Post-Holland-Hundred ride report and whatnot

Hey, we missed you folks on Sunday! It was a seriously nice day, and you missed out on meeting our old neighbor Ed, who REALLY perks up when he hears the word "high" and was visibly disappointed to find out that it was a BG thing and not something more up his nose alley.

At least he had a shirt on.

Anyway, big congrats to Megan T, who completed her first 50 mile ride despite the aforementioned high (and a matching low) - way to stick it to T1!

Other folkses along for the ride were
MC (almost ready to head off to Burlington to kick off Ride Season!)
Linda C (doing her longest ride this year)
SGS GingerMom (doing her longest ride in a few years)
Kevin C (fresh off the Holland Hundred the day before)
Kirsten (also doing a Holland Hundred cool-down half-century)
John J (who gets a parenthetical note so he doesn't feel left out)
and little ol' me.

We rumbled up the Berry Junction and Hart-Montague trails all the way up to Rothbury, back down through Montague again for ice cream at Twisters, then over to Scenic Drive to see Lake Michigan and Blockhouse Hill. Back at Mullally Park there was the usual chips, salsa, shade, and chitchat. It was pretty dang nice!

So NEXT UP on the team ride schedule is the annual famous Casa de Clark Tour de Taco, on August 3. We're gonna have at least a couple of mileage options for any and all riders, we'll hear stories from the Burlington ride, we'll send off our Lacrosse riders with hearts full up to bursting, and we'll eat a whole mess of grilled chicken and stuff. Deets will be forthcoming, but get it up on your calendar now because we want big attendance!

Rock on, rockstars!

Team Ride 9 Report

I've still got water in my ears. How's that for a report? Ah, swimming pools - is there anything better on a nice warm day after a ride? We were all kinda concerned that we'd be riding in rain, or postponing, or even cancelling based on the weather forecast, but the storms had the decency to get here early, do their thing, and then leave us with dang near perfect conditions!

Rolling out from Kim and Chris's's's's (what's the apostrophe rule on that, again? Sorry, Mrs. Scharfenburg...) were:

Scott W
Johnny D
Kevin C
John J
Special Guest Suzy D
Jeremy P
Josh M
Chris R
"Titanium" Tom M
Cindy A
Special Guest Mike H
Linda C
Megan T
Special Mom Ginger D
and your loyal coaches did, Kaat, and MC.

We rode somewhere between 30 and 40 miles, or something like that, depending on when for each of us the lure of the pool overcame any desire to ride up another hill. Our most generous hosts, Kim & Chris, ably assisted by June (and not really all that assisted by Dane, Maali, and Hayden), had burgers galore, and we all had waaay too much sweet stuff. Thanks to all who brought (BELCH) brought food!

And the pool. was. glorious.

NEXT UP! We have the Holland Hundred on Saturday the 19th - routes are anything from 19 to 100 miles, and every distance includes the famous Pancake Breakfast. We've got a new route for the 100 mile, as well, so you won't visit the no mans land of extreme southern Allegan county.

Aaaand just in case you don't want to do the HH, or if you do but want more miles for the weekend, we're gonna have a team ride on Sunday the 20th from Mullally Park in North Muskegon, with a nice 50 mile mostly flat route in the offing. And there will be an ice cream stop! Look for details on Facebook and in your email.

Rock on folks! We're about a month from the Lacrosse ride, 2 months from Tahoe, and 3 months to Death Valley!

Free gear from one of our sponsors

Hey team. Thanks to long time sponsor XS Energy Drinks, every team member will be receiving a free XS Energy jersey and tech t-shirt. The t-shirts are in various colors and come in both men's and women's sizes. The jerseys come in two colors schemes, green and yellow, or red,white and blue, and are uni-sex sizing. We will be distributing them at upcoming team rides and other events. Or you can send Tom Scheidel an email to arrange getting your attire.

XS has also donated a pallet load of energy drinks. All the proceeds from the sale of the drinks goes to the rider who sells them. For example, if you sell 5 cases (12 cans per case) at $20 a case, you would have $100 to put toward your ride account. The great thing about XS Energy Drinks is that they are low carb, no sugar, and low calorie. The energy boost comes from a mixture of B vitamins. And they taste great. Check with Tom or Mary Scheidel to get your supply.

Thanks again to XS Energy Drinks for their support of the West Michigan Ride Team.

TEAM RIDE REPORT - RIDE # 8 ON JULY 6

Well - we didn't expect a huge turnout when we scheduled a Team Ride for the 4th of Joo-Lie weekend but figured "What the Heck?" y'know?

As it turned out - we had 3 registered riders, 2 extra-special Guest stars & 3 coaches. We all did a roll-y 42 mile loop and enjoyed the day, the company, the post-ride snacks (thanks Coach MC2!) and a fine ride!

The 3 registered riders:
JD Stone
Scott Wycoff
Cliff Lewis

The Extra-Special-Guest-Stars:
Suzy Doyle
Lindsay Stacy

The Coaches:
Kaat
MC2
MC

We rolled from Johnson Park (no sign of LARPers, alas) - headed north and west over to GVSU, out Leonard, skirted Hudsonville (there's a new bike shop there I hear tell) and then back. Everyone rode well and we were lookin' GOOD! ( I know - you knew that - still, it bears mentioning.)

Our NEXT Team Ride is a BIGGIE and I hope to see ALL Y'ALL there! Details are being nailed down as I type this - watch for an e-mail soon - but we'll be riding from Kim Monk's place in Ada. You know what THAT means, right? Okay - it likely means a few hills, true, but it ALSO means a big cookout/pool party after the ride! I can't wait! That's THIS COMIN' SUNDAY so I'll see you there!

Hey kids - it's July. The Ride to Cure Season commences in a few short weeks and for those of you heading to La Crosse - that's NEXT MONTH! We're "in it for real" is what I'm getting at here...I hope everyone is getting the miles in their legs and dollars into their Ride Accounts.

Okay - that covers it for now  - I really hope to see you soon and - as always - thanks for being the complete freakin' ROCK STARS that you continue to be!

XO, Coach MC for your coaches and Ride Committee.