Woodstock Bicycle Club

WBC Membership renewal!

2012-01-17T18:45:00.002-05:00

Hi all. Well, it's that time of year. Heck, it could be any time of year as we've got to be the only bike club in northern New England that runs weekly rides year round. And now we even have two rides per week: TSR on Fri morning and our new Saturday morning winter dirt road ride!

So, come on everyone and click the following link to re-up for the best bike club ever!

https://www.bikereg.com/15193/Woodstock-Bicycle-Club-Membership

Every last penny of your generous dues money goes towards supporting our junior cycling programs and some even goes directly back to you guys after our Thursday night mtb rides!

So, do it now while you're thinking about it. Click the link and re-up your membership. And then come out on a ride with us...ANY TIME OF YEAR!!!

Peter Vollers
WBC President
KMS Cycling Team Head Coach

Welcome to the 2012 season!

2012-01-16T00:28:00.002-05:00

Hi all:

Well, what a year we had in 2011! We went from having a team of near beginners, both on the road and in cross, to a team of budding champions. From solid results in the road season culminating with Brendan and Ansel's 1-2 podium lock at the last road event of the season, the TD Bank Mayor's Cup Crit in Boston, to our near sweep of the New England Cross championships with Ansel, Peter, Jr. and Erin all earning New England titles to Erin's podium and Alden's top 20 at cross nats last week in Madison, WI, it was an amazing 10 months of racing!

The KMS team profusely thanks all of our sponsors for their generous support. I'll approaching each of you in the coming weeks to renew both your club memberships as well as your yearly sponsorships.

As soon as the 2011 racing season has ended, the 2012 season has begun. The kids wil commence their training for the road season next week and we'll be headed to Greenville, SC for a spring base-mileage training camp in early March, right around the corner!

For now, the big news is that we'll be doing a regularly scheduled WBC SATURDAY dirt road ride on cross bikes for the remainder of the winter and early spring. It'll be a moderately paced 2-3 hour (depending on weather) endurance ride every Sat. morning at 10 am from the Start House. We'll leave no later than 10:15 each week and, if the weather's good, we'll stop at store during the ride to warm up and eat and then extend the ride for the full 3 hours. Just contact myself or Dan at the SH with any questions about the ride. This ride is, of course, in addition to our now infamous Fri morning TSR ride (yes, we rode last Fri in the freezing rain and sleet; it was glorious!).

Also, for those wishing to keep up with what the KMS kids are doing, we've updated the team website (www.kmscyclingteam.com) with more pics and now even a google calendar with all of our training rides, races and other events. Just click on the event for more info.

Lastly, we're updating our club dues registration page for 2012 and I'll send another notice soon with a prompt to re-up your club membership asap to stay in good standing.

Thanks and happy biking!

Peter Vollers
WBC President
KMS CT Head Coach

plan for the week

2011-11-14T17:59:00.001-05:00

Lots of congrats from our weekend of local racing. At Saturday's race in Windsor, we swept the Jr 16-18 race with Ansel Dickey 1st, Brendan Rhim 2nd, Peter Vollers, Jr. 3rd and Alden Suokko 4th. Erin Donohue was 6th in the Pro women, Jim Giller was 6th in the Masters 55, Matt Seiple was 19th in the Cat 3/4 men and Coach was 2nd in the Masters 45.

At the VT State Champs in Putney on Sun, we had Brendan and Peter, Jr. taking 1st and 3rd in the Cat 4 Juniors, Giller top 5 in the Masters 55, Coach winning the Masters 45 and Ansel taking a solid 9th place in his first Pro mens race. Great weekend all around!

For this week:

Tuesday: 2 hour road from the SH at 2:00 pm
Wed: explosive effort workout most likely on the trainers at 3 pm
Thurs: rest day, light core-only workout at KMS gym.
Friday: easy 1/2 hour on trainer
Saturday: Northeast Velo Cross race, Londonderry, NH
Sun: Boston Road Club cross, Lowell, MA

Thanks!

Plan for the week

2011-10-24T09:40:00.001-04:00

I never truly realized just how much fun racing bikes could be before we fully immersed ourselves as a team into the whole scene. There we were, me, Ansel, Alden, Erin, Peter, Jr. and Jack Watson, parked with several other fully decked out pro level teams at an active dairy farm in the wilds of Maine riding our bikes through ankle-deep primordial mud all weekend. It just doesn't get any better! This is the prestigious Verge New England Cyclocross Series and I can now truly say that the KMS Cycling Team is making its mark on the New England cross scene. In the women's Cat 3/4, we had Erin in 12th or Sat and 11th on Sun, both days finishing the race with her bike weighing about 50 pounds due to the mud build-up. In the Cat 3/Jr's, Ansel Dickey had another breakthrough result weekend with 7th on Sat and 6th on Sun (top 5 for juniors), moving him up substantially in the series overall. Alden and Peter, Jr. were also top 50 in that race both days and top 10 for juniors. Coach even had a little breakthough in the M45 with 6th on Sat and 4th on Sun, 8 seconds out of the podium. Over in NY, Jim Giller hit Saratoga cross and came 6th in the all-together Master's 35, 45 and 55.

For this week:

Monday: fun-filled skill-building exercises at the Gebhardts, 4-5ish.

Tues: Dirt road ride from the SH at 4.

Wed: Prep school mt. bike race at Dublin School. Leave the SH at noon. Stop at the Quechee Subway for lunch.

Thurs: night mtb ride at Aqueduct at 6. We'll try not to have Dan break his chain in the first half mile this week!

Fri: TSR

Sun: "Wicked Creepy" Cross in Bennington. Great grass-roots level Vermont racing with a kids' costume race to boot!

Peter

Plan for the week

2011-10-18T15:03:00.001-04:00

Wow, what a week! First the team does fantastically well all the way out at Fryeburg Academy at the prep school mt. bike race with Erin Donohue handily winning the girl's race and all the boys placing top-10 in the A men, including John Ramsay on the podium!

Then, Ansel Dickey wins (by two solid minutes!) the Cat 4 race at Minuteman Cross in Lancaster, MA on Sunday.while John Ramsay gets 4th for juniors in his first cross race, Alden Suokko takes a 5th for juniors and Matt Seiple, Jim Giller and Coach take 22nd (out of 80!), 11th and 5th in their respective races and Erin takes 13th in the Pro women!

And then, to top it all off, I have two of the kids all over the Valley News. Check out Erin's article here:

http://www.vnews.com/10152011/8099446.htm

and Brendan Rhim's article here:

http://www.vnews.com/10172011/8103038.htm

What a week indeed!

For this week:

Mon: Kids' ride at the Gebhardt's after school.

Tues: dirt road ride from the SH at 4.

Wed: Prep school mtb race at Pine Hill Park, Rutland. Let's plan to leave the SH at 1 pm. All team members, including those not racing, are invited to come to the Ginger Chicken after the race for an early dinner (5:30 or so).

Thurs: night mtb ride at Aqueduct 6 pm. Lights mandatory (yes, Todd and I went last week in the rain and it was awesome!)

Friday: TSR

Sat/Sun: KMS Junior team doing Maine Verge Series cross races.

Thanks!

------------------------------------------

Plan for the week

2011-10-11T10:50:00.001-04:00

Congrats to the KMS juniors, Erin Donohue, Alden Suokko and Ansel Dickey for their excellent showings at the Providence Verge races last weekend. It was Erin's first cross race ever and she placed well into the top half in the Women 3/4 races. Alden beat his bib by over 20 places from Sat to Sun and Ansel had his best placing in a Verge race to date on Sun when he placed 13th (out of 150!) and was 5th best junior. This result will plant Ansel firmly in the top 10 for juniors in the Verge series with 6 races left in the series.

For this week:

Today: dirt road ride at 4 pm from the SH.

Wed: KMS mtb team to Fryeburg Academy. LEAVING SH AT 11 AM. Will pick up Erin at Quechee Mobil at 11:30. Usual subway stop on the way.

Thurs: NIGHT MT BIKE RIDE! Aqueduct at 6 pm. We rode Brownsville last week and it was spectacular. Get your lights on and come have a blast!

Friday: TSR

Sun: KMS team to race Minuteman Cross in Lancaster, MA.

Thanks!

Plan for the week

2011-09-26T16:19:00.002-04:00

COPY OF EMAIL SENT VIA BIKEREG.COM

#SENT: 107

Again, an action packed weekend of racing. Saturday's Noreaster cross was true to its name with downright swamp-like conditions due to the rain. WBC/KMS riders had a heck of a day with Carl Gebhardt and Eli Grossman 6th and 7th in the cub juniors, Ansel Dickey 6th in the Junior 15-18, Jim Giller 12th in the Masters 55 and Coach 11th in the Masters 45.

Then, on Sunday, in the VT 50, Erin Donohue won the Junior women division and Kenny McNeil was 2nd in the Junior men.

In the TD Mayor's Cup Criterium, which took place right in front of Boston City Hall, KMSers Brendan Rhim and Ansel Dickey put on a tactics clinic with Ansel gobbling up the sprint points while Brendan escaped after the double points half-way sprint to solo in for the win. The KMS duo came in 1st and 2nd, respectively, beating the CL Noonan team who had 2010 New England Cross champ, Nate Morse in 3rd.

Photos are up on www.kmscyclingteam.com.

For this week:

Tonight: easy kids ride leaving at 5:30 sharp.

Tuesday: cross ride at Harpoon. Van will LEAVE at 5 pm sharp. riding by 5:30.

Wed: usual dirt road ride. Leaving at 5:30 sharp.

Thurs: mt. bike ride at Bville triangle. Meet at 5:45, riding at 6 pm. Lights mandatory.

Friday: TSR.

This weekend. Gloucester cross races.

Thanks!

Shire Town Ride Postponed to May 20, 2012

2011-09-22T14:07:00.001-04:00

Hi all:

Route for Shire Town Ride still not ready. Event Postponed til May 20, 2012.

The popular 35 mile route of the Shire Town Ride is not in shape for the event. A bridge on Route 12 is still not repaired, and though a temporary bridge is under consideration, we cannot guarantee that it will be in place for the October 2nd date. Every other route we considered that started and ended in Woodstock has washed out roads or bridges or requires a section along Route 4.

So…we are rescheduling the Shire Town Ride for Sunday, May 20th. This will be a warm up ride for the Prouty, or a good tempo ride for those looking to do the Killington Stage Race on Memorial Day weekend.

Please join us on May 20th. Thanks!

Ken Niemczyk

Dan McKenna

Charlie Kimbell

mtb ride canceled for tonight

2011-09-15T08:41:00.001-04:00

Hi all:

Looks like rain is inevitable today and this evening and we're seeing that the trails are already saturated and can't take more water, so we're going to somewhat pre-emptively cancel the ride for tonight.

But, fear not, this will give our members more time to secure a sweet night-riding light from the SH for next week's ride!

KMS team is doing Green Mt. Cross this Sat and Portsmouth crit on Sun. I'll be in touch with travel plans as soon as I hear back from some of the team.

Thanks!

Plan for the week

2011-09-12T17:03:00.001-04:00

Congrats to the club cyclocrossers for a great season opener at the Quadcross race in Maynard, MA. Jim Giller was 6th in the Cat 4 55 plus, Coach was 4th in the Cat 1-3 45 plus and Ansel Dickey was 4th in the Juniors. Ansel was leading the race handily before he made the dreaded error of not fully releasing his left foot from the pedal before he dismounted into a small barricade and run-up. Let's just say he'll never make that mistake again.

Plan for the week:

Today: kids ride at 5 (leave at 5:30). We'll do some cross drills on the ride.

Tues: cross training race at Harpoon. Van leaves at 5. Kids' tutorial at 5:40, race starts at 6.

Wed: usual dirt road ride. Leave by 5:30 sharp.

Thurs: mt. bike ride at Brownsville triangle. Lights are mandatory now, so see Dan at the SH if you don't have yours yet.

Friday: TSR

Saturday: Green Mountain Cross race in Williston. All team Cubs (9-14 year olds) welcome!

Sunday: Portsmouth Criterium. Kids race too!

KMS team see team website for race links and registration details.

SH Fall Bike Sale!

2011-09-09T12:07:00.001-04:00

The Start House Ski and Bike

Fall Bike Sale

Time to make room for all the new ski equipment All in stock bike models 25% off All bike clothing 20% off Trek, Cannondale, Gary Fisher

Road Bikes, 29ers, Hybrids, Kids

Come on down or call Dan at 457-3377!

Shire Town Ride postponed to Oct 2

2011-09-08T11:08:00.001-04:00

I regret that we have had to push the Shire Town Ride to Sunday,

October 2nd.

Here is why: On August 28th, central and southern Vermont suffered

an epic flood at the hand of Tropical Storm Irene. The damage to

roads, bridges, homes and businesses was extensive. And though the

area has made great strides in a little over a week to get back to

normal, the road is not quite ready and the volunteers are needed for

more pressing needs.

So we hope that you can join us on October 2nd for the ride. You can

register on BikeReg and view the routes at MapMyRide by searching for

"Shire Town Ride" on those websites.

I apologize for sending this broadcast email at such a late date.

The flood kind of threw our plans into a tizzy.

Sincerely,

Charlie Kimbell

Shire Town Ride

Shire Town Ride!

2011-08-25T17:33:00.001-04:00

Autumn started to creep into summer today. Along with it came the sinking realization that the wood is not stacked, the kids need school supplies and the springtime promises of mountain hikes and long bike rides may once again go unfulfilled. BUT WAIT.

