Okay, now that cyclists across the nation know that Senator John Putney is serious, let's get in touch with our State Legislators and let them know that we mean business, too!

After talking with leaders in the cycling community and on the hill, our best bet is to fight fire with fire. If lawmakers want to fine us for riding on the road, they'll first have to educate law enforcement and cyclists. If we refocus the argument entirely on education they're in a Catch-22.

Personally, I avoid four-lane roads and would rather ride the trails if I had the option. The problem is that cyclists shouldn't allow the door to be opened on restriction of where and how we ride.

Get active and let your voice be heard!

LET IT SNOW!

Now that we've finally gotten the white stuff again, I can break out my xc boards and snowshoes! Plug into the Ipod, fire up a little String Cheese Incident and I'm golden for hours of snow-induced pleasure!

If you're a sucker for mountain biking in the powdered bliss, the Iowa Off Road Cycling Association has the gig for you! They kicked off their Snow Bike season on Saturday, January 17th in Fort Dodge. Read on below for an interview with Competition Director Thad Neil.

CROSSTRAIN, BABY!

Okay, it is nearly the first of February and you're getting burnt out on banging the rollers in the basement. Get in some cross training nd enjoy some gains in your fitness!

1. Cross Country Skiing ~ catch a great close-out deal on some boards right now and try out your favorite cyclocross or mountain bike training grounds for a great full-body workout.
2. Snowshoeing ~ again, get a great season-end deal on some shoes or rent for the first time. You'll love the freedom of escaping the house during those 'Storms of the Century' advertised on your favorite TV station. Bring along some poles for an awesome full-body workout again!
3. Crank it up ~ I've been teaching spinning classes for nearly two years and everyone is chomping at the bit to 'go a little faster'. To break out of the monotony, give yourself a killer workout once in awhile. Chris Carmichael recommends one every 7-10 days, so if Lance's guru says it, it must be golden, right?
4. BRR ~ Even if you don't like riding outside in the winter, give the BRR bike ride a try in two weeks! Make a day of it and have some fun! You'd never guess that a 23-mile ride could hurt so good (the morning after)!

Interview with Thad Neil
IORCA Competition Director

1/23/04

1. How many years has the series been organized?
I'm not sure how long the series has been running- I think 3 or 4
years.

2. How many racers participate?
There are three races in the series and we are averaging around 30
riders.

3. Tell me a little about the courses and the type of riders who do best?
The courses are around 2 to 3 miles in length and the number of times you go around them depends on what category your in. Keep in mind that it is a winter series so we race regardless of course conditions, so it can get a little sketchy sometimes. The riders who do best are the ones who's technical ability in honed in to perfection and they can ride crazy fast on the worst of trail conditions. Simply put, they are the ones that most people say the are crazy! The first race of the series this year saw about two thirds of the course on pavement, so the roadies did very well.

4. What clothing/ bike prep do you do for these races?
Clothing is tricky because some people don't have enough layers sometimes. You can count on it being cold, wet, and miserable most times. Sometimes we luck out though.

As far as bike prep goes, not much is different unless it get real muddy or there is a lot of snow (as then you will probably want to use a wet lube). Then there are lot of different things you can do with tire pressures, shocks, and forks for achieving maximum traction and still put power to the ground. The worst part is it usually takes time to clean them when you're done.

5. Who are you appealing to by promoting these races?
This year we are getting roadies, mountain bikers of all levels and a solid beginner field as well. Everyone is having a great time so far.

6. What is the plan for growth of the events?
Hopefully now that the SnowBike Series is part of the Iowa Off Road Cycling Association it will boost the attendance (which I think it already has). Maybe in the next couple of years as IORCA grows people will become aware of the SnowBike series as a great form of competitive cycling in the winter as well as a way to get out and ride and see all the people you might not see this time of year.

7. Who are the studs of the competition?
Right now we have had 1 event and it was blazing fast so the roadies are representing well. Donny Quixote's new Quixote Cycling Programs Team really did well last week. They had riders place in the Expert/Semi-Pro/Pro Category and in the Sport Category. Another good showing was put in by the Irwin's/Toyota of Des Moines Team as they dominated the Beginner Category and got in the action in the Expert/Semi-Pro/Expert Category. You can never rule out the guys from Rasmussen's and the kids from Midwest Rolling Thunder either. I have listed the top three in each category below.

