TEAM RIDE #2 RIDE REPORT!

Well...... the weather f-i-n-a-l-l-y relented and the non-Spring-Break-traveling members of The World's Coolest Team showed up in force @ 3rd Coast Cycles yesterday to really kick the 2014 Ride Season off in fine style!

We broke into 2 groups....Coach Did led some folks around one of our fav shop ride loops for 32 miles while I took a group on a more "conversational" 18+ mile loop.

Afterwards there was much laughter, snack consumption and sharing of Tall Tales as we embraced teammates both familiar and new.

The Roll:

Special Guest Berger
Susanne A & Special Guest Brad
Cliff L & Special Guest Dave
New Teammie Megan T
Coach Did & Kirsten D
Cindy A
Sarah A & Peter D
Tom M
Kevin C
Peggy E
Chris R & Special Guest Julie
Scott W & Special Guest June
Lisa B
Special Guest Brian VZ
Special Guests Ross and Krista S
and your reporter on the tandem w/ Super Stoker Linda C!

It was a great day - a great ride and it's gonna be a GREAT season! I can't wait to roll w/ you guys again!

You rock - each n' every one of you - (but you knew that, right?)

Thanks for all you do!
Coach MC

NEXT RIDE - Sunday 4/27. The Clark's house in Grandville. 2:00pm roll out. (More details soon!)

THE VERY FIRST RIDE REPORT OF THE 2014 SEASON!!!!!!!

Yup - March 23 is a little earlier than we usually start.
Yup - It's been a ridiculously long and brutal winter.
Yup.

In a way - that's kinda why your Happy Coaching Staff (Derek, Kaat, Michelle n' your's truly) felt that we needed to "tarry not"....we sorta wanted to let Old Man Winter (that putz) and the world know that the World's Coolest Team will NOT be denied - not by snow, unseasonably cold temps or open-and-enticing ski resorts!

Besides - we kinda missed y'all.

So - we got together @ 3CC yesterday for a "Sufferfest" indoor workout, a mess o' baked spaghetti and some serious hangin' out. Everybody got their sweat on (ok - some more than others) and it was Awesome to see so many here!

Speakin' of that - here's the Roll Call:

Coach Did
Kirsten D
Kevin C
John J
Coach Michelle
Scott W
June W
Coach Kaat
Peggy E
Linda C
Tom M
Jen F (Potential New Rider)
Mary G (Supa-Special Guest Star from Chicago and Honorary Teammie)
Dan E (Past and Hopefully Future Rider)
Ross S (Ditto)
Krista S (Hopefully Future Rider)
and me....

...as well as non-riding (but still welcome) appearances by Katie C, Tom S and Chris 'n Julie R.

UPCOMING STUFF:
Thurs 3/27 - Rode to Cure Info Night @ 3CC
Sun 4/6 - Team Ride #2
Sat 4/12 - Dunecross Race
Sat 4/12 - Jake's Music Fest
Sat 4/19 - HellKaat Hundie Gravel Race
Sun 4/27 - Team Ride #3

Okay - that's it for now.......keep (or start!) riding...keep fund-raising....keep tellin' your friends what they're missin' out on and remember...................

Y'ALL ROCK!

See you soon,
Coach MC

Get to know your team!

Hey Teammates!

In an effort to get to know each other a little better before the actual "ride season" begins we're putting together a "Who's Who on the West Michigan Ride Team." Could you take a few moments to answer these questions about yourself for us to post here? Just send a message to ridewestmichigan@gmail.com with your reponses!

 

Who are you?

Where do you live?

Family?

What do you do in your "real" (ie non JDRF) life?

How long have you been on the team?

What's your connection to JDRF / T1D? (If you wanna share)

What's #1 on your cycling bucket list?

Your favorite post-ride food? Drink?

What's your favorite cycling memory?

If you could ride 25 miles w/ anyone in history, real OR imaginary, who would it be?

When we find a cure for T1D I'm gonna _______!

Also, a picture of yourself would be great, too! It's nice to see what our teammates look like without helmets and sunglasses.

 

We're looking forward to learning more about you!

Your ride committee

JDRF Ride to Cure Diabetes Information Nights

The Michigan Great Lakes West JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) Chapter invites you to learn more about riding bicycles to cure type 1 diabetes and to meet the people you can do it with. Riders of all levels take on two challenges: raising the money needed to fund research for better treatments and a cure for diabetes, and reaching a personal training goal to prepare for a destination cycling experience. Your local team rides and raise funds and awareness for the cause, together. Please join us!

Two opportunities to learn more and meet the team:

January 19, 4 - 6pm
February 13, 6 - 8pm

Come and go as you please! Events are held at 3rd Coast Cycles, 5211 Cherry Ave Suite 170, Hudsonville, Michigan 49426.

 

Registration will be open before you know it! Where are you planning to ride in 2014?!

Answer the poll!

*tweak*

48 hours and we'll be most of the way to Nashville. My brain is remaining impressively useful, only drifting off 60-70 percent of the time, but I'm sure that's coming to an end. I offer apologies to my employer, as I do every year.

Anywhoodles, hey, look, maps and cool stuff!

Indiana road projects and conditions
Kentucky road info
Tennessee road whosawhatsis

I love map.

Weather: Kinda looking a bit meh for Saturday - solid chance of rain, temperatures in the mid-upper 70s. It'll still be awesome; the glow of 500 determined and wonderful riders and hundreds of volunteers and supporters will keep us warm and dry no matter what, and it totally doesn't matter how far you ride or how fast you do it or even IF you ride. I'm not sure what the Nashville equivalent of this standard speech is, but the Death Valley version is "if you take off and turn left instead of right and go spend the day at the pool, you're just as successful as the monster who rides the 100 miles in 4 and a half hours."

(Please tell someone if you do that, though, so we don't go looking for you.)

I'm sure a lot of our activities will center around the Bike Room; let's keep an eye out for each other Thursday afternoon and evening so we can do whatever planning we want to do. Your bike will stay with you in your room, in case you were wondering.

Man, do I ever envy the first-time riders! Make new friends. Be with your people. It's a firehose of an experience; all you can do is open yourself up and soak in as much of the emotion and power as you can. Just BE.

See you in Nashville!

Last Team Ride Before Nashville!

So in a WEEK, a whole mess of us are gonna be en route to Nashville! How 'bout them apples?!?!?! Anybody else kinda tweakin' about it? I'm getting all good and wound up; it's almost time to start making the annual Ride Weekend Packing Spreadsheet! Woot Woot!

BUT FIRST! Let's have one more team ride, OK?

Deets, in case you missed the email and don't do the Facebook thing:

Starting from Spring Grove Park, near Jamestown (MAP HERE)
Rollout time 10 am
33 or 45ish miles, with some hills
Post ride snacks and planning meeting, starting at let's say 2:30

I think what I'm gonna map out is a quick 15 mile loop that will swing back to the park, and then proceed back out for the 33 mile loop, so if you want to do 33, be at the park and READY TO RIDE by 10:45 am. We'll roll through, and if nobody's there  we'll take right off again.

OK!

1 Week 1 week 1 week!