Don't put away the bike just yet. Join the inaugural Shire Town Ride, a fun bicycle ride in Prosper Valley in the heart of Vermont. The event is designed for recreational cyclists with 20 mile and 35 mile route options. It is a great ride through a beautiful part of the state. Here are the details:

EVENT NAME: Shire Town Ride

DATE: Sunday, September 11, 2011

TIME: 8:45 Start at Vail Field, Woodstock, VT.

ROUTES: 20 mile route description at MapMyRide, including elevation:

http://cts.vresp.com/c/?KimbellEnterprisesLL/848037c360/2a1cd4aedd/3ffd3eea7d

35mile route description also at MapMyRide, including elevation:

http://cts.vresp.com/c/?KimbellEnterprisesLL/848037c360/2a1cd4aedd/bbd6cc3bf9

SAG STOP: At Barnard General Store on the shore of Silver Lake at mile 10 and again at mile 25 for the longer route.

REGISTER: Register online at www.bikereg.com, search for Shire Town Ride or click here:

http://cts.vresp.com/c/?KimbellEnterprisesLL/848037c360/2a1cd4aedd/84ad394c9d/eventid606

BIB PICK UP: Pick up your bib the morning of the event at the registration table at Vail Field from 7:30-8:30am.

BIKE SUPPORT: Bike technicians will be riding amongst the groups to handle minor bike repairs such as flat tires or mechanical adjustments. A fully-equipped bike repair van will be available to respond to more complicated repairs.

ENTRY FEES: $40 per individual, OR Families of up to four members can enter for just $80.

T-SHIRTS: Event shirts will are guaranteed for the first 100 registrants.

PARKING: There is ample parking along Route 106 by Vail Field and also behind the elementary school across the street.

BENEFICIARY: The Woodstock Community Food Shelf, providing groceries to worthy families in Woodstock and the Upper Valley.

9/11 OBSERVANCE: Riders will briefly join the Woodstock Fire Department at the Woodstock Village Green at 8:56am to honor the victims of the terrorist attacks 10 years ago.

REGISTER TODAY at

http://cts.vresp.com/c/?KimbellEnterprisesLL/848037c360/2a1cd4aedd/f2fa6b1a70/eventid606

I hope you can join us on the 11th!

Charlie Kimbell

Volunteer, Shire Town Ride

Thank you to the sponsors of this event:

Woodstock Bicycle Club

Bike Vermont

Woodstock Farmer's Market

Mon Vert Cafe

Top Acres Farm

Gravity Designs Studio

Start House Ski and Bike

Plan for the week

2011-08-23T11:18:00.001-04:00

Big congrats for Ansel Dickey and Jim Giller for getting 2nd and 8th, respectively, in their cyclo-cross races yesterday at New England's cross season opener in Springfield, MA. This was Ansel's first cross race ever on his brand new full carbon Cannondale Super X from the Start House and he's already got the cross bug.

Speaking of Ansel, he'll be beginning his junior year at KMS this fall as a full-time, 9-month cycling student athlete. You all know KMS as a great ski school, but, now, KMS will be the only "bike school" I know of in the country where student athletes can structure their classes and course work around their cycling training and racing schedules.

Ansel will be taking part in the full prep school mountain biking league as well as the New England cyclo-cross circuit in the fall and winter, including, if all goes well, cross nats in early January in Madison, WI. After that, he'll follow a strength conditioning program and, of course, winter dirt road riding (WBC's specialty) for late Jan thru mid-March to be followed by the usual New England prep school and USAC sanctioned road seasons culminating with road Nationals in Augusta, GA in June. If anyone knows of other kids who may be interested in KMS's program, please send them my our way.

For this week:

Monday: kids ride at 5 at the SH.

Tues: Cyclo-cross training race at Harpoon Brewery. Van will leave at 5 pm from the SH.

Wed: usual dirt road but meet at 5, leave by 5:15.

Thurs: Mt. bike ride at Aqueduct. Riding by 6 sharp and it would be a good idea to have your light for the last part of the ride.

Friday: TSR

Saturday: KMS team Green Mountain Stage Race climbing stage recon ride. Leave SH at 9 am. Back by 4 pm or so.

Sunday: KMS team GMSR circuit race recon ride. Same timing.

Thanks!

Plan for the week

2011-08-08T11:52:00.001-04:00

We have LOTS of congrats to hand out this week. Our KMSers had a great race at the Concord Crit on Sat with Erin Donohue placing a strong 11th in the pro women and all three of our juniors, Ansel Dickey, Zach Stockman and Alden Suokko placed in the top 12 in the junior race (7th, 9th and 12th). But it was particularly spectacular to see Ansel win the field sprint in the mens Cat 4 race for 2nd and that's with junior gearing!

And further congrats to WBC member, Gavin Vaughan for his big win at the Sugarbush Pro Downhill. Here's Gav on top of the podium getting some serious hardware!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQcvNM2E-fI&sns=em

For this week:

Tonight: kids ride at 5 from the SH.

Tues: Claremont. Van will leave at 5 pm. Little kids are still welcome to come along! Pizza chef for dinner. This will be our last Claremont race as we'll be switching to the Harpoon Brewery cyclo-cross training race next Tues.

Wed: Dirt road ride.

Thurs: Mt. Bike night. Ascutney. Let's meet at the same place we did last time at the old ski shop parking lot next to the hotel at 5:45 pm.

Friday: TSR

Sun: KMS kids doing New England Road Race Championships in E. Hartland, CT. Gavin's doing the Pro Downhill at Killington.

Start House Cyclo-cross bike Demo!

2011-08-03T09:43:00.001-04:00

Cyclocross Bike Demo

We would like to invite you to stop by and demo the new Cannondale Super X Cross Bike.

Those of you who may have wanted to join us on the Wednesday night dirt road ride but

have no bike here's a chance to enjoy riding the back roads.

Also if you want to just take it out on you own and explore some new routes - enjoy

The new Cannondale Super X is so smooth on the dirt it will really open your eyes on new places to ride.

So stop by and check it out

Dan McKenna

The Start House Ski and Bike

28 Central St

Woodstock, VT 05091

Plan for the week

2011-08-01T11:00:00.001-04:00

Hi all. Here's the plan for this week

Mon: kids' ride from the SH at 5 pm. Please email back in you are going to attend.

Tues: Claremont training race. The van is a bit on the blink and goes to the dealer on Thurs so it's everyone for themselves getting there.

Wed: usual dirt road ride.

Thurs: Mt. bike night from Brownsville triangle. No van as it may need to stay at the dealer overnight, so just meet there at 5:45, riding by 6.

Fri: TSR

Sat: KMS team to race Concord Crit

WBC's Pro Downhiller

2011-07-27T16:25:00.002-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, WBC's very own Gavin Vaughan placed in the top 80 in the Wyndham World Cup Pro Downhill Race. Gav earned a spot on the US National Team for this race and is thus racing in his USA kit. Here an awesome video of his run on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2zoeExV3qM&feature=player_embedded

Congrats, Gav!

Plan for the week

2011-07-11T16:42:00.001-04:00

Both Mondays: usual kids ride from the SH at 5:30.

Tuesday (7/12): Claremont training race. Van leaves at 4:45 from the SH.

Tuesday (7/19): ride on your own.

Both Weds: usual dirt road ride at 5:15 from the SH (leave at 5:30).

Thurs: (7/14) Mt. biking at Pine Hill Park. We won't be hooking up the trailer, but we still have room for 6 or so in the van. We'll leave the SH by 5:15.

Thurs: (7/21): Aqueduct trails, meet in usual parking area at 5:45, riding by 6.

Both Fridays: TSR at 8 am from the SH

Plan for the week

2011-07-05T12:10:00.002-04:00

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July weekend! Our USAC Development campers are home safe after a week of intense racing and training in PA and now it's time for a little summer R & R and recreational biking. Here's the plan for the week:

Tonight (Tues, 7/5), Claremont training race followed by pizza/pool party at Mike Theroux's house in Claremont. Plan to be home between 10 and 11 pm. Meet at SH at 4:30 pm.

Wed: usual dirt road ride

Thurs: Mt, bike night will be at Ascutney Mountain. Van and trailer will leave SH at 5:15 pm.

Friday: TSR

Saturday: Prouty ride, Hanover, NH. http://theprouty.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=452245

Thanks and enjoy the heat!

Plan for week

2011-06-27T07:42:00.000-04:00

COPY OF EMAIL SENT VIA BIKEREG.COM
#SENT: 107

Huge Congrats go to Brendan Rhim for his excellent showing at the 15-16 Jr Nats in Augusta last week. B finished 40th in the individual time trial, 35th in the criterium and 20th in the road race. Bravo B!

For this week:

Tonight Kids ride at 5:15. I'll be in PA dropping Peter, Stockman, Brendan, Ansel and Erin off at the USA Cycling Development Camp, so Dan and Tao will lead the ride.

Tues: training race. Van leaves at 4:30 from SH. Pizza chef afterwards.

Wed. Usual rain or shine dirt road tide from SH.

Thurs. Mt bike ride. Aqueduct trails. Park off class 4 rd in usual spot (no van for this week).

Fri: TSR.

Weekend: 4th of July Fundraising Fondo. Reg by following links at: www.kmscyclingteam.com

Thanks!

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Plan for the week

2011-06-20T13:23:00.001-04:00

Monday: kids ride 5 pm

Tuesday: track race. Van leaves at 4:30

Wed: usual dirt road ride 5:30

Thurs: Mt. biking from Bville triangle. Van leaves 5:30, riding by 6

Friday: TSR 8 am

Saturday: LOOKOUT Century Ride, Killington: http://www.lookoutcenturyride.com/. Great event for an even greater cause.

Brendan Rhim, our 16 year old KMS CT ace, left for Jr. Nats in Augusta this morning. He races the Indiv. Time Trial on Thurs, the Crit on Friday and the RR on Saturday. Let's wish him luck!

Don't forget 4th of July Fundraising Fondo: www.kmscyclingteam.com!

Sunday kids' mt. bike ride at PHP

2011-06-17T12:30:00.000-04:00

Sunday, Andy Townley will be leading a kids' mt. bike ride at Pine Hill Park. Here's the info:

Hey guys,

We had a great Thurs night ride at Pine Hill Park in Rutland last night!

I'm trying to get a group of dads (moms too if they want to) and kids over there on Sunday afternoon for a little Father's Day ride. I'm thinking we could have a nice ride with the kids, try to ride all the cool bridges, check out the views, and pack a few drinks and snacks to keep them happy. Then afterward maybe we could stop for a late lunch / early dinner. If it's nice out, which it is expected to be, we could stop at Long Trail and eat out on the porch by the river, unless someone knows of a better option.

Let me know if you're up for this or forward to whoever I've missed. Once I know who's in, we can plan where to meet up, etc. My contact is: andy.townley@gmail.com.

For anyone who hasn't been over there, it is really a phenomenal mountain bike park and definitely manageable for kids. The quality of the trails and all of the features that they have built is really unbelievable.

Andy

P.S. - Here's a couple of links:

http://www.pinehillpark.org

http://rideguidebike.mobilerider.com/flash/player/index.php?vendor_id=891&video_id=18585

WBC ride cancelation policy

2011-06-13T16:16:00.001-04:00

Hi all:

With weather being so unreliable as of late, we've decided to put in place a ride cancelation policy. For any regular weekly ride or race, we'll cancel via email by 3:00 pm that day and post it on the WBC and KMS team websites. For those without internet access in the afternoon, if the weather looks iffy, be sure to call the SH at 457-3377 after 3 pm for ride cancelation info.

Also, please remember our racing team's 4th of July Fundraising Fondo on the morning of Monday, July 4. We'll do a nice easy ride and then have a great late lunch. See www.kmscyclingteam.com for registration details.

Thanks!

Plan for the week

2011-06-13T16:13:00.001-04:00

Big congrats to many members of the KMS team for their excellent performances at the Whiteface Road Race and the Saranac Lake Criterium this past weekend. We had some big wins for Erin in the road race, Ansel in the criterium, Brendan in the mens Cat 3/4 race (!) and a nice podium finish for Stockman in the road race (he's unofficially NY state crit champ as well), Eli killed it in the 10-12's and, last but not least, we had a top-3 sweep in the kids' race with Carl Gebhardt, Ayden Schain and Jack Watson taking it to the massive kids' field in the pouring rain in the crit!

Here are the results for the road race (note great pics of Ansel and Erin!):

http://www.bikereg.com/Results/2011/06/11-Whiteface-Road-Race.asp

and for the crit:

http://www.bikereg.com/Results/2011/06/12-Saranac-Lake-Downtown-Criterium.asp

For this week:

Tonight: usual kids' ride at 5.

Tuesday: Track training race. Van leaves at 4:30. Bring money for pizza.

Wed: usual dirt road ride from the SH at 5:15 (leave by 5:30 sharp).

Thursday: Mt. bike night is Pine Hill Park in Rutland. Plan to go in the van as there's plenty of room with the bikes in the trailer. Meet at SH at 5 pm, leave by 5:10 sharp, riding at 6 ish, back to Woodstock by 8:30ish.

Friday: TSR at 8 am from the SH. ALL ARE WELCOME, EVEN THE LITTLE KIDS NOW THAT SCHOOL'S OUT. COME CHECK OUT THE ONLY WEEKLY RIDE IN VT THAT GOES EVERY FRIDAY OF THE YEAR, REGARDLESS OF WEATHER (AND WE MEAN REGARDLESS!)

Sunday: Challenging 3-4 hour hilly ride from the SH at 10:30 am. We'll be breaking Brendan's legs to get him ready for Nationals, so this will be an intense ride from start to finish.

Plan for the week

2011-06-06T14:33:00.001-04:00

For this week:

Tonight: Kids ride from the SH at 5.

Tuesday: Claremont training race. Van leaves at 4:30 pm. Windsor pizza chef for dinner.

