Thanks to everyone that came out and supported Cogs and Kegs! Turned out to be a great night of riding and supporting a great cause. Thanks to all the volunteers that helped make this event a success.
Author Archives: Steve Colarossi
Bike MS Ride Summary
by Erich Meier
In 2008, I participated in my first event after a work-out partner raved about his experiences and then began soliciting donations from family and friends. This is when I found out that my uncle’s wife, Jennifer, had been diagnosed with MS (Multiple Sclerosis) after having bouts of leg numbness, but was not yet ready to share her diagnosis. The first event went great, but left a feeling that I should be doing something more!
After participating in all 4 Michigan Bike MS events on multiple occasions, I ventured out to do the Vegas Challenge (NV), Bike to Jack and Back (TN), Coastal Challenge (CA), etc. with some great friends and have adopted the goal of doing an Bike MS event in every state. The locations chosen are always awesome and are only surpassed by the people that you meet during the event.
During the Coastal Challenge (Santa Monica to Santa Barbara), I met an amazing woman named Audrey. Audrey is the team captain for Team Audrey’s Heroes (TAH), which is the BP150’s (TX) largest friends & family team. Audrey was diagnosed in 2007 after numerous tests and being told that she was too young and cute to have MS, but she did. That following year 4 O2 members joined TAH for the BP150, which is an amazing event that attracts approximately 13,000 riders annually.
It is event camaraderie that keeps me looking forward to each event, but it is the people, like Jennifer and Audrey, that keep me passionate about the events.
In 2017, my state tally reached 15 through participating in the following events: Country Roads (WV) that starts at the historic Greenbrier Resort, Deception Pass Classic (WA) along the PNW Coastline, and Cycle the Silver Valley (ID) near the retired silver mines.
While each ride has been noteworthy, I am more thankful for those that have joined me over the years, their friendships, and the lasting memories that were created.
2018 will hold new routes, states, and adventures. I intend to do 3 or 4 new Bike MS rides. Please feel free to contact me at erich.j.meier@gmail.com.
Registration for the 53rd Annual Debaets Devos Pro-Am is OPEN!
Sunday, August 27th, 2017 – Auburn Hills, MI
Course is a 1.35 mile circuit just off I-75. Take University Dr. – Exit 79 EAST and follow signs to parking and registration located at:
Oak Tech Professional Building
3100 Cross Creek, Auburn Hills 48326
Other:
All USA Cycling rules apply. Free lap rule is in effect. Lapped riders may be pulled. All unlicensed racers (including lapsed annual licenses) shall buy a One Day, Category 5 License (additional $10) ON RACE DAY, unless able to meet the USA Cycling exceptions. Limit of 50 riders in Senior Category 5 races. Limit of 100 riders in all other races. The Chief Referee reserves the right to shorten races, combine fields, adjust starting times and distances, or cancel the race due to
dangerous conditions or hazardous weather. Junior roll-out occurs immediately after Junior races. Registration opens at 7:00am and closes 20 minutes before the start of each race. Race runs rain or shine.
Entries are non refundable. U.S. and Canadian currency accepted. Helmets mandatory for all races.
Check out a video from our 2015 race. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOOKHos-5I0&feature=youtu.be
Waterford Weekend Races – Registration is OPEN!
Exhale Ride
Danielle Mullis wins Bronze at Track Nationals!
Congratulations to Danielle Mullis for winning bronze in the International Omnium at Track Nationals this week!
52nd Annual Debaets Devos Pro-Am – Registration now open!
Sunday, August 28th, 2016 – Auburn Hills, MI
Course is a 1.35 mile circuit just off I-75. Take University Dr. – Exit 79 EAST and follow signs to parking and registration located at:
Oak Tech Professional Building
3100 Cross Creek, Auburn Hills 48326
Other:
All USA Cycling rules apply. Free lap rule is in effect. Lapped riders may be pulled. All unlicensed racers (including lapsed annual licenses) shall buy a One Day, Category 5 License (additional $10) ON RACE DAY, unless able to meet the USA Cycling exceptions. Limit of 50 riders in Senior Category 5 races. Limit of 100 riders in all other races. The Chief Referee reserves the right to shorten races, combine fields, adjust starting times and distances, or cancel the race due to
dangerous conditions or hazardous weather. Junior roll-out occurs immediately after Junior races. Registration opens at 7:00am and closes 20 minutes before the start of each race. Race runs rain or shine.
Entries are non refundable. U.S. and Canadian currency accepted. Helmets mandatory for all races.
Check out a video from last year’s race. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOOKHos-5I0&feature=youtu.be
Download the race flyer here.You can also contact us at info@cadbc.org
Cadieux Bicycle Club Announces the First Annual Corktown Criterium
The Cadieux Bicycle Club is excited to announce the 1st Annual Corktown Criterium, a race to benefit the MIU Men’s Health Foundation. A big thank you to Chris Donnelly for spearheading the effort to bring another great race to our area!
Stay tuned for more information.
https://cadieuxbicycleclub.com/race/corktown-criterium/
Race Recap: Island Lake XC
We had a solid showing at the Island Lake mountain bike race this past sunday. With a race roster of Joshua Hall, Nate Benke, Phil Huyghe, Erik Huyghe, Jake Samborski, Melissa Seymore, Mark Boden, and myself, I think it is safe to say this was one of the best turnouts O2 has had at an MTB race. Not to mention we had Mike Dega, Chris Wanely, and Mary Raftery show up as part of the support squad. The O2 tent was set up in prime location and my better half Becky helped me cart our grill out to make sure every one was fed after the race.
