This Ain't Chicago... So You Can't Vote Early & Often

  Due to technical difficulties, the ballot for board member voting has been delayed.  But stay tune and be sure to vote when you get the chance. This is your club, have a say in it!  

Thursday Nite Fat Bike (All Bikes Welcome, Really)

  As of writing, I do not have any information about this Thursday, April 2nd.  I assume there will be a ride, but starting place has yet to be determined.  I am sure Butch or Dan Getzen should have the details later this week.  They usually post on FaceBook on the TREADHEADCYCLING page.  

Seems a Bit Early, But...

This  Saturday, April 4th, XXX Racing-Athletico once again hosts the Alderman James Cappleman 46th Ward Lincoln Park Criterium in Chicago's Lincoln Park just north of Montrose Harbor.

To register via USA Cycling and for more information please visit the event page at our website:​
http://www.xxxracing.org/index.php?/pages/lincolnparkcriterium/

Course Maps:Google Maps:  http://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=zKjom-ZzTMA8.kwqAVbJzuIM0

Reminders:

Spring Social

Mark your calendar for April 24th, Next Door Pub at 5:30.  Beer, soft drinks, pizza... I encourage you to invite someone new to join you.  Or maybe someone who rode with us in the past, but for whatever reason has not been active in the club.  Start organizing some informal rides, get the bikes out and knock off the dust and rust, and buddy up to enjoy some spring time riding.  Hope to see you there.  

Feed The Meters

  As of April 1st, Lake Geneva will be ticketing cars parked without feeding the meters.  I'd rather see you spend your money on bike paraphenalia than fines, so just a friendly reminder.  

Mount Borah Kits Are Still at RRB for You To Try On

  We will be doing subsequent orders, but you really want to be sure to get in on the first go-around.  These are going to look great!  The Final Proof for the look should be out later this week.  

Cycling Tip

  Something to think about, but here is a recent article from RoadBikeRider.com that talks about how Team Sky put their man in Yellow in the Tour de France, not once, but with two different riders.  

New eArticle: Marginal Gains, by Coach Fred Matheny

In Marginal Gains for Overall Performance Improvement: How to Identify Dozens of Micro-Improvements in Your Cycling, Coach Fred lays out the concept that was the underpinning of Team Sky’s approach to reaching its lofty goal of putting a British rider in the Tour De France’s yellow jersey in 5 years. (Of course, they did it twice – in half that time.)

“How did Team Sky do it?” Coach Fred asks in his new eArticle. “One major contributor to their success was the concept of ‘Marginal Gains.’ Simply put, it’s the idea that if you can identify dozens of very small improvements, each insignificant by itself, the combination of those miniscule gains would translate into a major overall improvement in performance.

“It’s an idea that has potent consequences for recreational riders,” Coach Fred continues. “If we can pinpoint a few small changes in our bike fits, diets, training plans, event-dayorganization and many other areas of possible improvement, the resulting performance gains can be large. Look at it this way: a dozen changes, each yielding improvements of less than 1%, can result in total gains of 10% or more.”

Let that sink in for a minute: Instead of slavishly working on one big improvement at a time (the normal m.o. of roadies), we could instead – and without a whole lot of effort – tick off a dozen or so smaller improvements that, taken together, can make a sizable overall impact on our cycling.

I don’t know if there’s ever a “magic bullet” to cycling improvement, but the concept of marginal gains might be as close as you can get.

Across categories including bike fit, training, equipment, rest stops, nutrition, recovery, psychology, stretching, organization on tours and at cycling camps, Coach Fred lays out “specific strategies you can use to identify many small changes you can make to your cycling—and your life—that will make you a much better rider than you are now.”

He finishes with a bonus: 10 mini-marginal gains that require only what he calls “micro adjustments” to your daily routine and training.

The best part of this approach to improvement is that Coach Fred’s ideas can serve merely as a springboard to a universe of possible marginal gains that you can uncover for yourself.

“Not all of [my suggestions] will be useful given your specific situation in life, your cycling goals or the amount of time you want to spend searching for small improvements,” he says in the eArticle. “But even if a technique doesn't work for you, it may suggest several other things you could do to help your performance.”

– John Marsh

Hope to See You on the Road Soon! 

Gary