Wed: dirt road ride from the SH at 5:15.

Thurs: Mt. bike ride from the Brownsville Triangle. Van leaves SH at 5:30, riding by 6.

Friday: TSR at 8 am.

Saturday: Whiteface Road Race, Wilmington, NY

Sunday: Saranac Lake RR, Saranac, NY.

Also, don't forget to sign up online for the KMS Cycling Team Fourth of July Fundraising Fondo. Details and link to reg page is at www.kmscyclingteam.com.

KMS team, I'll be in touch with a plan for the weekend. In the meantime, those racing should pre-enter asap. Also, don't forget you need to find 5 people to do the Fondo!

Thanks!

wbc news

2011-05-23T10:46:00.000-04:00

Hi all:

After having a fantastic ride in the rain last Wed night on the dirt roads, we've decided to do a little experiment and make our Wed night ride pretty much dirt-road exclusive, at least for a while. We're finding that doing our group rides on the dirt is just hands down a better experience for many reasons including safety (lack of cars), variety of terrain, scenery, building bike handling skills and, especially important for this year, the ability to have a pleasant ride rain or shine!

While it's fine to do these rides on a road bike, a cyclo-cross bike is the way to go as you'll be able run much bigger knobby cross tires which provide crucial suspension and traction on the dirt. Mt. bikes will not cut it as they're just too heavy and inefficient for the general speed and intensity of this ride.

So, each week, we'll meet at the SH at 5:15 and do a different 1.5 to 2 hour ride (yes, a different ride each and every week) leaving at 5:30 sharp.

We're going to try to go rain or shine, so one other crucial piece of equipment is to have at least a rear fender. They keep you clean and help to keep the guy or gal behind you clean as well! See Dan at the SH for fender orders.

Thurs night mt. biking this week will be at the Aqueduct. To cut down on cars at the parking lot up there, we can pile in the team van and trailer at the SH. Meet at 5:15, leave by 5:30, riding from 6-7. This will be an easier, abridged ride this week as the KMS kids are resting for Killington Stage Race.

Thanks!

Peter Vollers

WBC Director Sportif

Plan for week of 5/16

2011-05-16T08:50:00.001-04:00

Wed night ride is looking like rain, but if the Proctor Academy prep school race is canceled (high likelihood), your Director Sportif will be leading a 1.5 hour dirt road ride from the SH at the usual time (meet at 5:15; leave at 5:30 sharp) rain or shine. Look for an email update on Wed confirming same.

Thursday night mt. biking will be at Vaughans' in Sharon. Get your early season skills on on the Vaughans fun and technical backyard course. Van and trailer will leave SH at 5:30 pm sharp. We now have room for 10 adults comfortably in the van and at least as many bikes in the trailer, so please feel free to pile in and save some gas money. We'll ride from 6-7 and maybe have a hotdog, then be back to Woodstock by 8 pm(ish).

Also, this plea for help just came in from the Killington Stage Race:

Peter,

I'm still trying to find about 5 course marshal volunteers for the Woodstock portion of the Monday, May 30 KSR Road Race: Time commitment is about 3-4 hours from 9:30AM.

I need 2 volunteers at the Feed Zone on Rt. 12 and Gulf Rd North entrance, 1 volunteer (or 2 is ok too) at Rt. 12 and Prosper Rd - cyclists make right turn onto Prosper Rd. - and 2 or 3 volunteers at Prosper Rd and Rt.4

All very exciting- action packed course locations. All volunteers receive KSR 2011 T's + swag and are invited to the volunteer dinner -with a great raffle where everyone walks away with some great bike gear.

And while I'm at it --if you happen to know of anyone who'd like to help course marshal for the AM or PM Saturday KSR circuit race - I still need a few more volunteers - again for some prime locations - like the finish line.

Please have them contact me (see below)- or you can send me their contact information and I will contact them.

Cheers,

Good luck training for the race.

Melanie Simon

KSR Volunteer Coordinator

802-583-6705 w.

802-496-7654 h.

msimon10790@gmail.com

May 9 update

2011-05-09T22:32:00.001-04:00

i all:

Here are some updates on WBC related rides and events:

* Please see the club website for the most recent ride schedule: www.woodstockbicycleclub.com

* The Twin-State Speedway (Claremont, NH) training race has begun. Kids' race on the infield at 5:15 pm, followed by Adult B then A races.

* Wed night rides have started. Meet at the SH at 5:15 pm, riding by 5:30 pm. 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month are road rides on pavement and 2nd and 4th Wednesdays are dirt road rides.

* Thurs night mt biking begins next Thurs (May 19) at the Vaughans in Sharon.

* Club members Todd Uva and Jason Merrill are organizing a trail work day at the Aqueduct trails this weekend. Please see the SH Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/The-Start-House-Ski-and-Bike/76886288934 for further info.

Thanks!

Peter Vollers

WBC Director Sportif

WBC update

2011-04-29T09:23:00.002-04:00

Hi all:

Well, it appears that spring has FINALLY arrived (even though it was still 40 degrees this morning), so get your bikes down to the SH for a spring tuneup!

Here's what's happening on the WBC front:

1) Monday night kids ride is on! Easy introductory ride on dirt roads for safety (yes, they're dry enough). 5-6 pm from the SH.

2) Tuesday night training race at Twin-State Speedway in Claremont starts this Tuesday. Kids race at 5 pm or thereabouts on the infield go-kart track followed by adult B then A races afterwards (B and A usually combined in early season).

3) Wednesday night rides will start this week from the SH at 5:15 pm. I have prep school league races for the next two weeks on Wednesdays so my first ride with you will be Wed, May 18, but do feel free to show up and head out on the next two Wednesdays without me.

4) Thurs night mtb rides will start later in the month after the trails have dried up a bit.

5) TSR (Friday morning Team Stupid Ride at 8 am from the SH) is always on, and we mean always.

6) Sat morning ride from the SH at 8:15 am is on as well. Just show and go.

7) WBC has gone interactive! Doing a ride and want some company? Heading to a race and need a ride?Just go to the Start House's Facebook page and post away. All members should "friend" or "like" the SH on FB to be sure they receive email notices of posts.

8) And don't forget to register for the KMS Cycling Team Fourth of July Fundraising Fondo on Monday, July 4, 2011. Just go to: www.kmscyclingteam.com and see the red print info and the link to the registration page. While you're there, feel free to buy a very cool KMS team trucker's hat and gear bag!

Thanks!

Peter Vollers

WBC Director Sportif

Earth Day ride with the legislators in Montpelier

2011-04-24T08:58:00.000-04:00

Happy Easter and Passover all!

WBC's KMS Cycling Team joined the Vermont Bicycle and Pedestrian Coalition for their Earth Day ride in Montpelier last Friday. It was a chilly morning, but well worth the opportunity to meet Nancy Schultz, Coalition Exec Director, as well as Representatives Willem Jewett (Addison) and John Bartholomew (Hartland). We rode with the legislators from Montpelier to the most excellent Red Hen Bakery in Middlesex and back.

Check out the pic of the kids in front of the state house on the team website: http://www.kmscyclingteam.com/.

And, while you're there, see the info on the KMS CT Fourth of July Fundraising Fondo in red type. We've added a new mini-Fondo loop with a stop at Olson's Store in Bridgewater. This is a not to be missed ride, so register asap to preserve your spot!

Thanks!

Peter Vollers
KMS Cycling Team Head Coach
WBC Director Sportif

WBC News and 2011 Trekfest Spring Sale

2011-04-07T09:38:00.001-04:00

Well, this may be one of the nicest days we've had so far this spring, so get those bikes out and go for a ride!

This will be the last email for the 2011 season sent to the old email lists, so, if you haven't already, please re-up for the club to stay abreast of all club activities. Here's the link:

http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=12244

The 2011 club ride schedule is now up on the club website:

www.woodstockbicycleclub.com.

In addition to these rides, we're doing a Tuesday night trainer workout at the SH thru the then end of April. 6-7 pm. Just call Dan at 457-3377 to reserve a spot. As for rides, our Friday morning TSR ride is now committed to be an easy, 45 minute, social, any bike, any clothing (wear your jeans for all we care) community-oriented ride. Comfort bikes, mt. bikes, unicycles, just bring what you got and come on out! Leaves 8 am(ish) from the SH every Friday of the year in any weather (and we mean any).

Also, April 6-10 (right now!) is the SH's Trekfast Spring Sale where a huge array of bikes and accessories are on sale thru this Sunday. Here's the link for that and don't miss out on the fantastic deals:

http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/trekfest/

The racing season is already underway and WBC's Killington Mountain School Cycling Team (now 24 kids strong with racers aged 8 thru 19) as well as club member, Jim Giller, have already racked up some great results at the Marblehead Road Race, the Chris Hinds Criterium and the Myles Standish Road Race. You can view all New England race results here:

http://www.bikereg.com/results/2011/

The team, along with club member, Matt Seiple, is off to arguably the biggest race of the whole northeast season, one of the biggest races in the country: the Tour of the Battenkill (www.tourofthebattenkill.com) this Sunday, so wish us luck!

Mark your calendars for the KMS Cycling Team Fourth of July Fundraising Fondo, a 60 mile, beautifully scenic, non-competitive ride through Killington, Pittsfield, Stockbridge, Barnard and Woodstock tracing the final stage of the Killington Stage Race, to be held on the morning of Monday, July 4 with a big barbeque afterwards at the Stockman's house up at Bear Mountain! All proceeds will go to benefit the KMS junior team and are specifically earmarked to help pay for the new enclosed bike trailer and additional row of seating in the van. We can now take 12 people in the van and 18 bikes in the trailer to cycling events! Check it out:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KRTEObGtLeI/TZUd5MbmwJI/AAAAAAAAUMA/J-oH9JAj2fI/s1600/photo.JPG

This will be REALLY nice for our summer club mountain bike excursions to Milstone, Waterbury, Pine Hill, Kingdom Trails, you name it.

And if you like the very pro look of the trailer, here's your chance to advertise your business: $250 buys you 10" wide ad space on BOTH SIDES of the trailer of the coolest (well, we like to think so) junior bike team in the country. We're certainly the biggest at 24 members!

To sign up for the Fundraising Fondo and the ad space, simply go to the KMS CT registration page:

http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=12296

and sign up. I'll receive an email and I'll follow up with you on your logo. The $250 includes all design and decaling work by Winning Image in Pittsford, VT, so all you need to do is sign up with your credit card and we'll take it from there. For most of the sponsors so far, we've been able to take their logo right from their website, so it's no muss, no fuss advertising, all to support a fantastic cause: getting kids out on their bikes!

See y'all out on the road!

Peter Vollers

WBC Director Sportif

WBC Spring update

2011-03-11T07:59:00.001-05:00

Hi all:

It may not look like it outside, but spring is quickly approaching and it's time to start thinking about biking! Well, for some die-hard club members, biking never ended and we are pleased to let everyone know that we have a 100% winter attendance rate on our Friday morning Team Stupid ride. Yes, some of the rides have been truly stupidly cold, rainy (like this very morning), snowy, you name it, but we've somehow managed to keep the WBC weekly ride flame alive through this record-setting winter.

And, now, it's time for the rest of you to start joining in by attending our spring trainer rides at the SH. Dan has 7 new trainers at the SH and we'll be riding every Tuesday from 6-7 pm from next week through the end of April. It'll be a mostly social ride with a couple of hill climb efforts thrown in for good measure. This will be a great way to jumpstart your bike fitness for the spring.

Also, we're pleased to announce that we have an astounding 24 kids now riding for WBC's KMS Cycling Team program. We have kids signed up ranging in age from 8 to 19. That's more than any other club junior program I can think of. Not only that, but we've also had an incredibly generous donation help us with procuring additional seating for the team van with upgraded seatbelting as well as a brand new enclosed utility trailer for hauling numerous bikes, wheels and gear. The team's racing goals begin with some local New England criterium racing, then the Prep School League series (www.prepschoolcycling.com), followed by some weekend stage racing (Tour of the Dragons in Bennington and Killington Stage Race) and then we'll be taking many of the kids down to the Junior National Championships in Augusta, GA in June.

We'll actually be doing a KMS CT Fundraising Fondo on Monday, the 4th of July to help pay for the remainder of this gear, so please save the date!

Not only do we have the new trailer, but Dan and Jenny at the SH have come up with a junior team bike package for their new line of full carbon Trek Madones now in stock. So everything's coming together.

The one thing missing is you! We're nearing the time every year when we start into our full schedule of weekly club rides and regular email updates, so now's really the time to re-up your club membership and show your support for our club and our junior program. For those that have already signed up, we thank you. For those that haven't, simply hit the following link:

http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=12244

Thanks and think snow(melting)!

Peter Vollers

WBC Director Sportif

Feb. update

2011-02-16T22:33:00.001-05:00

WBC's Winter Fondo held last Saturday was a great success! We had about a dozen riders brave the elements for a fantastic day of winter back road riding. We did some tough climbs and rode for about 2.5 hours to the Barnard Store and had a scrumptious lunch. After lunch, about half the crew rode a shorter route back to Woodstock and the other half did a longer loop through the hills of Barnard and Bridgewater for another solid 2 hours of hard riding. This group finished just as a white-out snow squall was rolling into town. Truly an epic ride and one that all of the participants vowed to do again next year.

As for the rest of February, with the exception of this weekend, we'll be doing the usual TSR on Friday morning leaving at 8:10 or so from the SH and we'll usually be doing at least one 1.5 to 2 hour dirt road ride on the weekends. We'll be sending out reminders of these rides as needed. Remember, no rides this Friday or over the weekend as our ride leaders will be out of town.

Lastly, please do re-up your membership on bikereg by clicking the following link. We'll be switching to the 2011 club roster email list by the end of March and you won't want to miss out on all the great WBC biking action! http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=12244.

