Christmas Cookie Ride - Dec. 16

Want an excuse to eat all those Christmas cookies? Ride a couple hours first, then eat them. Meet at the Kloha's at 1:30, ride a couple hours, back by 4:00 for cookies, coffee, and hot chocolate. Bring along some cookies, mince pies, egg nog, fruitcake, whatever to share. Have the non-cycling part of the family join us after the ride. RSVP on the blog or to Prof. Kloha's csl e-mail.

Helpful video on cycling skills

Came across this link, posted by our friends at Ghisallo Sports. It has a bunch of clips by Chris Carmichael (Lance Armstrong's coach) dealing with all sorts of training tips -- hydration, drafting, etc. Scroll to the bottom of the menu. He also posted a century training plan. Here is the link:

http://www.mastertheshift.com/#/expert_advice/carmichael/watch

Clayton Bike Trail Meeting

I posted this last month -- On Thursday, Nov. 29 there will be a study to examine a trail system connecting Clayton, Brentwood, Maplewood, and Richmond Heights. This would obviously be of great benefit to both bike commuters and recreational cyclists on campus -- especially if it helps us avoid Big Bend and Clayton Road as much as possible. There will be a public forum held at The Heights (Dale Ave east of Hanley in Richmond Heights) on Nov. 29 at 7:00pm. I will be attending, if anyone wants to go let me know and we can share a ride.

Thursday Group Ride

3-4 Hour Group ride leaving from Luther Statue at 1pm - tomorrow, Thursday, November 15. Break out the tights & windbreakers - it's going to be chilly (42 degrees) and windy (20 mph).

Group Ride Nov 10

We're meeting up at 1:30 on Sat, Nov 10 for a couple hours of hills. Meet up, as always, at Luther Statue.

Bike for Sale

Trek 7600 Hybrid Bicycle

• 20 Inch (51cm) aluminum frame
• Front fork Roc Shock
• Recently Overhauled
• New rear cassette
• New chain
• New rear wheel
• Blackburn rear carrier
• Rear fender

Excellent commuter or recreational bicycle
Priced to sell - $350

Offered by Dr. Madosky, send Jeff Kloha an e-mail (contact in link at right) and I'll forward it to him.

Marc wins Cyclocross Race!

The day after the Concordia Century, Marc E did the cyclocross race at Creve Couer Park. It was his second cross race, he came in fourth last time. Way to go, Marc!

Free Events at Ghisallo Sports

At the end of the century I mentioned that our shop sponsor, Ghisallo Sports, is having a couple free events in the next couple of weeks. First, a women's event on Nov 8 and then a chili cook-off/winter gear info event on Nov 11. Click on the links for more info.

They also have three regularly-scheduled rides each week, low traffic/high hills:

"Our first group ride will start Monday morning October 1st at 9:30am. This is a 34mile co-ed group ride with some good hills and all are invited to join. The club is also continuing with the Wednesday morning Womens rides at 9am and joining the store ride every Saturday morning at 7:30am with a two route option for advanced and intermediate cyclist."

I hit the Saturday ride most weeks, if you're interested. They have a ton of bike, running, and tri gear at their huge store, worth dropping in to see.

Concordia Century Wrap-up

W-I-N-D-Y about sums up the ride. Not a cloud in the sky, perfect temperature, and wind. The weather summary said that winds were out of the south at 14mph at 1:00 and 19 mph at 3:00, so the last 40 miles were not real fun.

21 riders participated, and apart from some torn skin and bibs, some lost lunch, and Mark's three flats we had a safe ride. The first group finished with a 20.2 mph ave, the pair of women had a strong ride, and everyone that wanted to finish, did (even if it took a while!).

Many thanks to Ghisallo Sports (link at right) for the Sports Beans and awesome door prizes. Also thanks to Vicki, Martha, and Elva at Holy Cross for the perfect pancakes and sausage.

