TRIA Orthopaedic Center Your Cycling Blog

By Cynthia Lou, Nature Valley Grand Prix

Stillwater, Minn. – Giorgia Bronzini (Colavita Forno D’Asolo presented by Cooking Light) attacked at the bottom of Chilkoot Hill Sunday to secure her third stage win at this year’s Nature Valley Grand Prix as Amber Neben (HTC-Highroad) held on to win the race overall.

Kristin Armstrong (Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY12) attacked the penultimate time up the leg-breaking climb that was packed with spectators, hoping to repeat her previous years’ success at the Stillwater Criterium. But Neben’s HTC-Highroad teammate, Evelyn Stevens, and Bronzini jumped after her. Bronzini’s win was the reigning world road race champion’s third of the five-day, six-stage race.

Giorgia Bronzini (Colavita Forno D’Asolo presented by Cooking Light) wins atop Chilkoot Hill Sunday at the Stillwater Criterium, the final stage of the Nature Valley Grand Prix.

“I have no words for Evie (Stevens) – she made the race,” Bronzini said, laughing. “I tried to save my power for the last climb because I came here with all of the best climbers and I’m a sprinter. So I tried only to follow (wheels) and save my best sprint for the final.”

Between attacks from Team TIBCO/To The Top and Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY12 and the sheer difficulty of the 18 percent average grade on Chilkoot Hill, an elite group of riders quickly separated themselves from the peloton. The decisive breakaway group formed within five laps of the 13-lap race and featured a mix of experienced veterans and promising newcomers. It included Bronzini, Neben with teammates Stevens, Ally Stacher, and Amanda Miller, overall runner-up Erinne Willock (Team TIBCO/To The Top) and teammate Joelle Noumainville, defending champion Armstrong and teammate Kristin McGrath, Anne Samplonius (NOW and Novartis for MS), and Jade Wilcoxson (Nature Valley Grand Prix Pro Ride).

As the teams battled for the general classification, Armstrong and Bronzini were able to sit in the pack and save themselves for the finish.

“I wanted to sit and let Highroad do their work to protect the jersey,” Armstrong said. “I knew two minutes would be too much to gain today so we went for the stage win for the team. I tried my best, I tried to go with two to go but everyone out there was really strong. I just couldn’t get that extra acceleration.”

Neben said it actually was a very easy day for her because her team was so good.

“I didn’t really have to do anything but just watch them,” Neben said. “It went according to plan. I’m proud of them, they rode really well this week. I have the yellow, but really, we all won.”

The HTC-Highroad team protected overall winner Amben Neben on the way to also winning the team classification Sunday at the Nature Valley Grand Prix.

Stevens’ performance earned her the Freewheel Bike Most Aggressive Rider jersey.

“Ally, Amanda and Chloe raced their hearts out,” Stevens said. “Amanda and Chloe took it on the back, then I would take control on the climb. I think it was perfect teamwork – no one could get away. It was really exciting.”

Before the race, Stacher was honored with the “Carla Swart Sportsmanship Award,” recognizing the female athlete at the race who sacrificed her own chances for the good of her team. Swart was a South African Olympic hopeful and the most decorated collegiate rider in U.S. history who died when she was hit by a truck during a training ride.

We raced how Carla would have raced,” Stevens said. “She was just an amazing woman, and I know Ally was her best friend. I can’t think of someone better than Ally to wear that jersey. The way she rode today, she rode her heart out. It’s just incredible, the whole team.”

Stacher’s performance also won her the Tria Orthopaedic Best Young Rider jersey, and HTC-Highroad won the Team classification.

Riding for the Nature Valley Pro Ride team, Wilcoxson finished with the front group of elite riders to win the Nature Valley Grand Prix Best Amateur.

“I was really nervous to start it, but it turned out to be a really good course for me,” Wilcoxson said. “I kind of shocked myself as well. I was really surprised to hang with the big dogs like that. I just wanted to be able to finish the race today, so, I’m really excited about the results.”

Leah Kirchmann (Colavita Forno D’Asolo) held onto her Sports Beans Queen of the Hill jersey and Wheaties Fuel Sprint Competition jersey.

Jersey winners of the Nature Valley Grand Prix Sunday (left to right): Sports Beans Queen of the Hill and Wheaties Fuel Sprint Competition winner Leah Kirchmann (Colavita Forno D’Asolo), Tria Orthopaedic Best Young Rider Ally Tria Orthopaedic Best Young Rider, Freewheel Bike Most Aggressive Rider Evelyn Stevens, overall champion Amber Neben and Nature Valley Grand Prix Best Amateur Jade Wilcoxson.