Beginner Women:
1. Keely Shannon - Midwest Rolling Thunder

Beginner Men:
1. Troy Tellinghuisen - Irwin's/Toyota of Des Moines
2. Ian Davis - Irwin's/Toyota of Des Moines
3. Ron DeGeest - Irwin's/Toyota of Des Moines

Sport Men:
1. Lou Waugaman - Quixote Cycling Programs
2. Jeremy Venable - Midwest Rolling Thunder
3. Pete Basso - Rasmussen's

Expert/Semi-Pro/Pro:
1. Donny Quixote - Quixote Cycling Programs
2. Nick Frey - Quixote Cycling Programs
3. Michael Blahut

Professional Racing in Iowa: Jeff Kerkove Interview
1/15/04

Q: Congratulations ~ it appeared in cyclingnews.com that you have joined a professional team for 2004! Tell me more about it!
A: The team is run by Cateye, with other sponsors including Nema clothing, Giant frames, etc... The purpose of the team is to hit up national and international endurance races, such as 24 Hr, 12 Hr, and Ultra-Endurance races like Trans-Rockies and La Ruta.

Q: What is your fascination with the 24-hour races? What particular skills make a person good at them?
A: So much can happen in 24 hours. Unlike a typical XC races were if you have a flat your race is almost for certain over. In endurance races so much more can go right or wrong, such as diet, hydration, tactics, etc. You have time to let thing develop
I think a successful endurance racer has to do with a tight training schedule, good equipment, an awesome pit crew, and a very strong mentality.

Q: For the aspiring 24-hour racer, what is your training and competition advice?
A: Ride alot! If I am not racing on a certain weekend, I will go to Sugarbottom or Decorah, and rip off an 8-10 hour mnt bike ride. Otherwise I hit up the group road rides on my mountain bike.

Q: Okay. I'm gunning for you at the next 24-hours of Seven Oaks. Give me a week ripped out of your training plan and I'll do it to prove that anyone can beat Jeff Kerkove. ;)
A: I will do a long ride on either Monday or Tues day (4 + hours), the rest of the week I will do 2-3 hours days at a mod. pace. I ride just enough to keep the legs ready for the weekend, but not to hard to fry them. For diet leading up to the race I will carbo load all week, and drink tons of water.

Bikeiowa.com Questions:
Name: Jeff Kerkove
Hometown: Waterloo, Iowa
Age: 26
Job Status: Bike Shop Guru / Freelance Graphic Designer
Family Status: Single
1. Current Bike/Components: 2004 Giant NRS Air and XTC 1
2. Dream Bike/ Components: GIANT NRS AIR and XTC 1
3. Bike Racing Team: Cateye Enduro
4. Fave Race: Firecracker 50 in Breckenridge, CO
5. Fave Training Ride: Any epic day in the saddle, either road or mt bike
6. How I got into cycling: Nothing else to do in small town Iowa on the weekends, so I went race'n
7. Recent Accomplishments: 2003 WI Endurance 12 Hour Champion, IA State XC Champ., 1st place at 24 hours of AFton and 24 Hours of Seven Oaks
8. Do you use a coach: no
9. 2004 Goals: Podium at 2004 24 Hr solo worlds in Whistler, BC, win 12 Hour Solo Nationals
10. Longterm Goals: Just keep on improving!!!
11. What is the condition of USA Cycling: It's a joke!
12. What is the condition of Iowa bike racing: It's becoming a force in the USA. LOOK OUT!!
13. Favorite part about training and racing in Iowa: Everybody knows Everybody, and I get to train with Fatty, Super Dave, Doc and Tinker Fry!
14. What could be improved: More junior racers, and more racers at all local events
15. Hobbies: Surfing the Net, Eating, Eating, Eating, Hang'n with friends. Did I mention Eating?

16. Something that you may not know about me: I am a very creative person.... Anyone need any graphic design work???

Random Notes:

From regional Cat1's to National Studs within a year~ big props go to MN riders Adam Bergman and Paul Ellis for being picked up by the Jelly Belly/ Orbea team in 2004! Word has it Grand Performance (their regional sponsor) has the Mortgage Solutions Altoona Road Race on the sked, so we had better see those two studs down in Altoona in two months to school us! Bergman won the event in 2003, after Health Net pro John Lieswyn won the first edition. Do we have a showdown in the works?

Dude, check out my Cyclocross T-shirt~ support your national cyclocross efforts at Worlds this weekend by purchasing a great high-quality t-shirt at www.bikegeek.org! BTW ~ Oakley Rep Rob 'O-Dawg' Versteegh got a few laughs out of his DM Cross Mafia/2003 State Championship t-shirt in Cali last week… seems the date on the shirt was October 12, 2004… oops…

CTS Training Videos~ has anyone else almost broken into fits of laughter while hammering to one of these? I almost fell off my Cyclops Magneto on Saturday hearing Carmichael casually name-drop Lance in every breath..."Lance does this" "Lance hates that" "Lance…Lance…Lance" Pass the doughnuts.

Next up, a check up from the neck up ~ I've got interviews stacked up right now ~ next edition, Donger's Cross Natz interview and JJ Bailey, too, I PROMISE!

Site du jour:

'Cross' your fingers for the podium this weekend:
http://thejonathanpage.com/

PETA will think of anything for publicity:
http://carrot2004.com/

If he'd ever update this site, it would be funnier than milk squirting out of you nose:
http://www.mikecreed.com/