Here are the awards:
Best Friend of the Seminary: John J (second in a row, Matt was right there, too)
First Finisher-Female: Loreen M and Susan K
First Finisher-Male: Russ T
Best New Rider: Peter W
Rob Donaldson Memorial Flat Tire Award: Eric E
Sportsman Award: Leigh G (Mark G deserves part of it, too)

I'll let everyone add comments on the ride, what happened, how much pain you felt, how many miles you did the day after. Marc E did a cyclocross race the next day and won! Anyone else? Post pics, or send them via e-mail and I'll post them up. Anyone have pics/results of the beard contest?

Send me an e-mail if you have any suggestions for next year. We'll keep the group rides going through the winter, stay posted. Tour de Sem is May 3, mark your calendars now.

Directions to Post-Ride at Holy Cross

For those of you driving to Holy Cross for the post-ride festivities, here are the directions from CSL:

1. Take I-64/40 East toward downtown St. Louis.

2. Exit at Jefferson Avenue, go south

3. Approx. 2.5 miles south is Concordia Publishing House

4. Turn right at stop light, Miami Street. Holy Cross is one short block

Wed Tune-up ride

A group is heading out at noon on Wed, 10/17, for 25 or 30 miles. I assume weather permitting. Meet at Luther.

Concordia Century 2007 FAQs

Why?
This is the third running of the Concordia Century. It started after the success of the first “Tour de Sem” in May of 2005, when Dr. Arand complained that he couldn't finish the ride because it was too early in the season to do a century. So we set up a Fall ride, and he still hasn't ridden it.

Why else?
Because it is flat, it is easy to set up, and it's good for you. And the pancakes and sausage in the huge frypan on the bonfire afterward are awesome. And the students that finish first get better calls. (guaranteed).

When does it start?
We will roll at 8:00 am on Oct. 20, rain or shine (cross your fingers). Arrive a bit early for some instructions and an opening.

Where does it start?
At Luther Statue on the east end of Concordia's campus, at the base of the tower, up the hill from Kaldi, etc.

What should I wear?
That's up to you. It will probably be chilly to start, so arm and leg warmers are a good idea because you can roll them off when it warms up. Friday night's low is predicted to be 50, the high Sat of 75.

What is the route?
The route is already posted on this blog. After winding our way downtown we head north on the Riverfront Trail, across the Chain of Rocks bridge and then the canal bridge, back on some lightly traveled roads/shoulders to the Lewis and Clark visitor's center, then it is paved trails all the way to the Grafton visitor's center. We turn around and head south from the arch past Soulard and Budweiser to historic Holy Cross Lutheran Church for pancakes and sausage.

What support will there be on the ride?
Ghisallo Sports in Chesterfield is providing a van for support. It will be stationed at the Chain of Rocks bridge until everyone passes, then in the casino parking lot in Alton until everyone passes back south, then the Chain of Rocks bridge again and then the end of the Riverfront Trail, 3miles from the finish, just in case. It can carry up to five bikes if you need to cash it in. It will have a tool kit (you'll have to wrench yourself, though), spare tubes & tires, extra gels, and water. You will want to carry two spare tubes on this ride, Almost every time out there I get a flat for some reason, and one year someone got four flats on this ride. There are also many water and public restroom stops on this route.

What should I bring to eat & drink?
A lot. One bottle of sports drink per hour and one bottle of water at least every couple hours, plus gels, beans, blocks, peanut butter & honey, bananas, whatever works for you. Eat as much as you can without puking. I used to say “eat as much as you can,” but some guys went over the line the year that we got a bunch of stuff from the Bread Company. It wasn't pretty.

What pace will the ride go?
That is up to you. I know that one group is shooting for 5 hours, a group of women are planning to stick together, and other groups will form up naturally. The best plan is to ride as comfortably as possible for the first half–don't push yourself to stay with a faster group at the beginning, or you'll trash yourself and get a ride home (and a call to North Dakota). There will be probably five or six clumps of riders, just find someone to ride with and get to know someone new. We want to be done at Holy Cross by 4:30, with the post-ride awards at 3:30-3:45, earlier if possible.