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By Lyne Lamoureux, Nature Valley Grand Prix

Menomonie, Wis. — The Menomonie Road Race lived up to expectations Saturday at the Nature Valley Grand Prix. At the end of the more than 100 miles of hard racing in the lush rolling terrain of Wisconsin, the UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team’s winning streak was stopped at four.

Amidst a shattered peloton that saw fewer than two dozen riders allowed onto the finishing circuit, Bernard Van Ulden (Jelly Belly presented by Kenda) attacked his fellow escapees on the last of four laps around the two-mile course to claim the victory.

“I died a thousand deaths, but I ate plenty of Sports Beans in the race and also on the circuits and it all worked,” Van Ulden said. “Without my sponsors, none of this would be possible. I’m very happy. This is a dream come true.”

Bernard Van Ulden (Jelly Belly presented by Kenda) celebrates his victory Saturday at the Menomonie Road Race that snapped UnitedHealthcare's string of four straight stage wins at the Nature Valley Grand Prix.

Jesse Anthony (Kelly Benefit Strategies-OptumHealth) finished second on the stage and took over the yellow jersey as the general classification experienced a big shakeup.

“We’re really, really happy to have the lead in this race especially with OptumHealth, one of our title sponsors here,” Anthony said. “We’ve been racing aggressively and it’s awesome to finally see it pay off. This is a team effort, I wish all my teammates could wear the yellow jersey with me, we all worked for it equally.”

Jay Thomson (BISSELL Pro Cycling) was third on the stage.

After watching UnitedHealthcare win the first four stages – including a podium sweep in St. Paul on Stage 2 – the rest of the peloton was determined to try and wrestle control from the blue train. The course was equally as conducive for it, featuring plenty of twists and turns and four Sports Beans King of the Hills climbs. With an early break already off the front, the Kelly Benefit Strategies-OptumHealth squad lined up at the front heading up the the second tough climb and exploded the field.

“We knew today was going to be a decisive day as well as tomorrow,” Anthony said. “We just had to race real aggressively and use the strengths that the team has. Today was a good long road race of attrition and we raced as hard as we could. The guys threw down, as hard as they could, we just kept attacking and we didn’t give up.”

By the time the attacks ended, only 20 riders remained at the front, including multiple riders from Kelly Benefit Stategies, BISSELL, Jelly Belly, Team Exergy, Jamis/Sutter Home, and only one from UnitedHealthcare – defending champion Rory Sutherland.

The decisive move of the men's race is made with 15 miles to go in Saturday's 101-mile Menomonie Road Race at the Nature Valley Grand Prix. Jay Thomson (leading) split an already select group with an attack that drew out seven riders who survived to the finish.

The next round of hostilities were opened up as the breakaway approached the four finishing circuits with a gap of five minutes on the field. Seven riders (Van Ulden, Anthony, Thomson, Heath Blackgrove and Logan Hutchings (both of ELBOWZ Racing), Luis Amaran (Jamis/Sutter Home) and Freddie Rodriguez and Andres Diaz (both of Team Exergy) were battling for the stage win and the yellow jersey.

“Coming into the circuits here, I was dying a thousand deaths,” Murphy said. “I started cramping and I knew I didn’t have the legs to go against the sprinters so I figured my best chance was going to be either keep it together and try not to lose time because I was relatively high up there on GC, or to try to get off the front.”

In addition to the stage win, Van Ulden was also awarded the Freewheel Bike Most Aggressive Rider jersey. His UnitedHealthcare teammate, Robert Förster, kept his lead in the Wheaties FUEL Sprint competition. Chad Haga (Team Rio Grande) retained the green jersey as the Nature Valley Top Amateur and Joseph Schmalz (ELBOWZ Racing) is the new leader in the white TRIA Orthopaedic Center Best Young Rider competition. Kyle Wamsley (BISSELL Pro Cycling) defended his Sports Beans King of the Hills in an early heated battle.

Sunday’s Stillwater Criterium is billed as “the most brutal criterium course in North America.” Last year, Kelly Benefit Strategies lost the overall in a battle to the wire with UnitedHealthcare. With a similar situation this eyar, Anthony said he is ready to defend his lead.

“It’s going to be an amazing race,” he said. “That course just explodes the race. It’s hard the whole time and hopefully I have the legs. We’ve been working on this for the whole year. We’ll go out there and see what we do.”

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by Cynthia Lou, Nature Valley Grand Prix

Menomonie, Wis. — It was a battle of a pair of former world time trial champions Saturday at the Menomonie Road Race as Amber Neben (HTC-Highroad) took over the yellow race leader’s jersey from Kristin Armstrong (Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY12) at the Nature Valley Grand Prix.

