This month's profile features the The Punk Rock Cycling Women’s Team for the BIKEIOWA October 2007 profile.

• Name

  The Punk Rock Cycling Women’s Team

• Home Turf

  I’ve always loved using the word “turf”. It reminds me of gangs of the 70s and 80s… the type of gangs that would wear matching leather vests and spontaneously break out into song and dance… all the while speaking in jive on the importance of “protectin the turf, man.” For the PRC women though the “turf” is the whole state of Iowa. That’s right, the WHOLE state. We own it all. Des Moines, Iowa City, Quad Cities, Burlington, Muscatine, Sioux City, Cedar Falls, and the booming mega-metropolis that is Tipton. Every city just bleeds with punk rock passion.

• The Scoop

  Well, like the punk music they’re named after this team of women is passionate, fast, aggressive, and very much to the point! This collection of women has set a goal to not only dominate the races they enter but to do it with a DIY mentality. They’re internally motivated, self coached, and each woman on this team carries herself with grace and style.

• Who's Who

  Team members are Jane Riessen, Jennifer Greenberg, Lindsay Wetzel, Deb Wood, Kelli Mente, Emily Schaapveld, Maria Ruhtenberg, and Christina Anthony. Team director is Donny Quixote.

• Did You Know?

  There are so many interesting things about this squad I could go on for hours…. Jen is a vegan. Jane plays the violin. Deb vomits when she eats cheese. Kelli teaches kickboxing. Lindsay is covered in tattoos. Emily has done volunteer work in India. Maria saw the Violent Femmes open for Bad Brains. Jen was a Chicago bike messenger for three years. Jane is representing the US at Duathlon Worlds. Deb is an amazing photographer. Kelli is a Hawkeye nut. Christy is in medical school. Lindsay once had tuberculosis. Emily loves Thai food. And on and on and on. But the most unique thing about this group of women is their camaraderie. It is very rare to find a cluster of people who can get along as well as these girls have.

• Mission Statement

  What?? Mission statement? Are you serious? Do we really need a mission statement? Action is so much stronger than words in my opinion. Besides, it just seems wrong that something called “punk rock” would have a mission statement. How about this… here are all the lyrics from the Black Flag song Rise Above. For now, that should cover us for a mission statement. Jealous cowards try to control Rise above, we're gonna rise above They distort what we say Rise above, we're gonna rise above Try and stop what we do Rise above, we're gonna rise above When they can't do it themselves Rise above, we're gonna rise above We are tired of your abuse Try to stop us, it's no use Society's arms of control Rise above, we're gonna rise above Think they're smart, can't think for themselves Rise above, we're gonna rise above Laugh at us behind our backs Rise above, we're gonna rise above I find satisfaction in what they lack Rise above, we're gonna rise above We are tired of your abuse Try to stop us, but it's no use We are tired of your abuse Try to stop us, it's no use We're born with a chance Rise above, we're gonna rise above I am gonna have my chance Rise above, we're gonna rise above We are born with a chance Rise above, we're gonna rise above And I am gonna have my chance Rise above, we're gonna rise above We are tired of your abuse Try to stop us, it's no use Rise above Rise above Rise above We're gonna rise above We're gonna rise above We're gonna rise above

• What’s Hot?

  Specialized Designs 4 Women. HOLY MOTHER CRAP! Specialized has just blown us away with the amount of R&D they give towards women’s products. The Ruby and Dolce road bikes are some of the sexiest machines out there, the clothing is wicked cool, the helmets, shoes, and gloves are all built in the school of Body Geometry, and everything is designed with consideration to functionality as much as it is fashion. If you haven’t checked this stuff out, you should! And Rasmussen Bike Shop has the cycling community pegged in Des Moines. They have the sweetest bikes and the most down-to-earth, knowledgeable, and friendly group of guys working. They’re super fast with repairs, great with bike fitting, and just plain good, salt-of-the-earth type people. They sponsor us as well as all the great guys on the All 9 Yards Cycling Team. Can’t thank those guys enough!

• What’s Not?