How many people are riding?
Probably 20-25. We'll see who shows up.

What about my bike?
Check to be sure that the shifting is working right, the chain is lubed, the brakes actually stop the bike, the tires are pumped up, and there are no slits, cuts, or pieces of glass stuck in your tires. If you don't know how to do all that, the friendly folks at Touring Cyclist can help you out, or our ride sponsor, Ghisallo Sports in Chesterfield.

Can I change my clothes after the ride?
Please! You can toss a duffle into the support vehicle, but this will be coming back in pretty late. I will be dropping things off at Holy Cross on Friday. If you bring a bag by to my house by Friday morning I'll drop it off so it is there for you whenever you finish.

How do I get back to campus after the ride?
We'll have enough vans/bike racks to get everyone back to campus.

Are there trophies?
Sort of. Prizes will be awarded for First Male Finisher, First Female Finisher (get ready to sprint at the end!), Best New Rider, Best Friend of the Seminary, Sportsman Award, and the Rob Donaldson Flat Tire Award. There will also be drawings for a bunch of door prizes from Ghisallo Sports. There's also some kind of facial hair contest going on, if that's your fancy. And if anyone beats Kloha, he'll keep his legs hairy (extra incentive for my wife).

Sunday Ride

As long as the weather holds up I plan on meeting at Luther Tower at 2:00 for a 3 hour ride tomorrow (10/14). Hope to see you there!

Century Registration Still Open

We have 19 cyclists signed up already for the Concordia Century on Oct. 20. You can still sign up, see the "Concordia Century Registration" entry on Sep. 29 for a form. The long-range weather forecast looks great.

Updated Century Ride Map

Ha! Using the "Hybrid" view, you can actually see the MRT! I altered the map slightly so as to accurately reflect the route. I did not add the "parade route" on Lindell.

Kloha, if you could give me a turn by turn, I can try to add it to the map. Otherwise, we use what we have.

I will figure out a way to print these out so they are most useful for riders.

Keep pedaling!

Group Ride 9/30

Here are some pics that Mark G. took on Sunday:
This is at the start. Elizabeth has the cool retro wools with the classic Pinarello.









North on the Riverfront Trail



At the Missouri/ Mississippi confluence

Concordia Century Registration

Come and Join us for a day of family fun and fitness! Be a part of the Concordia Century and ride 100, 60, 30, 15 miles, or whatever you are able along the picturesque Mississippi River Trail and Confluence Greenway up to the Chain of Rocks Bridge and out to Grafton! The route is an out-and-back, so you can ride any distance you want. Most of the riding is on paved paths, the rest on roads. Join the whole group of riders afterwards for food, prizes, and fellowship across the street from the former location of Concordia Seminary at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, 2650 Miami Street (just a few short blocks off of the trail) from 1:30-3:30pm. What are you waiting for? Get out and ride!!

Click here to download the registration form. Please turn in your forms and money to Russ Troester (Campus Mail - Box 397 - Checks made payable to Concordia Seminary) no later than Wednesday, October 10 (if you want a T-Shirt). Late registration deadline is Monday, October 15. Post a comment here if you have any questions.

Clayton Plans Bike Trail Study

The latest "Cityviews" newsletter from the city of Clayton announces a study to examine a trail system connecting Clayton, Brentwood, Maplewood, and Richmond Heights. This would obviously be of great benefit to both bike commuters and recreational cyclists on campus -- especially if it helps us avoid Big Bend and Clayton Road as much as possible. There will be a public forum held at The Heights (Dale Ave east of Hanley in Richmond Heights) on Nov. 29 at 7:00pm. I'll send out a reminder later, but if you live in any of these communities you should plan to attend and support this effort.

October Beard Contest

For all who can grow a beard, October will be official beard and 'stash month. All who are participating are to start with a clean pallet by Oct. 1st. Awards for best beard or 'stash will be handed out at the Post Century Feed and Fellowship. Participants reply to this post if you are "in".

Rogaine, Propecia and other such hair tonics are illegal. Use of such topical hair growth formulas is akin to doping and will result in immediate disqualification.

