Leadout Racing » Training

KY Trip

Leadout Racing — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 13:31:16 +0000

On Thursday March 10th seven of the Leadout members loaded up the cars and headed for the warmer weather of Kentucky. Lupe, Chad, Jeff D., Mark, Peter, the Little Unit, and myself were all anxious to get there and put in lots of miles and enjoy the team comaraderie. We arrived late Thursday night and promptly went to sleep in anticipation of the great riding ahead. Friday morning started off with a great breakfast and then we were soon on our way. Chad and Mark had worked out a route that would get us about 90 miles. The weather was a little cold to start, but quickly warmed up. The Ky roads are pretty sweet and we really don’t have anything that could compare in Michigan. The roads are all hilly and winding with the back roads being more like big bike paths.

The people are also unbelievable as about 90% of them waved and were friendly, even when they had to wait to pass us. We finished with 91 miles in just over 5 hours the first day and we were all pretty destroyed. The next day, Saturday, we planned a race with about a 25 mile ride there and back. Chad, Mark, and the Little Unit had signed up for the 3/4 race. Their field was about 75 people and in the end Chad was able to stay with the main pack and finish 12th. Peter, Lupe, and I were in the Pro/1/2/3 race that was stacked with Texas Roadhouse guys. In the end I was able to stay with the main field and finished 6th. The ride home was sort of a death march as we were all pretty tired and just wanted to be done riding. Saturday night was spent relaxing and a few guys (mostly Peter) indulged in a few beverages that made for interesting and loud conversations. Sunday morning rolled around and the 35 mile route planned was exactly what we needed. It was enough to stretch the legs out, but not enough to destroy our already weak legs…at least until Jeff had a little mishap. On one of the many large hills his derailleur got eaten by his rear wheel. We either had to leave him for dead or push him the remaining 12 miles.

After a close vote we decided to push him. The last 12 miles were a lot more fun than they should have been as we used teamwork to get Jeff safely back to the cottage. All in all, a great weekend of riding, racing, relaxing, and hanging with friends.

Dan K

January 17, 2010 – Ride to the beach

Leadout Racing — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 14:38:45 +0000

On Sunday, January 17, 2010, Geoff, Dan K, Jimmi, Scott, Mark, and I met at the Georgetown Ice Arena for a group ride to Grand Haven and back. The weather was 35 degrees, overcast, and just a hint of wind out of the south/southwest. It doesn’t get much better than this in Michigan in January. We rolled out shortly after 1:00pm.

We kept the pace at a steady 20-22 mph, and rode 2×2x2 along nearly deserted roads. We worked our way across the Grand River, then turned west onto Leonard. As a bonus, there isn’t much traffic, so we had a very nice cruise into into Grand Haven where we stopped for some food and something warm to drink. After a quick break (where Dan K tried unsuccessfully to determine the scores of the NFL playoff games) we went back into the cold and headed south. We rode past the Grand Haven State Park – no bikini’s on the beach today! – and then rolled over the dunes until we reached Lakeshore Drive.

We took that south to Stanton, and took Stanton east back towards home. It was a nice long cruise, and the weather was just warm enough that our hands/feet didn’t freeze. I ended up with 60 miles round trip. It felt great to get some fresh air, and take a break from the stationary trainer in the basement!

Saturday Team Ride

Leadout Racing — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 23:47:05 +0000