Thanks and happy biking!

Peter Vollers

WBC Director Sportif

1st TSR of 2011

2011-01-07T12:39:00.001-05:00

Jason Merrill, Peter Vollers and Andy Townley

Jason Merrill, Peter Vollers and Matt Seiple (Matt had perfect attendance for TSR for the entire 2009-2010 winter and is enjoying the same status so far this winter!)

New Year's update

2010-12-31T18:18:00.002-05:00

Hi all! Well, another year is about to begin and what a year we're hoping to have. Lots of great WBC plans in the works for 2011.

First and foremost, it's time to rejoin the club for the year. The new bikereg club registration page is up and running here:

http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=12244

You know the drill. Please do sign up as early as you can because we'll be switching to the new member list within a couple of months and you don't want to be left out of our great weekly updates!

Our Friday morning TSR (Team Stupid Ride) is alive and well so come on out and join us on this very casually paced, ride hard enough to keep warm, ride leaving from the SH at 8:10 on Friday mornings in any weather.

And for the truly winter riding insane, check out the WBC Winter Fondo:

http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=12211.

It'll be an epic adventure for sure, so get your studded tires on and come on out!

And for juniors, our Killington Mountain School team will be gearing up for the April-May prep school season and a bunch of our juniors will be racing both the Battenkill Roubaix as well as the Killington Stage Race on Memorial Day weekend.

For 2011, we're going to have the usual slate of great weekly rides and we'll continue with the kids' track race on the infield go-cart track at Twin-State Speedway on Tues nights. We're also going to make a point of doing our monthly mt. biking excursion now that we have so many different mt. biking venues around the state to choose from.

Oh,and if you're in the market for a sweet new road bike in perfectly matching Vollers Law / Start House Racing Team colors, check out the Cannondale Supersix 4 Rival in Magnesium White and Orange

http://www.cannondale.com/usa/usaeng/Products/Bikes/Road/Elite-Road/SuperSix/Details/2618-1RSS4C48BLK-SuperSix-4-Rival

available at a great deal through the Start House. Santa brought one for Peter, Jr. and it's just an awesome bike that looks great with our club kit!

Again, please do re-up with the club asap to show your support.

Thanks and Happy New Year!

Peter Vollers
WBC Director Sportif

COME TO THE WBC WINTER FONDO, FEBRUARY 12, 2011!

2010-12-27T16:42:00.003-05:00

Check it out: http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=12211.

This is a must-do for the biking off-season!

WBC riders represent at New England Cross Champs

2010-12-20T20:39:00.003-05:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/45724911@N06/sets/72157625506903639/

Jim Giller and Peter Vollers Sr. and Jr. at the New England Cross Championships December 18, 2010.

10/25 weekly update

2010-10-25T11:04:00.001-04:00

Hi all:

Huge congrats to Jim Giller for his very solid finish in the Cat 4's at the CYCLOCROSSRACING.COM/Minuteman Road Club CX Race in Lancaster, MA. Also, congratulations go to
Erin Donohue, Kenny McNeil, Alden Suokko and Brook Leigh for their great finishes at last week's "hometown" prep school mt. bike race at Pine Hill Park in Rutland. Erin continued her undefeated streak in the women's category, Kenny and Alden were 4th and 9th in the B's and Brook had a great finish in the C's despite an early crash where a heavier boy fell on top of him.

For this week, junior team is racing their last race of the prep school mt. bike season at New Hampton on Wednesday.

Thurs night mt. bike night will be from Brownsville Triangle. Meet at 5:45, ride at 6.

TSR Friday morning at 8 am from the SH.

Thanks!

Peter Vollers
WBC Director Sportif

10/20/10 weekly update

2010-10-20T11:12:00.002-04:00

Hi all:

Congrats for this week go to Alden Suokko for placing top-10 in the Fryeburg Academy mt. bike race last Wednesday and for Erin Donohue who has continued her winning streak in the league's womens division. Way to go, you two! We're all really looking forward to our "home town" race at Pine Hill Park this afternoon. Nice to be on home turf for a change!

For this week:

Thurs night mt. biking: Brownsville Triangle (Silver Hill and Bryant Road). Meet at 5:45; riding at 6.

Friday: TSR, 8 am from the SH.

Junior team: Race today, team dinner at Ginger Chicken afterwards. Van will leave SH at 1 pm. Last training ride of the season at Woodstock Aqueduct Friday. Meet at SH at 4 pm.

Thanks!

Peter Vollers
WBC Director Sportif

2010-10-13T15:17:00.001-04:00

Big congrats to the high school mt bike team for braving the rain at the Vermont Academy race last Wednesday. Erin Donohue once again came away with a convincing win for Hanover HS and Kenny McNeil powered to a fantastic 2nd place finish in the Men's B race for KMS.

Also, as you've probably noted in the papers, we were finally able to convince the powers that be to allow the mountain biking on Mt. Peg without the need for WBC signing a contract to make it happen. The Woodstock Sboard decided to have the Billings Park Commission form a mountain biking advisory committee, of which WBC will be a part, to formulate some simple guidelines to post at the park's entrance. A great resolution that should appease all interests. In the meantime, mt. biking is fully allowed and encouraged in the park.

So, for this Thurs mt. bike night, it's Mt. Peg. Meet at 5:45 at the SH, riding at 6. Lights a must.

Next week, we'll head down to the Brownsville Triangle.

Junior team is racing at Fryeburg Academy today and then training at Pine Hill on Friday at 5 pm.

Thanks!

Peter Vollers
WBC Director Sportif

9/27 weekly update

2010-09-28T19:57:00.002-04:00

Hi all:

Well, we once again have some big congrats going out. First, there was our prep school mtb team who outdid themselves at the 1st race of the season at Proctor Academy. Our sole woman racer, Erin Donohue of Hanover HS, powered away from the woman's field to win handily and her time would have even just about earned her a win in the C men's field! In the men's B race, Peter Vollers was 9th, Alden Suokko was 10th and Kenny McNeil was 12th after breaking a chain, hiking back to the team van and grabbing, ahem, his coach's bike. Zach Stockman, still getting his mtb legs, crashed bumping his forehead but was checked out by the Proctor Alpine Ski Team doctor who said that the crash could only improve Stockman's mental state.

Then we have the Vermont 50. Erin Donohue ended up winning the Junior women category for her 2nd win of the week and Kenny McNeil won, yes won, his junior category as well. Further, esteemed club member, Jason Merrill, had a hugely respectable finish despite cramping badly after 27 miles.

Finally, we have two club members who competed in the Sucker Brook cyclo-cross race in Auburn, NH. Brook Leigh, our resident cub junior, placed a superb 6 out of 15 in the 10-14 year olds in his first cross race ever and Jim Giller had a very strong finish in the Cat 4 men. Wow, great racing for such a small club!!

For this week:

Wed: Juniors racing mtb at Kennett HS in N. Conway. Leave from the SH at noon.

Usual road/dirt ride from the SH at 5:45 for an hour.

Thurs: Mtb at Aqueduct. Riding by 6. Lights required.

For this weekend, No. 1 ranked eastern Downhill Pro (and WBC member!) Gavin Vaughan defends his first place spot at the Gravity East finals in Danielsburg, PA. Let's all wish him luck!!

Peter Vollers
Director Sportif

Sept 21 weekly update

2010-09-21T23:32:00.001-04:00

Hi all:

Congrats to club members Jim Giller, Peter Vollers, Jr. and Alden Suokko for competing in the very challenging Green Mountain UCI level Cyclo-cross racing last weekend up in Williston. Alden, Peter and WBC's youngest racer, Brook Leigh, will be racing at Sucker Brook cross in Auburn, NH this Sunday.

For this week, we had a good team meeting and training ride for the KMS Junior Mt. Biking Squad tonight. Tomorrow, we'll be taking the team of Zach Stockman, Kenny McNeil, Alden Suokko and Peter Vollers, Jr. to the first race of the season at Proctor Academy. The team will be picking up its sole girl associate racer, Erin Donahue of Hanover High School, on the way to the race in an effort to cut down on the rambunctiousness in the team van.

Road and dirt mix for tomorrow's road ride. Leave at 5:45 sharp from the SH.

For Thurs night mt. biking we have a special treat. We'll be riding at the Vaughans house in Sharon. Meet at the SH at 5:30 and we'll caravan there. For separate directions, call the SH at 457-3377.

Friday morning TSR is picking up nicely now that the weather is getting colder. Mt. biking on Mt. Peg is the usual choice. 8 am from the SH.

Speaking of Mt. Peg, we're still working on things with what seem to be endless meetings with the Sboard, but it's coming, slowly but surely.

Thanks!

Peter Vollers
WBC Director Sportif

2010-08-31T17:57:00.001-04:00

Hi all:

I hope everyone is enjoying the last few days of summer. I just found out today that the Woodstock Selectboard is planning on meeting next Tuesday, September 7 at 7 pm at the Woodstock Town Hall (upstairs) to approve WBC's License for mt. biking on Mt. Peg. Folks, WBC has worked incredibly hard to create a phenomenal network of trails and we're in the final stages of solidifying our permission from the town. Please consider it of the utmost importance to attend this meeting. There are some abutters who live near Mt. Peg who will surely be in attendance to object to this project, so it's just crucial that we have as many people as possible there to show our support. Please don't let us down. We really need you on this one!

As for other updates, dirt road ride on Wed and don't forget about Jas Dembinski's cookout after riding the Aqueduct on Thurs night. BYOB and bring some chips as well. Riding by 6 from the usual parking lot.

Also, STAB is hosting their Trail Recreation Day and Community Picnic this Saturday, September 4. Here's the info:

Trail Recreation Day

& Community Picnic

West Windsor Town Forest

Park at the Bicentennial Trailhead off of Coaching Lane

Saturday Sept. 4th

Family Fun Activities (All Day):

· Treasure Hunt – put your detective skills to the test while enjoying a family friendly nature hike (1 – 1.5 hrs)

· Bike Skills Practice –practice your mountain biking (or try it for the first time!) on a short marked trail loop or test your skills on a teeter-totter, bridge, log crossing, and more

Picnic Lunch 11 – 2

Grilled hotdogs, chips, veggies, fruit, dessert and more. Free for all participants. (Small donations to cover food expenses are welcome)

Morning Activities:

· 8 AM – Hike the Bicentennial trail to the Summit of Mt Ascutney (3-4 hrs)
· 9 AM – Mountain Bike Ride for experienced & intermediate riders (2-3 hrs)
· 9:30 AM – Trail run for all abilities (1.5-2 hrs)
· 10 AM – Mountain Bike Ride for beginners & families (1-1.5 hrs)

Afternoon Activities:

· 2 PM – Mountain Bike Ride for experienced & intermediate riders (1.5-2 hrs)
· 2 PM – All Comers Hike for all abilities (1- 1.5 hrs)

Rain Date Sunday September 5th.

For more information or to volunteer (volunteers needed!) contact Raina at 484-5015 or Erik at 952-9745

Brought to you by Sport Trails of the Ascutney Basin www.stabvt.org

Thanks!

Peter Vollers
WBC Director Sportif

8/22/10 weekly update

2010-08-20T17:27:00.003-04:00

Family reunion in Maine next week, so here's the update:

Wed night ride will be dirt roads.

Thurs night will be Mt. Peg.

I'm also pleased to announce that the Dembinski mt. bike cookout will be the following Thursday, Sept. 2. We'll ride Aqueduct at the usual time and then repair to Jas' firepit for the cookout, so save the date!

Also, many of you who ride the local paved roads may have noticed how many cars are on the roads, especially this time of year. Well, a great way to achieve some riding tranquility is to ride the dirt roads. Only problem is, riding dirts roads on a road bike does a number on both the bike and on the body.

That's where cyclo-cross bikes come in. Cross bikes ride very efficiently like a road bike, but have higher profile knobby tires, lower gearing, center-pull cantelever brakes and a higher bottom bracket. These features allow for an efficient, yet very plush ride on the dirt roads, even ones that have been recently regraded. At this time, the Start House has cross bikes on sale for 20% off, so just stop in or call Dan at 457-3377 if you're interested in the best way to ride in the Woodstock area.

See you in a week and a half!

Peter Vollers
WBC Director Sportif

2010-08-18T09:59:00.002-04:00

Congrats to Gavin Vaughan for his excellent 2nd place finish in the Killington Pro Downhill last Sun!! Also congrats to Jim Giller and Charlie Kimbell for competing in the Onion River Sports Circuit Race in Montpelier on Sunday!

Everyone please send their good wishes to Jas Dembinski who broke 3 ribs in a pretty scary crash on last Wednesday's ride. Jas can credit his incredible fitness for the accident not being far worse.

For this week, paved road riding tonight (we'll be switching off every week between pavement and dirt for the remainder of the season).

Tomorrow night, riding from Coaching Lane at Ascutney Mt. Riding promptly by 6.

Thanks!

Peter Vollers
WBC Director Sportif

June 28 weekly update

2010-06-29T10:30:00.000-04:00

A big congrats to Peter Vollers, Jr. for having a go at the fierce competition at Junior Nats in Bend. He came away with a very solid 28th place in the criterium, which isn't bad considering half the field was involved in numerous crashes on the very tight 8 corner 1 km course. Also, congratulations go to Jim Giller for his 9th place finish in the White Mountain Classic in Lincoln NH last Sunday. Great job guys!

For this week:

Tues: Claremont track race. Van leaves SH at 4:45. Kids race at 5:45; B race at 6:10; A race at 7 pm.

Wed: Usual road ride.

Thurs: Mt. bike night is Mt. Peg. Meet at the SH at 5:45, riding by 6 pm.