BTW, Kloha can grow a mean 'stash

Weekend Rides + Food!

Concordia Century is just a few weeks away. Training rides this weekend will meet up again -- Saturday women's ride, all levels, no drops, meet at 7:00 am at Luther Statue. Sunday Long Ride, meet up at 2:00pm. Plan on 3.5+ hours.

After the Sunday ride we'll meet up for a barbecue at the Kloha's. Have your families meet us there between 5:45-6:00, bring along meat for yourself and a dish to pass. Before the ride you can drop clean clothes off to change into later at the Kloha's.

St. Genevieve Road Race

Concordia had a great day at the St. Gen road race today, a tough, very hilly route on a warm day. Russ took 7th in Cat 5, his first race ever. Marc took 10th in Cat 4. Susan took 2nd in the Women's Masters category, her second race. Anyone who's ever raced knows how tough a top 10 finish is to earn, and we got three of them today! The old man, unfortunately, isn't quite right still since Gateway. Road racing season is over now until February, though cyclocross racing fires up in a few weeks, and there are still a few mountain events

Bowling Alone and Cycling

Concordia Seminary hosted the annual Dellinger Lecture last night, this year the speaker was Harvard Professor Dr. Robert Putnam, author of Bowling Alone. This was an interesting, at times funny and at times frightening lecture about the loss of community in America and its consequences. As a sociologist, Putnam had lots of statistics about lots of things. One surprising conclusion was that the more groups you belong to, the more friends you have, generally the more you hang out with other people, the longer you will live. In fact, a person living an isolated life apparently has the same chance of dying in the next 12 months as a lifetime smoker. In contrast, those with a large network of friends live longer. By quite a bit, he said. So, the obvious conclusion (not his, but mine) is that if you cycling, that's good for you. But if you cycle with others, then you'll live a lot longer. So hop on the bike! Join in on the rides! Meet someone new!

Weekend Rides, Sep. 22-23

Looks like a great weekend for riding. A few people will be participating in a race on Saturday in St. Genevieve. Saturday, the women's ride has been gaining momentum. This ride leaves at 7:00 am, and is intended for all levels of cyclists, including beginners. The Sunday ride will leave at 2:00, plan on 3.5+ hours (assuming no shredded tires again).

Compton Bridge Open

Just thought y'all might like to know that for the next time you ride the Riverfront Trail, the bridge on Compton has been reopened. Eric Estes and I went down this morning and it certainly makes for an easier route.

CSL Cycling Bike Clothes

Time for another order of CSL cycling clothing. Stylish, comfortable, makes you look fast.

Orders are due Sep. 19, for order form contact Prof. Kloha (e-mail link on this page)

Concordia Cycling Club -- Organizational Meeting

We'll be meeting over lunch, at about 12:00 in Koburg Hall. Come when you can. Topic is the forming of an official USA Cycling club. We'll also discuss details of the Century Ride on Oct. 20 and the order for CSL bike clothes.

Weekend Rides

I think the majority of the guys are planning to head out for another group ride on Sunday at 2pm. At least a couple of us plan to ride on Saturday instead because our wives are attending the SWA event on Sunday afternoon so we'll be watching our kids. If you're interested in joining us for a 3 hour, 50 mile ride on Saturday, post a comment and let us know if you'd prefer morning or afternoon.

Hills in the Park...

I've done this a few times and it gets the legs and lungs burning...

Rides in the Park

Here's a flat loop for intervals...

We Are The Cyclists

Prof. Kloha and Marc Engelhardt had talked about this video on our last group ride, so I Googled it and thought I'd post if for your enjoyment.

Sunday Ride Report

Had a great group yesterday, nine of us rolled out at 2:00. We rode down to the Riverfront trail, although in a roundabout way because of construction, and through the Rams game. Beautiful weather, but I got a slice in my tire (might be a leftover from my crash) and flatted through tubes. Limped home with a dollar bill barely holding things together. Thanks to the guys for making sure I made it back. I'll post some info on rides this week, looks like the weather is turning in our favor.

