took 1st in overall males, Mrs. Nancy Fancy-Pants took 1st in overall female, Mr. Vance Name-Sake took first Masters, and Mr. Fred Promoter took 1st in his age group and Mr. Senior Olympic Champ Webster taking first place in his age group…. There were a smattering of 3rd and 4th place age group finishers… and special props to Mr. Dillard and Mr. Cheek for 3rd and 4th place age group finishes for their FIRST tri event!!! That’s awesome!!! The G'wood tri is one of the best races in our area... the volunteers were awesome, the course was flat and fast... and if I'm saying it.. it must be true!!!

And props to TT-Bob who won his age group at the Georgia TT Cup…. So, TT-Bob kicks butt in Ga, NC and SC!!! tri-fecta no doubt!!!

There's at least 2 other rides going on.. the Meals On Wheels with Beastie Bob and the "mountain training ride" with Senior Pugh...

Train Hard, Train Long and Train Often.

The Announcer

Ride for 4-18-09

Riders,

Once again it’s time to loosen the legs with a nice spin through the country side. And that is exactly my mission. I plan to keep it in the small ring and keep the RPMs on the high side. I will go on record to announce that I’m only going to Mac’s and back…a grand total of about 21 miles… the hardest effort will be climbing the hill on Timms Mill at mile 6.

I think a few riders will be looking to join me for the short spin. I’m assuming others will be there to get their dose of mega-miles… which I plan to do NEXT weekend... which will be a long steady effort with minimal stops.

If you missed last weekend's ride, you missed a great one! One rider posted a PR for distance of about 41 miles and he's been riding for ONLY a few months! He's gonna be fast (but of course, he's YOUNG!!!) Even IronMike came out to ride.... so, what's keeping you??? Our group continues to become more international as Thomas returned to ride.... now, if only Mr. Brazil will rejoin the group??? Last week, we met 2 BIG groups on Wilson Rd.. the first group was the "chicken-nettes" and the second was the official Chicken Ride... I'm just glad they were going in the OTHER direction.... but, as soon as we saw them, we "pacelined" and looked very sharp... just like we knew what we were doing!!!!

So, if you’re not at the Georgia TT series, or with kids at the Greenwood Tri, or vacationing with family… or getting a few extra winks, come join us for a little spin. The group leaves New Spring Parking lot at 0800 on the dot. The full ride is a little more than 42 miles with an average pace of 16+ mph.

Best of luck to those going to Greenwood on Sunday for the sprint tri.... JD (who'll be doing his first tri), The Promoter, IronMike, Ryno, Mr. NameSake and Mrs. Fancy Pants. I can't remember if Nascar Dave will be there.... my memory isn't what it use to be!!!

The Announcer

April 11 Ride DATA

Riders,

NOTE: the most important item for this weekend's ride and ALL the other Saturday Rides (aka SVRs) is that we'll ROLL OUT AT 0800 on the dot... that gives you plenty of time to get the usual miles in.... AND any additional miles that you may need for training purposes... our group leaves from the parking lot of New Spring church for a nice quick ride through the county... the route is about 45 miles, give or take.. with a few gathering points along the way... if it's your first time out, give a shout at the start... so we can keep an eye on you.... as we do NOT have route sheets... and we'd rather not leave any rider behind... especially on Simms Mill Rd... which causes the lungs to burn and the thighs to ache... unless your Beastie Bob... and you ride hills for pleasure??? sick, sick, sick.. I wonder if his brother does the same???

Last weekend, the JJR was cold to start... but, warmed up nicely later in the ride... It was a great ride and a great way to get a metric under our belts... Kudos to Stelly and Lacy for keeping me company along the way... I was able to concentrate on position and getting "dialed" in... so, maybe this weekend, it'll be more natural... NOT!!!!

Now, about that mutiny ride... I received reports of that ride... and from what I can tell, there is NO way that group had any more fun than the JJR!!!! Kudos to Russell for chewing on 60 miles for "a first timer".... Will Rance led another ride away from SVR??? who knows???

Congrats to Dr. Dave for competing in the NO 70.3... we'd love to get a race report.... everything I've read on ST says the conditions were have been LESS than perfect!!!! in fact, down right DIFFICULT!!!! Welcome back.... and get some well deserved rest...

Here's hoping TT-Bob will be back... if he gets clearance to ride... with the group... he's already logged more miles this week that most do all MONTH!!!

Would someone please park a Tundra in my garage???

Be safe,

The Announcer

Ride for 4-4-09

As previously announced, this weekend’s SVR will yield to the JJR. The JJR is a long standing ride in our area which has “announced” the coming of the riding season. However, when the government got involved in changing the clocks around… moving our time ahead by one hour several weeks BEFORE Mother Nature would cooperate, this “announcement” became “mis-timed”… So, since we’re about 3 weeks “into” the riding season, the JJR should be a nice ride to help get “our legs back”.

The ride starts at the Ag Museum across from Tri County Tech. It has routes for everyone. I hope you’ve registered already.

There will be a group meeting at the New Spring Parking lot to rollout at 0800 to RIDE to the start of JJR. We’ll meander to the start, pick up our T-shirts, exchange pleasantries with the volunteers who make this ride happen… and get on the course. The course will traverse many of our familiar roads, like 5 Forks, 6&20, Pickens, Dalrymple, Slater and Shackleburg. Anytime during the ride, when you’ve had your fill of miles, you may simply alter your course and take it to the house. I’m only looking for 50 to 60 miles… more or less… give or take…

Of note, our meandering route WILL be different. We'll ride to Thompson, Hill to Slater and take the road to Mac's. Then we'll go to La France and hit Clemson Blvd for about 3 miles until we get to Tri County Tech. After that, we'll follow the JJR route... and stop at the SAG station.... after all, that's why we're doing it right??? cookies, peanuts, bananas and Gatorade??

It should be a great day for riding….

Here are well wishes for TT-Bob on a speedy recovery… (maybe we’ll see him out there!!!) and to Griz and Mrs. Griz… two SUPER tough riders…. Who keep going and going and going…

Props to Beastie Bob for riding Assault on the Carolinas last weekend… in the rain for the second year in a row!!!

Best of luck to Dr. Dave… going to tame that 70.3 distance in New Orleans!!!

Attached is the flyer for the Greenwood Sprint Tri Race-Event. I hear it's "one to do"

so, what do you think about this pic? all I know is that bike and the rider is Smokin' Fast.. but, I think we'll need to change his name to "wounded bear"..... hmmmmm