Note: Mt. Peg is open for mt. biking, so all are encouraged to head up and ride the trails!

See you out there!

Peter Vollers
WBC Director Sportif

June 14 weekly update

2010-06-14T10:53:00.002-04:00

IMPORTANT PRE-MESSAGE: TOMORROW NIGHT, TUESDAY, JUNE 15, THE WOODSTOCK VILLAGE TRUSTEES AND THE SELECTBOARD WILL BE HOLDING A BRIEF JOINT MEETING FROM 7 TO 7:30 PM AT THE WOODSTOCK TOWN HALL TO DISCUSS THE MOUNT PEG TRAIL PROJECT. ANY CLUB MEMBERS WHO CAN MAKE IT TO THIS QUICK 1/2 HOUR MEETING ARE URGED TO DO SO. JUST YOUR PRESENCE WILL MEAN SO MUCH TO THE CLUB AND TO THIS PROJECT!

Weekly update:

Big congrats to the junior team for their last big road race weekend of the summer (mainly mt bike racing for the rest of the summer and fall), the Whiteface Mountain road race on Sat and the Saranac Lake criterium on Sunday. Despite the pouring rain in the road race, Ansel Dickey and Kenny McNeil persevered in the Junior 15-16 race to finish in the top 10. In the Junior 10-12, Brook Leigh came up with the goods with a solid 4th. Thankfully, the rain let up for Sunday's criterium and Peter Vollers, Jr. placed 3rd racing up in the Junior 15-16 while the other boys were again in the top-10. Brook took a nice podium spot for 3rd and the coach battled it out with the old men in the Masters 35 for his 3rd win of the season. A great weekend all around.

For this week, lots going on:

Tonight is our first family ride of the summer. Meet at 5:30 pm, riding by 5:45ish. All ages welcome on any type of bike. Helmets required for everyone. We'll have some of the junior team members leading the ride, so it's a great way to have your kids meet our young racers. Pace will be very easy. 45 minutes to an hour ride on River Road.

Tuesday: Don't forget about the kids' race at 5:30 at Twin-State Speedway in Claremont. Kids 12 and under, any bike, helmet. And it's free!

Wednesday: Road ride this week.

Thursday: Brownsville triangle for mt bike ride. Meet at 5:45, riding by 6.

Friday: TSR

Saturday, June 19: WBC Monthly mountain bike excursion will be Kingdom Trails! Meet at Maplefields at 6 am, pile into the van, leave by 6:30 am, riding by 8-8:30 am, ride til noonish, brewery stop for lunch on the way home. Back to Woodstock by 3 pm or so. Email back if you're interested!

Sunday: The Vollers men leave for the Junior National Championships in Bend, OR. Wish Peter, Jr. luck!

Peter Vollers
WBC Director Sportif

June 7 weekly update

2010-06-07T16:53:00.002-04:00

Monday night kids' rides will start next Monday, June 14 (much easier when they're out of school).

Don't forget about the new kids' race at Claremont (Twin-State) speedway. Kids 12 and under with any kind of bike and a helmet may compete. No racing licenses are necessary and it's free. We do, however, need a parent to attend to sign the waiver. Just be at Twin-State Speedway in Claremont, NH by 5:20 pm or so and I'll take care of the rest.

Wed night ride will definitely be dirt roads this week. Ideal bike is cross bike with cross tires.

Thurs mt. biking will be Brownsville triangle. Meet at 5:45 pm, riding by 6.

Junior team: Race Tues, club ride Wed, rest Thurs and Fri. Races this weekend are Whiteface Mt. Road Race and Saranac Lake Crit.

Team stupid update: I know it's shocking news, but no one rode this past Friday for the first time since last Fall. Fear not though as Dan and I earned reprieve for the club by wrenching at the WES Bike Rodeo that morning, which counts as a ride, so the streak continues. That said, we need good attendance this Friday!

Peter Vollers
WBC Director Sportif

SH Bike Maintenance 101 classes

2010-06-07T16:52:00.000-04:00

The Start House Ski and Bike

Bike Maintenance 101 Classes
Sunday June 13 at 10:00 am
Monday June 21 at 6:00 pm

Learn how to change a tire along with other basic bike mechanics.

Limit 6 per class. Bring your bike for a hands on lesson. (This is free of charge).

Sign up by calling 457-3377, emailing sroberts172@aol.com or stopping by The Start House.

June 1 weekly update

2010-06-01T11:26:00.001-04:00

Wow, what a weekend! Where do I start? I think my first congrats has to go to Jim Giller who finished a very respectable 22nd in the Cat 4/5 Citizens race on Saturday at the Killington Stage Race. Then, we have Jas Dembinski who rode another epic 400 km brevet, something like Springfield, MA to Saratoga Springs. Amazing. On the junior team front, we had Ansel Dickey riding strong to finish the Killington Stage Race with the rest of the junior team lighting up the NJ criterium circuit with the Bound Brook Criterium on Sunday and then the queen of all criteriums, the Tour of Somerville, on Monday. Some top results include Dylan Malone's 6th place at Bound Brook with Cam Price in 11th and the coach sneaking in for a win in the Masters 35. Somerville was as crazy as ever and a great learning experience, especially when the kids got to watch their coach make a mess out of the Cat 2 field sprint! Great racing and riding all over the northeast last weekend.

For this week, note the revised ride schedule on the website. We'll be starting the Monday night kids' ride this coming Monday, June 7, and there's a new kids' race at Twin-State speedway starting next Tuesday at 5:30 pm. Also, while we've dropped the Tues and Thurs night road rides due to lack of attendance, we're very much highlighting the Saturday morning "no drop rule" novice road ride, so come on out and try it!

Mt bikers are welcome to ride the Mt. Peg trails (in fact, they really need riding), but we won't be doing our Thurs. night rides there until we have our agreement finalized with the town. We're getting very close on the latter, but, for now, feel free to ride on your own.

Wed will be a road ride afterall as we have a bunch of roadies attending and we have some road races coming up in Lake Placid.

Thurs. mtb ride is at Ascutney Mountain. Parking instructions to follow.

Juniors, see updated training and racing schedule on the website.

Thurs night mt. biking

2010-05-25T13:23:00.002-04:00

Andy Townley (namer of Team Stupid Ride, our year round Friday morning ride) is hosting us for this week's Thurs night mt. biking. Plan is to meet at Andy's house (3rd main driveway on the left on Cox District Road after turning off of Rt. 4, go to end of long driveway) at 5:40 pm and be riding by 5:50. We'll ride up from Andy's on his trails to the Aqueduct building and then on to the usual trail network. Folks are encouraged to park at Andy's, but it's also fine to park at the Aqueduct building or on the side of the Class 4 road across from the building. We'll pick folks up as we ride through.

After the ride, we'll repair to Andy's for a bbq and refreshments on his porch.

Thanks, Andy!

May 24 weekly update

2010-05-24T11:39:00.001-04:00

FROM: Woodstock Bicycle Club Membership
-------------------------------------------------

Congrats to the WBC juniors for a great showing at the Sunapee Road Race last weekend. Four in the top 10 and that's after the pace car took the kids off course for the finish! And after trying for more than 20 years, their old coach finally won Sunapee (Master's 35), a momument of New England bike racing. Results at http://www.bikereg.com/Results/2010/05/22-Lake-Sunapee.asp.

For this week, all scheduled rides are on. Wed men's ride will be road bikes. I'll report back on mountain biking venue for Thurs.

Juniors will be traveling down to the "big show" this weekend racing at the oldest bike race in the country, The Tour of Somerville, in NJ on Memorial Day. Wish them luck!

Thanks!

Peter Vollers
WBC Director Sportif

tonight's rides canceled

2010-05-19T14:29:00.001-04:00

Too rainy. Usual rides are on for tomorrow night.

Junior training today is canceled. If KMS juniors need to lift weights, today's the day to do it.

KSR help needed!

2010-05-19T14:25:00.001-04:00

Hi all:

It would really be great if we could get some volunteers to help with some crucial marshalling of the race for the Monday, May 31 race. We'd be very grateful if a few folks could step up. Here's the info:

________________________________________________________________________________________

Course Marshall Needs for Killington Stage Road Race Monday May 31

Time commitment 2-4 hours

Most important areas where marshalls are needed:

Proper Road and Route 12 - cyclists will turn off rt. 12 onto Proper Road
- Marshall needs to be in position at 9:30 am - to about 12 noon --

Prosper Road and Route 4/Thomas Hill Road jct.
- Marshall needs to be in position at 9:30 am to about 12 noon -- _____________________________________________________________

Additional areas where marshalls are vital:

Gulf Road at south entrance to Route 12
-Marshall needs to be in position 9am to about 11:30am --

Gulf Road at north entrance to Route 12 - this will be designated Feed Zone -Marshall needs to be in position 9am to about 11:30am---

Cox District Road and Rt. 4
-Marshall needs to be in position 9:45 am to about 12:15pm---

Gabert District Road and Rt. 4
-Marshall needs to be in position 9:45 am to about 12:15pm---

____________________________________________________________

If you want to help - please select a position - send me an email or call me to let me know - If you decide to help - let me know your T-shirt size too...

Thanks...I REALLY need your help to make this race safe....and successful.

Melanie Simon
Killington Stage Race
Volunteer Coordinator
802-498-5745
msimon10790@gmail.com

May 17 weekly update

2010-05-17T12:52:00.002-04:00

Congrats to the WBC Junior team for a fine showing at the Mystic Velo Criterium in Charlestown, RI. I think we've found a natural field sprinter with Dylan Malone taking a 3rd place podium spot on the 17-18 year olds. Peter Vollers ended up winning the 15-16's and was 2nd in the 10-14's. Brook Leigh was 3rd in the 10-12s and even the coach, Peter Vollers, Sr. got in the action taking 2nd in the Master's 35. Results at http://www.bikereg.com/Results/2010/05/16-Mystic-Velo-Criterium.asp

For this week, mt. bike night will be Brownsville. Meet at the Silver Hill/Bryant Road triangle, riding by 6 pm.

Lastly, volunteers are still very much needed for the Killington Stage Race, May 29-31. See the club site post from last week for details.

Junior team: I've created a new Junior section on the club website to the right with the plan for the remainder of the month. We'll be doing the Claremont Twin-State speedway training race on Tues nights. 10-12 juniors are welcome and the team will be going for pizza afterwards and I'll give everyone a lift home, including Brook if he can go. Go to www.woodstockbicycleclub.com for details.

Juniors please note

2010-05-14T14:17:00.000-04:00

Great ride last night. Be sure to get as much rest as possible Fri and Sat. Pre-reg for Sunday's race is now closed, so for those that didn't pre-enter, just bring a $20 and you can do day-of entry. We'll leave at 6 am sharp from my house on Sunday morning. Please shoot me an email to confirm who is going. Thanks!

Kingdom Trails Mt. Biking Road Trip, Father's Day Weekend (June 18-19)

2010-05-12T23:35:00.001-04:00

From esteemed WBC member, Andy Townley:

Kingdom Trails Road Trip - Father's Day Weekend (June 18 & 19)

Last year we talked about it, but this year let's actually do it. Let's take advantage of our fatherly status and get a day pass to head up and finally ride the Kingdom Trails in East Burke, VT. My suggestion is that we leave early on Friday afternoon June 18th and get up to Kingdom Trails for a brief introductory ride before the sun goes down. We can camp at the Burke Mountain campground which is adjacent to KT on Friday night and then go for a big ride or two on Saturday before heading back to Woodstock. This way we can spend Sunday ( Father's Day ) with the family. If you're not big on the idea of camping there are other lodging options in the area to choose from.

Please email Andy Townley (andy.townley@gmail.com) if you are interested and we'll start planning it...

P.S. - I'm hoping to possibly take a quick trip up there before Father's Day weekend to check it out. Let me know if you're interested in that too.

Andy

May 12 weekly update

2010-05-12T22:28:00.002-04:00

Congrats to the KMS team for an outstading prep school season which concluded earlier today at New Hampton. It's amazing how far these kids have progressed in just five weeks. We're now happy to have these kids racing in Vollers Law / Start House colors for the USAC sanctioned races this summer.

For this week:

Mt. bike night is on for tomorrow for one more week on the Aqueduct trails. We'll be hitting Brownsville next week as it'll certainly be dry enough by then.

Junior team: We'll do sprints tomorrow (Thurs.) on road bikes at 4:15 from the SH and then join the club mtb ride leaving the SH for Aqueduct at 5:30. Brook (Leigh) and Casie (Starr), we'd love to see you both on the sprint ride if you can make it (the mt. bike ride is more for older juniors). The team is racing this Sunday at the Mystic Velo Criterium in Charlestown, RI. I'll post a link for the race on www.woodstockbicycleclub.com on the lower right in the usual spot.

The Killington Stage Race (May 28-31) very much needs some volunteers to help with the race. Here's the info:

Here's the Killington Stage Race volunteer information:

Course Marshalls, Drivers and Registration Help needed for the Killington Stage Race

Registration volunteers needed Friday, May 28, early evening at Killington and again on Saturday, May 29 at Killington - most likely at the Skye Ship base area.