Potluck

Would anyone be interested in doing a family potluck after one of our Sunday rides? This week could work or we could wait 'till next Sunday so there's more time to prepare. I see it's something that's been done in the past and it would be a nice way to meet one another's families. Comment if you're interested or have any suggestions.

The Conway Way

Hello all,

Here is a map of one of the more popular routes from campus. It's chock full of hills.



Just a reminder: There are a few of us who ride at 6:00, M-F. We try to go a little faster due to time constraints, but we don't go Kloha speed. Feel free to join us at the bronze Marty.

Women's Rides

If you check the Daily Announcements, you'll see some info on a women's ride on Sat mornings. My wife is organizing these. Any skill level welcome, this is about getting into cycling. Last week they had four women out!

Sunday Ride

The Sunday Ride tradition continues. Let's call it 2:00pm at Luther Statue. Hopefully 2.5-3 hours, moderate (18-20 mph) pace.

Wednesday Ride

Planning on a 2:30 ride today (Wed) from Luther Statue. We'll figure out route and time based on who shows. Weather permitting, of course. And I might not ride, depending on what the doc says about the shoulder this morning.

Daily Rides

There's a group of us who plan to do daily rides (at least M,T,R,F) at 6am leaving from Luther Statue starting this Tuesday, September 4th. We'll probably do about an hour, give or take, with a couple of those days being some interval work. If you're interested or have any questions, feel free to post a comment here.

Tough Weekend for CSL racers at Gateway Cup

The Gateway Cup is the World Series of STL racing every year, four races on consecutive days. 90 guys in the Cat 4 races, squeezing into the STL streets. Unfortunately, this year has been rough for the CSL guys who race. Marc had someone take him down on the last lap on Friday night, ended up virtually destroying his bike (he can save the seatpost and stem, cassette, that's about it). The tires blew as he tried to hold it, saw sparks coming from the rims as they ground along the pavement. He got thrown pretty hard into a concrete light pole but hit it square so only a bit sore. His racing was done for the weekend, though.

I went down yesterday, about 100 yards from the finish at Washington Ave. The guy in front of me went down hard, directly in front of me, I smashed head-on into his back as he fell and went flying over the the handlebars, him, and probably ten feet of pavement. Checked my bike computer, said I was going 32.4 mph at the time. My right shoulder took the brunt of it, then the helmet, and somehow my left ribs. Fortunately, the x-rays didn't find any breaks. Hopefully they're just really bad bruises. The bike wasn't so lucky, I've never seen a fork break the way this one did, and the front wheel is destroyed. Thanks to Marc (who was there watching) and Lauren for getting me and my family home.

All in all, it could have been worse for both of us. The frustrating thing is that you can't really control stuff like this. Someone makes a mistake front of you or next to you, and you're down. Hopefully it won't be too long before we're back out on group rides. BTW, this is why we ALWAYS wear helmets, racing or non-racing.

New to Cycling?

If you're new to cycling, the best way to get into it is to start riding with others. A couple things to get together:

We ride on roads. This is not always fun in this part of town. Some good tips are available on the Bicycle Safe site.

Make sure your bike is in decent shape, tires in good condition, shifters and esp. brakes working properly. Don't mess with this on your own, take it over the The Touring Cyclist across Clayton Road in the Schnuck's plaza. Two sem students are employees, and they really look out for sem students. Ask for Marc or Eric, or Chris, the manager.

If you plan to ride more than 10 miles, get cycling clothes. Yes, its spandex. Yes, your wife and friends will make fun of you. But your sit place will thank you. The stuff is not cheap, you're looking at a minimum of probably $40 each for shorts and a jersey. We will get together an order for official "Concordia Seminary Cycling" gear in the next week or two, this is decent quality stuff and runs about $55-60 each.

Always carry two water bottles and, if you're out for more than an hour and a half, some energy drink or food. Again, ask others on the rides what they use and try a few things out before attempting a ride several hours in length.

