Category — Bicycle Advocacy

Many of us in Arizona have had the great opportunity to race and ride with Colleen Whealdon-Haught. She is local Arizona CAT 2 road cyclist who rides for the Summit Velo Team.

Colleen has been battling metastatic breast cancer. Therefore, her teammates, friends, and family have banded together to form Team Colleen so that they may go and do the Livestrong Challenge with Colleen in Austin in October. They are also all trying to help her raise money for the Livestong Foundation.

If you would like to donate, please visit Colleen’s personal page to show your support! Every little bit helps! And even if you don’t know Colleen, we all know someone who has been affected by cancer.

Team Colleen has also put together a fabulous cycling kit in support of Colleen. If you or someone you know is interested in ordering a kit, please send an e-mail to us using the contact form on our website. We will be sure to put you in touch with Team Colleen directly. Purchasing a kit is not part of the fundraiser, but it is an awesome way to show some support!

Thanks so much and happy riding!

Vote for the Arizona Trail!

I received multiple e-mails yesterday about a contest for the Arizona Trail to win a $50,000 grant for trail improvements. The project with the most votes by the end of May will receive the grant, and until two days ago, the Arizona Trail was in the lead.

The AZT needs your help! It’s easy to vote and you can do so online and by text messaging. You may vote twice per day (once by phone and once online). In fact, you can vote this way every day through the end of May. Please visit: http: //www.blazethetrail.com/greatoutdoors/vote/

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Hey all you women’s cycling fans, there is finally a magazine dedicated entirely to women’s cycling!

Women’s Cycling Magazine

I’m very excited about it, and I plan to subscribe today! The first issues comes out on June 22, 2009. Big props to the magazine creators!

Owen (nearly 2 years old now) loves to ride in the bike trailer while I do my training rides. It’s a killer workout for me and he likes to see the various vehicles on the road as we cruise along. In exchange, at the end of the ride, he gets tocrawl aroundin my car turning on hazard lights, adjusting mirrors and seats, etc. It works out well for both of us.

Cody and I alternate who pulls depending on who needs an easy workout and who needs a hard workout (the hard workout would be pulling the bike child trailer, duh). It hasbeen a great system, but we’ve discovered on the days that I pull and Codycoasts alongside, the average personwe come in contact with during our workout doesn’t seem to readily understand our system. As a matter of fact, most seem to think Cody isa complete jerk which is especially funny because Cody is one of the nicest people you will ever meet (and over-the-top supportive of me maintaining some sort of life outside of being a mommy).

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This is unrelated to Gila and unrelated to women’s cycling, but it gives me chills nonetheless. Although this guy has been getting a lot of web time as of late, I think you’ll agree that he deserves it.

This write-up about it over at the Science of Sport was pretty inspiring as well.

And I think that you’ll agree that there is a certain beauty to the movement of the peloton in road cycling as well. So don’t forget to cheer us on this afternoon at the Gila Criterium.

There are some neat websites popping up all over Arizona lately. I mean, what can I say, Arizona produces some great stuff. Anyways, check out this site – http://velocitygroupcycling.com/. This site is a great place to get information on all things cycling-related in Arizona.

Check out the crazy-cool course we’re going to be racing this weekend at the AZ State Crit Championships!! I’m pretty sure it’s going to be more fun than freaky, and I’ll try my best not to lay it down like I did at the UA Crit a few weeks back. I mean, I was just doing one of the best lead-outs ever witnessed in the history of cycling. Basically, Tom Boonen has never even seen a lead-out so amazing…

Well, anyways, stay tuned for an update on the State Crit Championships. Then, in less than two weeks, it’s off to the fabulous Tour of the Gila stage race in New Mexico. I’m super excited about the race, as it’s definitely one of the coolest races I’ve ever been to, not to mention one of the most epic. Watch for myself, Heather, Marilyn, Judy, Spring, and Kathryn in the results at Gila.

Well, I suppose it was inevitable. Last night Cerulean and I had our first ‘heated exchange,’ all over one silly little word–brake. You know, the rubber-padded caliber you use to avoid any number of precarious situations one might encounter when traveling on a bicycle. I had no idea that one word could cause such problems.

First, in an earlier post, I apparently (inadvertently) used the word ‘break,’ as in ‘to break one’s heart’, instead of ‘brake‘ when referring to that certain part of Cerulean’s anatomy. Yes, I did spelling bee’s in 2^nd grade. Yes, I do know the difference. Yes, it was careless and ultimately hurtful. You’re right, it was thoughtless and insensitive of me. I made a mistake, and I’ll try not to flippantly misuse the English language in such a manner from this point forward. After all, how would I feel if he referred to my hair as ‘hare’?

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I spent two and a half weeks in my home town of Grand Rapids, MI and received a wonderful dose of pseudo-motherhood. Meaning: helping my pregnant sisterwho was on bed-rest with house work and trying to keep her two year old occupied. To all of you cycling mom’s out there…I don’t know how you do it! (Just so you know, my sister is doing well and had a beautiful baby girl the day before I left. )

I am writing as a tribute to all of you cycling moms, again: how do you do it? I was able to bring my bike to Michiganand only rode whenmy sister said I could, it wasn’t snowing,and little Jacky (the two year old) was taking a nap. Every morning, I woke up to Jacky playing with his cars in the living room. As soon as he saw me, he would yell, “No! No! auntCawwie, my cars!” Oh well, I’ll make breakfast, try to change Jacky’s diaper and get him dressed. This may seem like no big deal, but when you’re NOT the mom and you’retrying to do motherly things….it’s a big deal!
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The Tucson Bicycle Classic concluded two weeks ago, and we’ve read some great reports from Marilyn and Carrie. Check out the photo of the team (well, most of the team below) after the awards ceremony. In the 1/2 race, we had 3 riders in the top 10, and in the 3 and 4 races, our team was well represented by Judy and Carrie.

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Ok with a rather rough start to the new year spring is in the air and there is a feeling of renewal and energy! So much so that I have altered the almost famous Tuesday Ahwatukee ride to include two rather large hills!

Ouch! Why does hill work have to hurt so much but produce such benefits?

While the birds are chirping away the sun is shining and the weather is starting to warm up I can only think that those hills that were added which now seem close to Alpe d’Huez in grade will soon be just a small bump in the road!

I love this time of year and I love to ride my bike!!!!!