Volunteer for all or part of the stage - If you are interested in driving let me know and I will pass your name onto Peter Oliver

Course Marshalls needed for the Circuit Race on Saturday, May 29:
At the corner of RT 4 and 100A.
At Calvin Coolidge State Park.
At the top of the downhill just before the turn from 100A onto 100.
At the turn on at 100A onto 100.
At the parking/boat ramp entrance to Woodward Reservoir on Rt. 100 At the finish line on Rt. 100 just before the junction with Rt. 4

Course Marshalls needed for the Individual Time Trial on Sunday, May 30:
To assist with parking at the Long Trail Brewery on Rt. 4 and 100A To assist with the finish area - River Road, Killington

Course Marshalls needed for Stage 3, Monday, May 31:
Barnard area
at junction of Rt. 12 and N Rd. - Silver Lake State Park - racers turn onto Rt. 12 from N Rd at Gulf Road and Rt. 12 North and South entrance

Woodstock
at Prosper Road and Rt. 12
at Prosper Road and Rt. 4/Thomas Hill Road at Cox District Road and Rt. 4 at Gabert Road and Rt. 4

Bridgewater Corners
at 100A and Rt. 4

Approaching Killington Resort
At 100 and Rt. 4 junction
At 100/4 and East Mountain Road
2 additional zones on East Mountain Road
At Finish area

Volunteers receive a KSR t-shirt, a Raw Revolution organic food bar - probably some other yet to be determined booty and a volunteers dinner on Wednesday 6/2 at a restaurant in the Killington area...

To volunteer call Me - Melanie Simon at 802-496-7654 or send me an email at msimon10790@gmail.com

THANKS!

Nice feature on kms team in the CS newsletter

2010-05-08T10:47:00.000-04:00

Link

May 3 weekly update

2010-05-03T13:35:00.002-04:00

Congrats to KMS team for an excellent showing in the Exeter TTT (results at www.prepschoolcycling.com) and at the Saratoga Springs criterium. Further congrats to our tough as nails 10 year old star, Brook Leigh, who placed 3rd in the 10-12's at Saratoga!

We're finally into the summer ride season. See above for the weekly ride schedule and don't forget that you can now comment on the website posts!

With the rides already posted on the site, I'll just touch on some details:

Thurs night mt. bike ride will be at aqueduct. Parking is at the aqueduct building and also in the field off of the class 4 road like last year.

Don't forget about Jim G's Sat morning social ride as well.

Thanks!

Pine Hill Park This Sunday Morning (5/2)

2010-04-30T15:33:00.001-04:00

Anyone interested in mountain biking at Pine Hill please meet at the Woodstock Union High School parking lot at 8 am. I hope to see you there. Todd Uva

WBC Site is now interactive!

2010-04-30T12:41:00.002-04:00

We've now enabled all WBC ride leaders to post on this site and update ride plans and we've also enabled commenting by anyone by simply clicking on the comment button below each post. This way, all ride leaders can post updates about their rides and members can reply with comments containing valuable ride info, questions or feedback.

The only catch is that everyone should get used to checking this site regularly for last minute ride updates instead of relying solely on the weekly email updates.

Thanks!

Peter Vollers
WBC Director Sportif

Weekend plans

2010-04-30T06:49:00.000-04:00

Saturday: New WBC Sat. morning ride. See above.

Also, for mt. bikers: STAB trail cleanup and PRIZES! Here's the info:

Trail Day Saturday Morning

We will meet at the Albert Bridge Elementary School in Brownsville at 8:45 then head out to various destinations to clear/clean/repair trails. We will need a couple of chainsaws, and some rakes and bow saws. STAB will be providing some other tools as well. Gloves and water is recommended.

NEW! NEW! NEW! GOODIES! LOOT!

(That seems to work with ads.) At noon we will regroup at a predetermined location, and by drawing names of participants, hand out some great prizes donated or provided at minimal cost by local merchants or manufacturers such as Windsor Station Pub, Paradise Sports, Penguin Cycles, and Hammer Gel. Grand prize is a cool ultralight Camelbak that converts from a hydration pack to a full day pack, plus other items that every biker/hiker needs and wants.

SO WORK A LITTLE, WIN A LOT!!
( or maybe go home a loser.)

Sunday:

Matt Seiple will be leading his Bethel/Sharon road ride. Leave SH by 9 am, back by noon. For info, please contact Matt at: mseiple@comcast.net.

WBC Junior teams racing the Phillips Exeter Team Time Trial on Saturday and then the Saratoga Springs Downtown Criterium on Sunday. Wish us luck!

Peter Vollers
WBC Director Sportif

April 26 weekly update

2010-04-26T17:48:00.000-04:00

Congrats to Brook Leigh and the KMS kids for some stellar results at the Turtle Pond Road Race last Saturday and a further congrats to the KMS kids for a phenomenal showing at the Gould Academy prep school race on Sunday. Results can be found at: http://www.bikereg.com/Results/2010/04/24-Turtle-Pond-Circuit-Race.asp and www.prepschoolcycling.com!

Special thanks to Todd Uva and all club members who took part in the Aqueduct trail cleanup on Saturday.

For this week:

Tues, Wed, Thurs rides meet at the SH at 5:15 and leave at 5:30 pm.

Tuesday: social pace Barnard loop. 1.25 hours.

Wednesday: extended Quechee loop: Pomfret Rd to Howe Hill Road to Rt. 14 to Quechee-W. Hartford Rd to River Road. 1.75 hours moderate pace.

Thursday: usual women's road ride. 1-1.5 hours. Perhaps mens mt. bike ride at Aqueduct with Todd Uva's approval. Otherwise, we'll wait a week. Todd let me know.

Friday morning: TSR 8 am at the SH

****NEW WEEKLY SATURDAY MORNING ROAD RIDE: 1.5 to 2 hours. Moderately paced with a no drop rule (meaning no rider left behind). Beginners welcome. Route to be decided the morning of the ride based on the desires and the makeup of the group. Meet at 8:15 am at the Start House with an 8:30 departure. Any questions, please contact Jim Giller at gillerfam@comcast.net. Thanks to members Jim Giller and Charlie Kimbell for stepping up to lead this great ride!

weekend update

2010-04-23T22:24:00.000-04:00

Congrats to our KMS team for a fine showing at the first prep school race of the season at Holderness yesterday. 140 juniors in 5 categories all raced a point to point road racing ending at the Waterville Valley Ski Area base lodge. Fantastic!

Lots going on this weekend:

Saturday, April 24: Todd Uva, WBC Aqueduct Trail Coordinator, is leading an aqueduct trail cleanup. Meet at 10 am at the high school parking lot.

Sunday, April 25: Todd is leading the rescheduled WBC Monthly Mountain Biking Excursion to Pine Hill Park. Meet at 8 am at the high school parking lot.

Questions on either ride, contact Todd at biscthill@hughes.net.

Also, it looks like Jim Giller is leading the charge to organize a moderately paced weekly weekend morning social ride.

Lastly, Dave Steele may be organizing an early morning weekend road ride as well. More details on all weekend rides to come.

I would like to personally thanks these club members, Todd, Jim and Dave for stepping up to lead these weekend rides and to Todd for acting as our Aqueduct Trail Coordinator. This club would simply not function without all of its active members and we all owe a big thanks to these great ride leaders.

April 19 weekly update

2010-04-19T22:44:00.001-04:00

Okay, looks like it's back to April weather! Here's the plan for this week:

All rides meet at the SH at 5:15 and leave at 5:30 pm.

Tuesday: social pace Barnard loop. 1.25 hours.

Wednesday: extended Quechee loop: Pomfret Rd to Howe Hill Road to Rt. 14 to Quechee-W. Hartford Rd to River Road. 1.75 hours moderate pace.

Thursday: usual women's ride. 1-1.5 hours.

Note: One of the reasons why WBC does not have more usual weekend rides is that yours truly is out racing with his KMS team and Dan is busy slaving away at the SH. As such, we're looking for two dedicated members, one to lead a weekly weekend road ride and another to lead a weekly weekend mt bike ride. Even if you can't lead the ride, it would be great if these ride leaders could simply organize the ride by letting me know when it will leave, where it will go and how long it will be. That's about all I do in organizing rides. It's just that easy! So please, do step up and let me know if you're game.

Thanks!

Peter Vollers

WBC Director Sportif

WBC Aqueduct Trail Cleanup, Sat. April 24

2010-04-15T15:42:00.002-04:00

From WBC's Aqueduct Trail Coordinator, Todd Uva:

I was looking at Saturday April, 24 as the day to finish the cleanup of the Aqueduct trails. Depending on the number of people we get I think we can finish up in about 3 to 4 hours. The Reservoir Loop, Coaster, and the bottom half of Dave's Deception (the Maze) still need work.

So grab a rake, saw, and some clippers and let's get it done. We should meet at the High School parking lot at 10:00 am and carpool to the Aqueduct parking area. Come prepared to hike since the gate will be closed.

Hope to see you there,

Todd

Any questions, please contact Todd directly at biscthill@hughes.net.

Weekend plans

2010-04-15T09:39:00.000-04:00

Don't forget that this Sunday (4/18) is WBC's first monthly mtb excursion. We'll be going to Pine Hill Park in Rutland http://www.pinehillpark.org/php/Pine_Hill_Park_Welcome.html. Plan is to meet at Maplefields at 7 am and leave by 7:15. We'll ride for 2-3 hours and stop at Long Trail on the way home for lunch. Plenty of room in the van, so plan to park at Maplefields or around the corner in the rear of the Sheriff's Dept parking lot.

Also, this weekend is one of STAB's trail cleanup weekends. Here's the info:

Trail Clean-up/Reconnaissance Weekend

THIS WEEKEND: Saturday or Sunday, April 17-18th Get out on a trail alone, or with family or friends.
NO BIKES ALLOWED - we're walking - carefully, because many of the trails are still wet and/or fragile.
WHEN: You pick the day and the time. OR Join a group at 9am Sunday at the Albert Bridge School in Brownsville.
WHERE Your adopted trail, or pick a close one, a favorite or one that you think is being neglected. Or join the group.
WALK your trail and CLEAN UP winter debris - Pick up the blow downs, rake leaves out of low spots
SURVEY trail condition Trees down, erosion, dammed puddles, needed improvements or rerouting.
DO the easy stuff and NOTE Problems too big to tackle.
REPORT General condition, What needs to be done. Either on the website forum under "STAB Issues Discussion- TRAILS" or an e-mail to info@stabvt.org.
DO what can be done, REPORT what will be done, SUGGEST what STAB might tackle on Saturday, May 1st Trail Day
See you out there,

Jim Lyall
Trail Boss, Sport Trails of the Ascutney Basin

April 12 weekly update

2010-04-12T19:04:00.000-04:00

Congrats to new junior race team member, Brook Leigh, for an outstanding 2nd place finish at the Myles Standish Road Race in Plymouth, MA!   Not bad as this was Brook's first race and the only guy that beat him was arguably the best cub junior racer in New England. Oh, and I should mention that Brook is only 10!

Also, big thanks to WBC Aqueduct Trail Liaisson, Todd Uva, for helping the original trail builders do a cleanup this past weekend. Look for updates from Todd on future Aqueduct trail maint. projects.

For this week:

Tuesday:   Barnard Loop, social pace (yes, Sophie, this ride will actually be social pace unlike the last one :)  from the SH. Leaves at 5:30 pm. 1.25 hours. Matt from the SH to lead.

Wednesday:   Brownsville Ride. We'll ride social pace between the climbs and then every man for himself on the climbs and then regroup completely with a good breather at the tops of the climbs. This is the usual model for our summer Wed. night mens ride, but not quite as hard.   Crucial to be able to draft effectively for this ride as we'll be pacelining it moderately between climbs. Leaves at 5:15. 2 hours. PKV to lead.

Thursday: reverse Quechee Loop.   little faster than Tuesday's ride and not as fast as Wednesday's ride. Leaves at 5:30 pm. 1.5 hours. Matt from SH to lead.

Thursday: Junior sprint ride.   Ride out the stage road and we'll do five straight line group sprints and then come back.   PKV to lead.

Friday: TSR.

Saturday: Juniors racing in southern RI.

Sunday: WBCMMBE (Woodstock Bicycle Club Monthly Mountain Bike Excursion). Pine Hill Park. See http://www.woodstockbicycleclub.com/ for details.

Peter Vollers
WBC Director Sportif

Thurs night mens ride moved to Wed.

2010-04-06T19:36:00.002-04:00

Looks like the weather tomorrow (Wed) night might be better than Thurs, so the mens road ride is moved to Wed. night at 5:15. Social Quechee Loop with optional Noise.

April 5 update

2010-04-05T23:44:00.002-04:00

Well, I'm glad we had a fabulous club ride to the Pittsfield store on Saturday as the weather for the rest of this week is more like usual VT spring. For this week, I'll be busy with the KMS team and club juniors as our first race is on Sat, so Dan McKenna will be leading an easier road ride on Thursday evening at 5:15 if it's not raining. Most likely a casual Quechee loop at social pace.

Gretchen Czaja will be leading the Thurs night ladies ride at 5:15 as well.

Of course, TSR is on for Friday morning.

Also, we now own the domain name www.woodstockbicycleclub.com, so if anyone asks about the club, just say, "Go to woodstockbicycleclub.com and they'll be able to find the club website easily.

Next week is vacation week for most, so we'll play it by ear again. Mt. bikers, don't forget about our Pine Hill trip on the 18th.

Once May gets underway, the WBC ride schedule will look like this:

Monday – Family/Kids Ride 5:30 pm Bring the whole family on any kind of bikes for a leisurely ride where the kids can start to learn some riding and safety skills and the parents are welcome to come along for the ride. Starts in May.

Tuesday –

-Adult social road ride 1 to 1.5 hours – 5:15 -- Road or Cyclo-cross Bikes. Casual pace.

-Training race at Twin-State Speedway – Road Bikes Only. 5pm junior race followed by B and then A adult races. Starts in May.

Wednesday – Race Training – 5:15pm – Road or Cyclo-cross Bikes. Faster Men’s and Junior racers Ride – 2.5 hours. We’ll alternate each week from entirely paved road ride on road bikes to mostly dirt road ride on cross bikes with cross tires.