As for the racing, there was some good, some bad, and tons of exciting. Josh took 4th place with Nate in 6th in the Men’s Expert 30-39 race. This is a tough field and Josh’s second Expert class race. After listening to him worry about making the jump to Expert all winter, I think we can put the speculation to rest, the man is fast! Nate’s 6th place finish was also a strong result, especially in a field with the likes of Jeremy Merz and Eric Langley.
Jake Samborski originally came to hang out and support the team, just getting cleared from a broken bone in his foot that has had him off the bike for the past month. At the last minute he decided to register and race in the single speed class. Unfortunately for him, he blew his tire at the start and fell down. To make matters worse, the racer behind him ran over his head! Jake stayed and hung out for the rest of the day, collecting 4 stitches above his eyebrow on the way home.
Mark Boden, the Huyghe’s and I raced sport class in our respective age groups. I took 5th in the 19-29 race, I feel like I could have contented with the lead group but the race for the podium ended in the first two miles. One particular racer decided to actively and aggressively block any passing attempts in the first 2 miles of single track… his attempts proved fruitless because we were eventually able to pass and he ended up in last place. These antics gave the lead group of four a hefty gap on the rest of the field. I tried my best to chase them down, not knowing how many people were even in front of me. I’ll take the top 5 result with a smile given the circumstance. Erik Huyghe took 7th in the 30-34 race. I don’t know how Mark and Phil did because the results still haven’t been posted online but I know they gave it their all in field that is generally known for being large and competitive.
One big highlight of the day was Melissa Seymore in the women’s sport 19-39 race. New to mountain biking she was debating racing beginner or sport. She decided on sport… and ended up taking 1st place. Way to go Melissa! With good results in cyclocross, road, and now MTB, she is proving to be quite the asset to any division of our team.
After the race we all hung out and grilled some food and drank some ice cold beers, all generously provided by O2. So if any of you Island Lake racers or hanger-outers see Mark Cahn or any other board members, be sure to extend a thank you for giving the MTB team a budget this year. I want to extend a thank you of my own to anyone who came out on Sunday. Getting good showings like this is exactly what I want to accomplish as MTB race captain. If you missed the race/party I plan on doing something similar at the Addison Oaks race in the fall.
Keep the rubber side down,
Alec L – MTB Race Captain
Tip of the Week (2016-1)
Tip of the Week, 2016, number 1
If your answer to the following question below is “I don’t know” or “I don’t recall” the advice is: You probably need to change your chain!
The question is: When did you last replace your chain?!
So when do we replace our chains? Several seasons ago I sent out a general survey to our local ride groups asking the general question: “When do you replace your chain?” We had an interesting and generally thoughtful array of responses. The general consensus is that we should probably all be changing our chains more frequently than we do. Riders reported that they changed as frequently as 1,500 miles to 3,000 miles with many taking a quantitative approach to changing the chain. The final suggestion is that it is ideal to check the chain with a chain checker which is a simple device (several on the market) such as the slide tool from Park which for a 10 speed chain it is time to replace the chain when it measures out at 0.75. A new 10 speed chain will measure about 0.50. For an 11 speed chain the scale is moved down I understand to 0.50 as the time to replace it. One can physically measure the chain in lieu of using a chain tool but I’ll keep this discussion simple.
So why change a chain frequently? It is often put forth that replacing a bike chain is analogous to changing the oil in a car and the reason is to prevent undue wear and tear from frictional forces on the engine or in this case the other parts of the drivetrain from wearing out prematurely, specifically the rear cassette and the chain rings up front.
It is really quite remarkable to me even after all these years that a metal chain elongates to the extent that it does but they do! So what contributes to chain wear? Well, riding hills puts more frictional stress on a chain especially if you push a hard gear or “mash” on the pedals. Larger riders compared to petite riders should in particular stay on top of checking their chain. Spinning easier gears will generally get you more miles per chain. A clean drivetrain will perform better and wear less as well. Clean your chain frequently especially if after a rain day or a dusty route and lubricate the chain frequently as well. Experienced riders will suggest at least once a week. Riders who sprint will push a chain causing it to stretch as well. Even single speed riders need to check their chain frequently, perhaps even more than on a standard road bike, because the single speed set-up puts wear on the bike since there is only a “hard gear” when climbing.
The term chain-stretch is actually a misnomer. What happens is that wear occurs in each bearing/pin of the chain from friction caused mostly by dirt and grit. As the chain gets dirty it acts as sandpaper would and causes wear on each link of the chain. Multiply that wear by the average number of links of about 110 and the result is a chain that gets longer. In effect chain-stretch means the distance between the links have gotten longer which contributes to wear on your cassette and chain rings as well. The metal does not stretch but the bearing holes elongate.
So why bother changing a chain frequently? Just check out the prices of chain rings and cassettes. While a Dura-ace chain may cost $45.00 a Dura-ace cassette may cost over $200.00. If you stay on top of replacing your chain you will go many thousands of miles further without replacing the cassette or rings. When you replace your chain you will be amazed how it makes your bike ride smoother and easier. If you don’t change the chain frequently you will incur undue wear particularly on the rings of the cassette you find yourself in most frequently, in my case the 14 or 15 tooth gears. When it wears out you may get a skip and the trick it to replace the chain so that when you do there is no skip along the cassette or perhaps a drop from the big ring to the smaller ring when you are in a semi-crossover gear. [By this I mean, for example, the big ring in the front and a bigger easier gear in the rear.] We want to eliminate phantom shifts which are more likely to occur when the chain is worn and/or the gears of the cassette are worn as well. A phantom shift is when the gear changes without a concerted effort. It can be disconcerting, even risky, especially if in a climb or in a race scenario.
HEADS UP!
E.J. Levy
Directeur Sportif
Special thanks to Philip Huyghe for his significant contributions to this article