The key thing is: Ride. Often, long, and fast.

Posting to the blog

I hope this blog works to get everyone on the same page. I'd like lots of you to be posting your rides and suggestions, if you want rights to post I have to send you a link, so e-mail me and I'll set you up.

Group Rides -- Weekdays, Fall Quarter

Looks like Wed afternoons work for a lot of people, so let's just say, beginning Sep 5, Wednesdays at 2:30 (Luther Statue) for 1-2 hours. Post a reply if interested.

Sunday Ride - Sept 2

Sunday Ride - 6am - River Front Trail - meet at Luther Statue. Perhaps do some pace line work to prep for the century ride and probably keep a pace around 18mph, give or take.

Weekend Rides, Labor Day Weekend

Got this message from Dr. Madosky, a good fried of cycling in St. Louis and Concordia Seminary. Anyone else got the legs yet?:

"On Saturday September 1st I will be riding an 80 mile course from here (Richmond Hts) through Illinois via the Chain of Rocks bridge. It is a relatively flat course and I would like to average 16-18 mph (depending upon the wind). I anticipate leaving no later than 6:30 am and would enjoy the company of any other Concordia riders. This is an MS 150 training ride for me."

Post here if interested and I can forward you his e-mail.

New at this . . .

Alright, this is my first time with this blog thing. Apparently the newst posts display first. So start at the bottom and read your way up. Any suggestions are welcome.

Tour of Missouri

Ever seen a professional bike race? The first Tour of Missouri is coming to town, the final race of the six day event on Sun, Sep 15. The St. Louis leg will be a circuit race, meaning the race will do several laps. It will pass pretty close to Concordia, following Forest Park Parkway from downtown and then heading north on Debaliviere, the street that heads up from the History Museum. Top pros will be there, like George Hincapie and Tour de France winner Alberto Contador. Speed, color, all the thrills of NASCAR but these guys are actually working. I'll be helping out as a course marshal for the race.

Group Rides Starting in September

Once classes start we'll set up some other times for regular rides. Sunday afternoons and Wed afternoons have worked well. We stay off Tues for IMs. Any preferences?

Group Rides, Week of Aug 26 to Sep 1

Before classes start we're doing Sunday and Thursday rides. All rides meet up at Luther Statue, underneath the bell tower. Here is the plan:

Sunday, Aug 26. Meet at 1:00. Plan on 1.5 - 2 hours. Bring lots of water. We may split into groups so everyone feels comfortable.

Tuesday, Aug 28. I've got faculty meetings, so I'll head out at about 6:00 am for about an hour and a half. Others might want to hold off until 7:00. Post your preferences below.

Thursday, Aug 30. 7:00 am. A one hour no-drop ride, then another hour or so at a faster pace.

Next weekend (Aug 31-Sep 3) are the Gateway Cup races (follow the STL Biking link at right for info), so I won't be in on the group rides. Post below if you want to connect up with others.

Let's see if this works . . .

About Cycling@Concordia Seminary

Just to get things rolling, a little bit of history. About three years ago (Fall of '04) some students formed the "Walk - Bike - Run" Saturday morning session, which encouraged people to meet up and then head out for their various workouts together. The cyclists kept on going, organizing the first "Tour de Sem" in the Spring of '05. This ride goes from Columbia, IL down to the original seminary site in Altenburg, MO, about 94 miles away. The following Fall, we set up the first "Concordia Century," a ride from Concordia down to the Arch, then up the Mississippi to Grafton, and back down again to historic Holy Cross Lutheran Church, south of Soulard in the city. The rides have grown each year; the '07 Tour de Sem had 26 or 27 cyclists.

In between these "major events," students and faculty meet up for group rides. These get bigger as we gear up for the big events, but you can find people going out pretty much all the time. Most people ride for fitness, to get or stay in shape, and for the fellowship. A few students and faculty also race in the local circuit.

This blog will hopefully be a way to get information out quickly and painlessly (for me, that is), and to help coordinate group rides.