Thursday –

-Mt. bike ride, location changes each week – 5:30 pm - Starting in May -Women’s road ride – 1 to 1.5 hours – 5:15. Road or Cyclo-cross Bikes.

Friday – TSR. Mt. or Cross Bikes. 52 weeks a year, the TSR (team stupid ride) goes from the SH at 8:00 am. 1 hour ride on dirt roads regardless of weather (and we mean regardless).

WBC Monthly Mt. Bike Excursion - Each month from April through October, we’ll travel to a different mt. bike venue around the state for a morning 3-hour ride followed by lunch on the way home.

* Every rider taking part in any WBC ride must be a WBC member and must wear a helmet while riding.

* Join WBC at The Start House or www.thestarthouseskiandbike.com or www.woodstockbicycleclub.com

* Club Junior racers will combine training with the KMS Cycling Team: www.kmscyclingteam.com.

Pittsfield Ride

2010-04-03T20:57:00.000-04:00

Lunch always tastes better on a long ride.

WBC April Mt. Bike Excursion, April 18

2010-03-31T23:15:00.001-04:00

This month's mt. biking excursion will be to Pine Hill Park in Rutland http://www.pinehillpark.org/php/Pine_Hill_Park_Welcome.html (yes, they're open even now) on Sunday, April 18. We'll meet at Maplefields at 7 am and leave by 7:15 in the WBC van. We'll get there and ride for a few hours and then stop on the way home at Long Trail for lunch. Let me know who's in by replying to this email. Can't wait to get the fat tires going again!

Peter Vollers
WBC Director Sportif

Weekend update

2010-03-31T23:14:00.001-04:00

Joining Peter and Alden on our junior ride tonight were two new club additions, Ansel Dickey, 15, one of our KMS racers, and the amazingly fast Brook Leigh, who is all of 10 and kept right up with the bigger guys!

Tomorrow we're looking at some beautiful weather, so we've got both men's and women's rides going from the SH at 5 pm. Pace will be social with some efforts on the climbs. Road bikes.

Friday morning is TSR ("team stupid ride") which ride runs 52 weeks a year regardless of weather. 8-9 am from the SH. Mt. or cross bikes on dirt roads.

And on Saturday we're going to do our Pittsfield-Barnard Ride at 10 am from the SH. We'll have optional hard v. easy options at Rt. 4 v. River Road in Killington and again at Barnard N. Rd v. Rt. 12 in Bethel/Barnard. We'll stop for lunch at the Pittsfield store and then do another quicker stop at the Barnard Store before the final push home. Total trip time should be 4-5 hours or so including stops. Pace will be social except for the two optional hard sections. Should be a great ride!

Oh, and, as promised, we're going to try to do a "road trip" to a different VT mt. biking venue each month. Look for a separate email on April's excursion.

Peter Vollers
WBC Director Sportif

TSR

2010-03-29T23:53:00.001-04:00

Oh, and I almost forgot. I don't even need to mention it as it's always on, but the Friday morning NSR ("never stop riding") ride has been fondly renamed the TSR ride ("team stupid ride") by one of our esteemed members. The name has stuck, so all riders who dare to join the year rounders, come on out to TSR every Friday of the entire year as rain or shine, sleet or snow, wind or typhoon, this very social paced ride will go 8-9 am from the SH. Mt. and cross bikes and always on dirt roads regardless of muddy conditions.

March 29 weekly update

2010-03-29T23:43:00.001-04:00

We had some great local rides over the weekend despite the colder weather. On Sunday, Matt Seiple, Kim Vollers, Justin Lillie, Peter Vollers, Jr., Alden Suokko and myself braved the cold and did a muddy, but warmer dirt road circuit with a lovely lunch stop at the Barnard Store. It was an epic ride for sure when we got back looking like we'd ridden Paris Roubaix! Also, WBC member Jas Dembinski rode the Westfield 200k and finished in 7 hours and 52 minutes. That's an amazing time and some astonishing distance for this time of year, or any time of year for that matter!

For this week, we'll work around the weather again with the SH indoor trainer workout tomorrow night (Tuesday night) at 5:30.

Wed. it's looking like there's a chance of rain, but I'm going to take the Juniors out for a quick Quechee loop if it's not raining if anyone would like to join us. We'll swing by the SH at 5 pm.

Thursday, we'll do our adult road rides. Men meet at 5 pm (road bikes). Ladies meet at 5:30 pm. All rides start at the SH.

On Saturday, we'll try our Pittsfield/Barnard loop again. Meet at the SH at 10 am. Hopefully, the warm weather predicted is accurate!

This is the last reminder that, as of April 1, we're switching to the 2010 member list for all email updates, so go to http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=10412 to re-up your membership so you don't miss out on the action!

Peter Vollers
WBC Director Sportif

great spring dirt road ride on Sun.

2010-03-29T14:12:00.004-04:00

Maple sap. The original sports drink:

Rental bike sale at the Start House

2010-03-28T09:33:00.001-04:00

Hi all:

The Start House is selling their older rental fleet and it's a great deal!

They have 1 large and 1 medium Giant OCR 2 that are 4 years old and 1 WOMENS OCR 3 size small that is 2 years old. They are all $300.

Contact the SH at 457-3377 for details.

Important notice today's ride

2010-03-28T08:50:00.001-04:00

Okay, despite the somewhat bitter cold yesterday, I ended up doing the Tunbridge loop alone and, even with the sun shining, it was as cold a road ride as I'd like to do this time of year.

Given that as I write this it's 25 degrees outside and there's no sun to warm us, a long, flattish road ride on open highways with a fiercely cold wind from the NW is going to be less than fun. As such, here's a revised ride plan for today:

We'll meet at the SH at 10:30 (rather than 10) and ride a really interesting network of dirt roads out to the Barnard Store. We'll have an early lunch and then ride an equally interesting network of dirt roads home. Cross bikes are ideal for this ride, but road bikes are fine as well. Mt. Bikes are okay, but it'll be a long ride on a mt. bike. Most roads will be fine mud-wise as it's so cold and we'll try to avoid newly graded roads.

So, see y'all at the SH at 10:30.

Weekend update

2010-03-26T20:43:00.000-04:00

Just a reminder that we're doing two longer rides this weekend:

Saturday, 10 am from the SH: We're going to do the Tunbridge ride, which is about 3.5 hours with a few tougher climbs. We'll do a "pro-stop" in Strafford, Tunbridge or S. Royalton, whichever we decide on while riding.

Sunday, 10 am from the SH: We'll do a Killington, Pittsfield, Barnard loop with a big stop at the Pittsfield store for lunch and another quick stop at the Barnard Store on the way home. We'll have hard and easy options with the Rt. 4 Killington climb v. the River Rd. bypass (meeting up at the Pittsfield store) and with taking Barnard N. Rd. from Bethel vs. Rt 12 (meeting up at the Barnard Store). Count on a good 4-5 hours for the whole outing, including stops.

Pace on Saturday will be a bit heartier, but not terrifying, and pace on Sunday is social except for the difficult option sections.

New Thurs. night women's ride!

2010-03-22T22:07:00.000-04:00

WBC's own Gretchen Czaja (a/k/a "G-money") will be leading a weekly women's ride on Thursday evenings leaving the SH at 5:30 pm. 1-2 hours. All women riders are encouraged to attend. Feel free to contact Gretchen at gretchenczaja@gmail.com with any questions.

March 22 weekly update

2010-03-22T20:51:00.001-04:00

** Your esteemed Director Sportif is very proud to announce that he'll be serving as the Head Coach of the new Killington Mountain School Cycling Team. This position coincides with my post as Director of Junior Cycling Development for NEBRA. My goal is to, first, add to the development of New England's prep school racing league series http://www.exeter.edu/athletics/3165_20055.aspx and, second, work to keep the many kids who take part in the prep school racing program to continue racing USAC sanctioned events during the summer and race in college and beyond. KMS kids who sign up for the team will also be WBC members, so look for updates on the team's exploits in future emails.

** Kind of lousy weather this week, but it looks brighter as the week wears on. Tuesday, we'll do trainer intervals the SH at 5:30 (so call Dan at 457-3377 to reserve your spot)

** Wed the weather is looking particularly dreadful, so we're going to skip riding.

**Thurs, weather is looking better, so we'll do our usual road ride that day. 5 pm from the SH. Let's plan on doing Brownsville. Juniors will ride to S. Woodstock / Reading hill and then back home.

** Friday morning NSR ride is always on, rain or shine.

** This weekend, we'll be doing longer road rides both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday we'll do a harder road ride to Tunbridge (3.5 hours). Sunday we'll do a more social paced Killington, Pittsfield, Bethel, Barnard Ride with a "pro stop" in Pittsfield and another quick stop at the Barnard Store (3-4 hours). Both rides will leave at 10 am from the SH. Let me know if you're going (pvollers@vollerslaw.com).

** I'll be switching over to the 2010 club member email list on April 1, so please do re-up to stay updated on club activities! http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=10412

Thanks,

Peter Vollers
WBC Director Sportif

March 8 weekly update

2010-03-11T11:25:00.000-05:00

** The indoor trainer ride at the SH on Tuesday night was a huge hit. We did some one-minute intervals in smaller gears and even had two club junior racers join us, Peter Vollers, Jr. and Alden Suokko. We'll be doing these rides every Tuesday and Thursday night from 5:30 to 6:30 pm and they'll generally involve a nice, social warm-up followed by a few harder efforts, followed by a nice, social warm-down, nothing too strenuous, unless you want it to be. Just call Dan at the SH (457-3377) to reserve your spot.

**With daylight savings time so early this year, we're starting our Wed afternoon road rides next week on March 17! Feel good about indulging on St. Pattie's day by burning some calories beforehand! For the months of March and April, this will be a more social ride, 1-1.5 hours, with a couple of harder individual efforts on some hills where everyone regroups at the top. Road bikes or cross bikes with road tires are good for this ride. We'll meet at the SH at 5 pm, be riding by 5:15 and ride til 6:30 or so. Once May hits, we'll transfer this social ride to Tuesday nights and resume the Wednesday night clobber each other, hammerfest ride.

** We've decided that we simply must keep our Friday morning "NSR" (Never Stop Riding) Ride going all year, rain or shine, sleet or snow, sun or cloud. This is strictly a social, get out and do some exercise ride and, aside from the next month or so, it'll take place on dirt roads. While most ride mt. bikes, any bike is fine. Meet at the SH at 8 am and we'll be back by 9. No need to ever wonder whether this ride is canceled due to weather. It won't be.

** Here's a sneak peek at some club activities planned for this summer: Monday night family ride, Tues. night social road ride or track racing at Claremont Speedway, Wed night ladie's and men's harder road rides, TNMBL (Thursday Night Mt. Biking League), NSR Friday morning ride, and, last but not least, monthly Sat. morning scheduled "road-trips": one to a different mt. biking venue in Vermont each month and another to a different region for a road ride (we'll load up the team van and hit the road early, ride for a few hours and grab lunch on the way home). These trips will start in May and continue through October. I'd like to hook up with the STAB club for these outings.

** VERY IMPORTANT: WBC and all of its rides and activities, including much of the private land mt. biking trails we have permission to ride, would not be possible without the very reasonably priced liability insurance policy we purchase through USA Cycling, but there's a catch. All participants in WBC rides and activities must be WBC members with signed waivers on file for the club to have full coverage. As such, we are going to be pretty strict about making sure that all participants are members in good standing before all rides and club activities. So, please, we're a small operation doing a ton for local biking with extremely limited resources and manpower. Do us a favor and don't make us have to ask you to join if you're enjoying the club. Join up today and support the cause! :)

Sincerely,

Peter Vollers
WBC Director Sportif

March 3, 2010 update

2010-03-02T22:50:00.002-05:00

Okay all, lots of news to report now that the air is hinting of springtime!

1) All WBC memberships ended on December 31, 2009. As such, please re-up asap by hitting the registration link on the upper right of this page. Beginning April 1, 2010, I'll only be sending updates to those who have rejoined for 2010, so please take a few moments to rejoin asap to keep your WBC membership current!

2) We're moving our now famous Friday morning winter ride from 7:30 am back to 8 am for many reasons, not least of which is the fact that the vehicle traffic at 7:30 is astonishingly heavy. We'll meet at 8 am at the SH and be riding by 8:10 am.

3) The Start House has been generous enough to purchase five, yes five, super nice bike trainers so that WBC members can get together and ride in the warmth and comfort of the shop a couple of times a week to get us through mud season! So, on Tuesday and Thursday nights during March and early April, we’ll meet at 5:20 pm and ride from 5:30 to 6:30. Bring your road or mt. bike to put on the trainer or use one of the SH rental road bikes. If you’re using your mt. bike, it would be good to put a slick tire on the rear as the trainers use the rear tire for resistance. We’ll start on Tuesday night, March 9. We’ll be doing a good 15-20 minute warm-up followed by some optional harder efforts, followed by a nice warm-down. The emphasis with these rides is more social exercise than hard training. To reserve your spot, call Dan at the SH at 457-3377.

4) I attended the Woodstock Selectboard meeting tonight with Gary Kessler, the promotor of the Killington Stage Race (Memorial Day weekend) and Gary was given permission to run the Monday stage through Woodstock (south on Rt. 12 from Barnard, up and over Prosper Road, then back to Killington on Rt. 4).

5) As always, there is no charge for any WBC rides, including the indoor trainer workouts, but all participants must be WBC members, so re-up today to show your support!