  Remember when your mom told you if you can’t say anything nice then don’t say anything at all. Well that applies here too. We could ramble on about the lack of women in our sport, or the auto-centric culture around us, or doped up pro athletes who under-appreciate everyone who over-supports them, yadda yadda yadda. Instead, let’s just talk about something good. Like the top ten punk rock albums you probably don’t own, but should. 1. The Clash –self titled 2. Sex Pistols – Nevermind the Bollocks 3. Misfits – Walk Among Us 4. Ramones - Leave Home 5. Stiff Little Fingers – Inflammable Material 6. Black Flag – Damaged 7. Dead Boys –Young Loud and Snotty 8. NOFX - White Trash, Two Heebs, and a Bean 9. Descendents - Milo Goes to College 10. Social Distortion – self titled

• Favorite Iowa Event?

  There are so many cool events in Iowa… we just love and appreciate any opportunity someone puts together for us to compete. We’ve got special places in our hearts for the Snake Alley Criterium, Old Capitol Criterium, and almost anything that is hosted by the All 9 Yards team. But this seems like an appropriate place to tell you what the PRC girls have planned for 2008. The Race Like A Girl Series, the Newton weekend of cyclocross, and Cranksgiving in Des Moines will all fall under the Punk Rock umbrella! And we can’t forget about the Copper Creek Triathlon either, 2008 will be it’s first year for this Pleasant Hill triathlon but we’re sure it will climb on our favorites list pretty quickly.

• Favorite Quote

  Henry Rollins said, “Scar tissue is stronger than regular tissue. Realize the strength, move on.” We keep this quote posted on our website to remind us that no success is without sacrifice. In endurance sports the greatest pleasures are only achieved by pushing yourself through some of the greatest pains. Nothing is easy and nothing is handed to you, these women know they have to earn it every time they clip into the pedals.

• What's Next?

  Hmmmm. Probably something that involves carbohydrates? Or maybe, just maybe we’ll figure out why it is you can say SEAT tube, and SEAT post, and SEAT stay, and SEAT post clamp…. but if you refer to your saddle as a seat you sound like a moron. But then, we could always just go ride our bikes. Yeah… we’ll do that! We’ll just go ride our bikes. Wanna join us?

• Sponsors

  We’ve got to give crazy amounts of love to the Elder Corporation. They’re based in Pleasant Hill and specialize in earth moving and demolition. Jay Elder, the company’s top dog, is an awesome example for the fitness community. Jay believes that exercise and health make a great base for having a successful life and he’s dedicated to spreading the word. Jay is an avid triathlete and he often offers cash incentives for his employees to participate in triathlons or other sporting events. And with Jay’s hard work, the Elder Corporation is the primary backing behind the Copper Creek Triathlon coming in June 0f 2008. This triathlon is the newest is a whole series of multipsort events based in Central Iowa. Along with the Elder Corporation we’ve been blessed to work with Wexford & James, Rasmussen Bike Shop, Oakley, Shimano, Harlot and the folks at Specialized deserve a special pat on the back for all the work they’re doing! Much love. Very much love.

• Accepting new members?

  Sorry Charlie. We’ve had a ton of interest from women all over the Midwest… and we appreciate and are very flattered by all the requests. But we feel it’s more successful to focus our budget of a smaller group of women. Though everyone should know this; NO WOMAN is guaranteed a spot the following year, these ladies have to earn their Punk Rock status every time they hop on the saddle. So if any woman out there wants to be a PRC girl then I can only recommend that she race, and race, and race, and race, and support the community of women cyclists better than anyone else. If she does that, it’s only a matter of time before PRC finds her.

• Dues/Benefits

  Our sponsors have made the benefits for this squad just awesome. Bikes, gear, helmets, entry fees, travel costs, and on and on. We take care of these women because we know they have a lot of hard work ahead of them. The women on this team have been given a lot and a lot will be expected of them…. every day these women pay their dues back to the cycling community.

• Contact Information

  Donny Quixote Punk Rock Cycling Team Director donnyquixote@yahoo.com http://www.punkrockcycling.com