Sunday, May 3rd, starting from Kent Lambert's home in Elkhorn.  Wheels out at 9:15 and the group will ride to Flowing Well near Whitewater. Expect a . 40 mile round trip. The address is W4714 Pebble Drive.  Kent's number is 262-210-1121.  

Tuesday & Thursday Group Rides

RRB Bikes in Lake Geneva, 6:00 PM Start time.  No route, no leader, just show up and ride.  We will start the formal rides on Cinco de Mayo.  Anyone up for a cold Corona after that first Tuesday ride?  

Inaugural Friday Night Cruise  

  This Friday, May 1st, we will kick off our cruiser ride series.  It is a casual ride on whatever bike you want.  The purpose is to get your body moving and socialize a bit.  We will meet in Lake Geneva at Flat Iron Park, do a casual ride for an hour and then patronize our new sponsor, Sprecher's Restaurant & Pub for dinner and/or drinks.  Flat Iron Park is on the lake and across from Sprecher's.  I think it would be great if we wore Treadfest or TreadHead shirts to Sprecher's as a subtle reminder that the THC does support local businesses that support us.  

  The following Friday, May 8th, we will take this same act on the road to Woodstock, IL (yes, we are Southeast Wisconsin & Northern Illinois' Premier Cycling Club- it says so on our webpage)  Any suggestions for the following Friday?  Burlington crushed limestone trails and Fred's for the Best Burgers after the ride?  

Race Results

I have a link to Joe Martin Stage Race in Arkansas with the Cat 3 General Classification standings after Saturday's road race.  You won't have to scroll too far before you see a recognizable name.   I'll be posting some updates later once the race has concluded.

Henrique Lowe, pictured above, competed in his first crit, The Fitchburg Fast & Furious.  Henrique had a much better day than dad, finishing the race ahead of the others in his age group.  Andy crashed out on the final lap and is banged up a bit.  Fortunately, he was not one of the two racers taken away in an ambulance.

Please, if you have race results, let me know.  Call me, text me, email me.... It's all good!  

Spring Social & History Lesson

  We had a great turnout at the Spring Social held at our TreadHeadCycling Sponsor and WORS handbook advertiser, Next Door Pub.  It was fun to see people off bikes and out of spandex.  And we had some new faces in our ranks as well.  

  The new kits look great!  It got me thinking about how this club has evolved.  It all started with a handful of people going for a little bike ride out of RRB and then adjourning to Cactus Club
(now Tuscan Tavern & Grill) for Fajitas merging with a handful of serious grass roots mountain bikers looking to partner with a bike shop.  Ray Nelson, Ryans Bankle and Fosnaugh, and Butch Welke were avid mountain bikers.  Returning home from a Madison swap meet, they stopped by Skinny's for dinner.  They decided to get serious about mountain biking and asked Skinny's owner, Chris Dahl, if he would be interested in sponsoring the team.  The team/club was to be called Skinny's Club Tread.  

Next, Don Thomas at RRB was solicited to contribute and a deal was made with Trek bikes.  Other sponsors were brought on board, more people joined the team/club and Tuesday & Thursday night rides became a regular feature.  You may still see some long time members in the blue and white Skinny's kits, or maybe a bright gold racing jersey from "back in the day".  From this small group, Treadfest was born in 2006.  That race has grown in popularity and seems to get better each year.  Many of the WORS racers list it as a favorite.  And that is what drives the club financially.  

  

  The group has grown in numbers and in purpose.  While no one knows for sure who first coined the term, TreadHeads, it now stands for TRAINING, RIDING, EDUCATION,ADVOCACY & DIVERSITY.  THC has donated to various school silent auctions and the YMCA fundraising event,  In addition to developing the WORS race trails at the Grand Geneva, members have had a hand in creating a host of local off road trails like those at Lake Geneva Canopy Tours and Silver Lake Park.  Butch Welke has been the heart and soul of those projects, and the riding around here the better for his presence.  

  We truly are a diverse cycling club.  Members ride road bikes, mountain bikes, fat bikes, bmx,cyclocross, cruisers, tandems....  We have a range from those just beginning and riding to get into shape to state and national champions and regular podium placers.  One TreadHead races professionally throughout the US and abroad.  Sometimes it seems the only thing we have in common is the bike.  And clearly that is enough.  

  Here's looking to a bright future for TREADHEADCYCLING and the local cycling scene.  

Things To Do

This is the time of year that if you are bored, it is your own fault.  There is something to do every weekend, and often you will be forced to choose.  

Here is a link to WCA, Wisconsin Cycling Association  You can find many of the road, cyclocross and track racing events around Wisconsin.  

Prefer to Do It In The Dirt- TREADHEADCYCLING is part of the WORS (Wisconsin Off-Road Series.  WORS kicks off the season in Iola with the annual Bump & Jump next weekend, May 3rd. 

Or if you are in the Illinois area, check out PAMBA .  

May 16th there is a local charity ride in Delavan.  More information can be found at Tour de Tech Fundraiser  Or feel like supporting the fight against diabetes?  Then the Madison Tour de Cure is for you.  

I have wanted to do this one for years.  Now is my opportunity.  The Gravel Metric Presented by Axletree is scheduled for May 26th.  This is a free event, but they hope you will spend some coin while you are in Dekalb IL.  It is a 60 plus mile gravel road ride.  Who is in with me?  Great for a cross bike.  

Blackhawk Country Roads Memorial Day Ride information and registration can be found here;  http://www.blackhawkbicycleclub.org/