Thank you,

Peter Vollers
WBC Director Sportif

Frozen Onion Mt. Bike Race, Montpelier, Feb. 27

2010-02-16T11:35:00.000-05:00

I'd like to think that this race was inspired by our weekly Friday morning winter rides. Here's the info:

1st Annual Frozen Onion (Snow) Bike Race
Time:
11 am
Where:
Hubbard Park, Montpelier - New Shelter
Description:
2010 Frozen Onion
Winter Mountain Bike Race in Montpelier’s Hubbard Park A Fundraiser for Vermont Mountain Bike Association Presented by Onion River Sports Saturday, February 27 at 11am

Are you ready for a challenge? It’s time to chip the icicles off your trusty steed and hit the course in Montpelier’s Hubbard Park for a race that will challenge the heartiest of us, but is fun enough for a novice winter rider.

Registration: : $25 fee includes registration and post-race chow and all proceeds benefit VMBA! Registration is day of race only and opens at 9:30 at the New Shelter in Hubbard Park.

Course: a lung-burning 2.5 mile loop beginning at the New Shelter heading around the Tower and back with a 1, 2 or 3 lap option (or more by popular request!) Mountain Bikes ONLY, please.
Course Map on Our Facebook Page. Oh, and while you’re there, become a fan and get all the conditions updates leading up to the race!.

Questions: about The Course, conditions, advice gear or how to dress contact: Kip, Chas, or Phil of Onion River Sports at 802-229-9404 or thefolks@onionriver.com Contact Name:
Kip, Chas or Phil
Contact Phone:
802-229-9409
Email:
thefolks@onionriver.com
more info...

Friday morning winter ride to 7:30 am

2010-01-20T17:12:00.002-05:00

A few members have asked about the awesome Friday morning rides to see if we can leave a bit earlier. Well, ask and ye shall receive. We're moving the ride up to 7:30 am. Plan is to LEAVE sharply at 7:30 am and be back by 8:30 am. It's usually possible to cut the ride short if you need to as well. I can tell you that we've been having a blast with the rides. While spinning and indoor training is great, there's just nothing better than getting outside on your bike and winter time makes it epic. See you then!

Peter Vollers
WBC Director Sportif

NYD ride photo

2010-01-07T09:17:00.000-05:00

Yup, three of us. Great ride.

Usual 8:15 am ride resuming this Friday.

WBC 1st Annual NYD ride!

2009-12-31T18:06:00.001-05:00

It's on, snow or no snow, hangover or no hangover. 9:00 am at the SH. Ride anything, wear anything (well, wear something), but just show up. 45 minute social ride for no other reason than it's a ridiculous thing to do on New Year's Day morning. See you tomorrow.

Friday morning rides

2009-12-21T20:28:00.000-05:00

As some of you saw from your nice warm cars and trucks last Friday morning, Matt "Man of Steel" Seiple and I did the Carlton Hill loop in -4 degree temperatures. Matt was literally dressed in Carhartt gear and Sorel boots!

Well, this week, Friday is out for obvious reasons, so we're doing our Friday morning ride on Wednesday, December 23. 8:15 from the SH. I'm usually running around putting layers on in my mud room right up until that time, so you're welcome to dress in there too or just get warm. We'll try to leave by 8:15 sharp and be back by 9 am.

Also, we're planning to do a 1 hour "detox ride" on Friday, New Year's Day, but for that ride only we're leaving at 9:00 am from the SH.

And just to reiterate, this is a slow, spinning, chatting, keep warm ride. It's fine to wear ski pants and a parka and I'm considering wearing my ski helmet. Also, mt bikes are great as you'll need the low gearing and, if you want be really surefooted, check out the studded mt bike tires at the SH.

See ya out there!

Peter Vollers
WBC Director Sportif

Friday morning winter ride

2009-12-10T16:46:00.001-05:00

Friday morning ride is on indefinitely for the winter. Meet at SH at 8:00ish, leave by 8:15. Ride til 9:00 am or a little after. Dress warmly!

Friday morning ride

2009-12-01T22:59:00.000-05:00

Okay, looks like we're down to one ride per week now that winter is truly upon us, and that's our Friday morning ride. I'd like to get in at least one last group mt. bike ride on Mt. Peg, so bring your mt. bike for this Friday and we'll do the whole network up there.

Just so everyone knows, the Friday morning ride will meet every Friday morning throughout the entire winter at 8:00 am at the SH and the ride will leave by 8:15 or so and last for no longer than 1 hour. This ride will go regardless of weather. If the weather is really bad, we may ride as short as 1/2 hour, but we're riding. We'll mainly ride on the town maintained dirt roads. Cross bikes are ideal, but mt. bikes are fine as well. It'll be a slower ride to chat and get some exercise. Dressing is a science in this weather and I've learned after years of winter riding what to wear for pretty much every ten degree temp fluctuation, but, without getting into too much detail, here are a couple of tips:

1) Wear a wool or fleece ski hat under your helmet.
2) Wear a good wicking baselayer next to your skin, then another non-cotton insulating layer, then a windbreaking outer layer that can be easily zipped up and down with one hand. Great to have an additional light cycling windjacket to pack in your back pocket as a final layer if you get really cold.
3) Wear plastic grocery store bags over your shoes and under your booties. If you don't have booties, wear the bags over your shoes and put an old set of thick socks over the bags.
4) No need to bring water as it freezes and we're usually back before you get really thirsty.
5) Warm gloves are a must.

For this week, we'll be mt. biking so you can dress much lighter, but, after that, we'll most likely have some snow and will take to the roads.

I know it sounds horrendous, but winter riding is just epic and, while it may sometimes be a bit miserable, you'll feel great afterwards, guaranteed!

See you on Friday!

New Friday winter ride

2009-11-18T20:05:00.001-05:00

Okay, it's getting really dark and cold at night, so we've kind of let our Wed. night mt biking night go for the year. In its place, we're going to try for a regular Friday morning ride. Plan is to meet at the Start House at 8:00 am and be riding by 8:15. The easy part is that this is just an hour ride. The hard part is that we're going to try to do this ALL THROUGH THE WINTER. Yup, all winter long. Until snow flies, we'll ride the nicely raked mt bike loop up on Mt. Peg. After there's snow, we'll take to the plowed dirt roads. This will be just a slow, steady, try to stay warm and get some exercise ride. Any kind of bike is fine. Just dress warmly. When it gets really cold, we may go for just 45 minutes, but we're going.

See you then!

State cross champ pics by Glenn Suokko

2009-11-02T16:34:00.005-05:00

Nov. 2 weekly update

2009-11-02T16:16:00.001-05:00

Big congrats to Peter Vollers, Jr. and Alden Suokko for placing 1st and 2nd respectively in the Vermont State Cyclo-cross Championships on Sunday held in Putney, Vermont!

Also, thanks to Jason Merrill and Jas Dembinski for joining me at the STAB trail work day on Saturday. I had the distinct privilege of joining the trail-building master himself, Jim Lyall, in working on a diabolical new trail off of Kimball Farm Road called Ridgeback. This trail makes Sethburger (on Mt. Peg) look downright tame!

Mt. Peg mtb trail updates: On Sun. afternoon, I was able to create a nice little trail connecting the bottom of Sethburger to the bottom of the Golf Ave trail. This short connector trail is loaded with cool optional obstacles that will hone your tech skills. The trail can be ridden in both directions although one hairpin turn is a bit steep if you're going south to north. I encourage all to ride this trail in as much as possible.

I have a favor to ask of all of the mt biking members of the club who frequent our mtb trails up at the Aqueduct and Mt. Peg. Jim Lyall advises that, if you can possibly pull it off, it's ideal to rake mtb trails before winter rather than having to deal with it in late spring when the leaves are wet and heavy. As such, I'd like to ask each of our mt bike enthusiasts in the club to take just two hours some time in the next week and rake a section of mtb trail. I'm going to be concentrating on making some more trails on the town-owned portion of Mt. Peg, so I simply won't have time to do much more raking. It's really the single track that needs it as the wider trails are fine to ride with leaves on them. It would be great if everyone could chip in with this and, if so, we'll not only have great riding before snow flies, we'll also have pristine trails come spring.

Wed night mtb night will be at Aqueduct. Meet at 5:45, ride at 6.

Peter Vollers
WBC Director Sportif
http://www.vollerslaw.blogspot.com/

VT Cross championships on Sunday, Nov. 1

2009-10-30T09:24:00.001-04:00

Peter, Jr. and Alden Suokko are going to do the Vermont Cyclocross State Championships on Sunday down at the West Hill Bike and Ski Shop in Putney https://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=9212. The race starts at 10:00 am and will be over by 10:30. The van will be leaving my house by 8 am. With dryland training for ski racing and hockey underway, this may be the last cross we do this season, so if any of our other juniors would like to squeeze in one last race of the season, let me know.

Thanks!

Peter Vollers
WBC Director Sportif

Full permission for Mt. Peg town-owned trails!

2009-10-29T10:22:00.001-04:00

I am very pleased to announce that WBC now has full and express permission to make mt biking trails on the town owned (closest to village) portion of Mt. Peg. I had a meeting with the Billings Park Commission last night and they stated emphatically how delighted they were to see this project taking off. Their only concern was that we needed make MORE TRAILS in order achieve our goal of avoiding the walking trails as much as possible. They also said that, next summer, they'd like us to finalize and map our trail network and they would include those trails on their walking trail map and post it at a new kiosk they are planning on the Golf Ave. entrance. Lastly, they said that they'd like us to work with them to place bike trail signage similar to the existing signage at the key intersections.

As for the Woodstock Resort Corp trail segments,our permission is not as expressly stated, but they are well aware we are making trails and they have given no resistence to date. Next summer, we will work to solidify our relationship with WRC once they hopefully gain a greater comfort level with biking on their land. Until then, we are free to continue to use the trails we've made on their property and we'll work to expand this network in a sensitive manner.

Reminder: tonight's mtb ride is at 6 pm at Mt. Peg.

And don't forget about the STAB trail maint day on Sat morning. Club van leaves at 9:00 from the SH and we'll plan to leave Brownsville at noon. Please let me know if you're going.

Thanks!

Peter Vollers
WBC Director Sportif

Oct. 26 weekly update

2009-10-27T14:34:00.000-04:00

Here's the update for this week:

Wed. night mtb ride: Mt. Peg. Meet at SH at 5:45, riding by 6 pm

This Saturday, October 31, the STAB club is doing their big trail maintenance day. I'd really like to make a strong showing as we all enjoy these trails and, as such, we should contribute to their maintenance. The club van will be leaving from the SH at 9:00. We'll get to the Albert Bridge School in Brownsville by 9:30-9:45 and then be dispatched into work groups by 10 am. Although the work is supposed to extend until 1:00 pm, I'd like to take off by 12:00 noon as I need to get back to set up for Halloween. If anyone is interested, please shoot me an email.

Thanks,

Peter Vollers
WBC Director Sportif

October 19 weekly update

2009-10-19T11:02:00.001-04:00

We had a fantastic visit to the Pittsfield trails on Saturday. Right now, the trails consist mainly of machine-made arteries that wind their way up the mountain across from the super nice general store in Pittsfield Village. The trails go right to the top of the mountain and the views are incredible. The club over there has started to make some pretty amazing single track as well with highly technical trails like Labyrinth and the really cool luge-like banked downhill called Warman, named after the late Chet Warman. Best way to access the network is to visit the store in town and pick up a map and head out. Don't forget to save room for breakfast and/or lunch at the store. Their egg sandwich is the best I've ever had and the pizza is to die for.

For this week:

Wednesday night mtb ride at the reservoir. Meet in the usual parking space at 5:45, ride by 6 pm. I can't make it this as we have friends coming into town.

I'm gone for a long weekend beginning Thursday, so nothing further from my end this week.

One last note, with the help of Jason Merrill and Gavin Vaughan, we've managed to rake most of the single track on Mt. Peg. Not only that, there's a new entrance/exit trail located off of Golf Ave extension in the village (just ride up Golf ave past the condos on the right on the dirt section and keep looking left for a raked trail that parallels the road; you'll see the entrance) that connects up to Escalator. Really nice turny section of ST. I also created a ST connection from the top of Escalator directly to the connector that used to run from the power line corridor to Scherding's Shute. Lastly, thanks to Gavin's work and some connection work I did yesterday, Ode to Murph is now longer and much improved. If you're riding on Mt. Peg, do try to stay off of the main walking corridors as much as possible.

Thanks,

Peter Vollers
WBC Director Sportif

Oct 5 weekly udpate

2009-10-06T09:47:00.001-04:00

Huge congrats to Rob and Gavin Vaughan (father and son members), Rob for braving the rain and wind down at the UCI-sanctioned Verge cyclo-cross race last weekend and Gavin for placing 3rd in the Mt. Snow Downhill.

Lots of updates this week:

Wed: Mt bike ride will be Brownsville triangle (meet at 5:45, riding by 6 pm)

Thursday: cross training race at Harpoon; van will leave the SH at 4:45.

Saturday or Sunday: Looks like, weather permitting, we'll be doing a longer, but less intense, dirt road ride (cross bikes ideal). More info to follow later in the week on time and place.

Other news: The Peakracing / Pittsfield Bike Club has posted an online map of their mtb trail network. Check it out: http://www.greenmountaintrails.com/. This club is also hosting a 100 mile mtb ride on Saturday, October 17, but here's the deal. The ride is going to cover all of the single track trails on their network first, which would be a 3-4 ride and most people will end their ride after this segment. This will be a fantastic way to check out their entire trail network on an epic group ride. WBC is going to make a concerted effort to attend that part of the ride en force. Plan is to leave the SH at 6:30 am on Saturday morning, Oct. 17, and meet at the Pittsfield General Store, grab a quick bite to eat there and then be riding by 8 am. There are plenty of places to bail out early if you don't want to do the full 3-4 hour ride. Anyone interested, just let me know. http://www.peakcamps.com/calendar/#37

Peter Vollers
WBC Director Sportif