Rising star Lisa Kirchmann (Colavita Forno D’Asolo presented by Cooking Light) took the stage win and rode aggressively enough to claim three classification jerseys: the Tria Orthopaedic Best Young Rider, Wheaties Fuel Sprint, and Sport Beans Queen of the Hills.

As Amber Neben (left) and Erinne Willock charge to the line, Leah Kirchmann (Colavita/Forno d'Asolo presented by Cooking Light) begins to celebrate her win Saturday at the Menomonie Road Race of the Nature Valley Grand Prix.

Neben will start Sunday’s Stillwater Criterium with a 21-second lead over Erinne Willock (Team TIBCO/To The Top), 38 seconds over third-placed Leah Kirchmann (Colavita/Forno d’Asolo presented by Cooking Light), and 52 seconds over Armstrong, who slid to fourth.

The atmosphere was reverent, but competitive, at the start of the race, as riders lined up with memories of Friday’s crash-cancelled stage still top of mind. Rolling out of the neutral start, Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY12 controlled the pace and set out to protect Armstrong’s jersey.

At first, it looked like a repeat of Thursday’s Cannon Falls race was on, with all early attacks being brought back. But within the first 14 miles the decisive break that would change the complexion of the race was launched.

Figuring in the break were: Inga Cilvinatte (Diadora-Pasta Zara-Manhattan), Kirchmann, Megan Guarnier and Samantha Schneider (Team TIBCO/To The Top), Ally Stacher (HTC-Highroad), Anna Barensfeld (Missing Link Coaching Systems presented by Specialized), and Tayler Wiles (Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY12). The escapees quickly grew their lead to a minute.

“Immediately on the feed zone climb (at Star Hill), we were able to get her (Armstrong) isolated,” Neben said about her team’s strategy. “It was once I was able to get across to the break that I thought we would have a chance. There were enough numbers in the break to ride with me. It came down to the length of the day, and we were motivated at the front to keep going.”

Wiles dropped off the pace at the third Queen of the Hills competition and returned to the peloton to support Armstrong, who was beginning to slip out of the overall lead.

”It was really aggressive today,“ Willock said. ”We had two girls up in the break, and Joelle (Numainville) drove it hard over the top of the third KOH, and it was over the third KOH that I bridged across.”

”Before Erinne and Amber were in the break, I was the leader of the group and we all worked pretty evenly to keep it away,” Kirchmann said. ”But as soon as they got there, I wasn’t leading the race anymore so I could save my legs for the sprint.”

The seven entered the finishing circuits with a 33-second lead that increased to 45 seconds, then stretched to more than a minute, thanks to Neben and teammate Stacher working to extend the lead over the hilly four-mile finishing circuits. Back in the second group, Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY12 was doing the majority of the chasing.

”I knew there was a chance to move up onto the podium on GC, and that was our goal,“ explained Willock. ”Leah didn’t do any work all day, and that’s fine, and that’s the way the game goes.“

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By Lyne Lamoureux, Nature Valley Grand Prix

Cannon Falls, Minn. – The UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team made it three in a row Thursday night by winning the Stage 3 Cannon Falls Road Race at the Nature Valley Grand Prix. Robert Förster took top honors and the race lead, while teammate Jake Keough was second and Ken Hanson (Jelly Belly presented by Kenda) finished third.

Just like Förster said it was drawn up at his team’s pre-race meeting, the German sprinter took the race lead from teammate Rory Sutherland with the help of a 12-second time bonus at the finish.

“I knew that I was only 11 seconds behind Rory, so we tried to make the leadout for me today, Förster said.

With a slim, one-second lead over three-time Nature Valley Grand Prix champion Sutherland, Förster said he wants to defend. But he also said he has no problem passing the leader’s yellow jersey on to one of his teammates. “I want to hold the jersey as long as possible but when Rory comes back or another rider, I don’t care as long as it’s the team, the main thing is the team.”

Robert Förster (UnitedHealthcare) takes the race lead with a 12-second time bonus. Teammate Jake Keough takes second and Ken Hanson (Jelly Belly presented by Kenda) finished third.

Racing was fast and aggressive on the 66.5-mile road race as the riders sped  through gently rolling, but wide open farmlands. Attacks and counter-attacks were flying at the front but no one was able to escape until 30 miles into the stage. Four riders – Tom Zirbel (Jamis/Sutter Home), Andy Jacques-Maynes (BISSELL Pro Cycling), Marsh Cooper (Kelly Benefit Strategies-Optumhealth) and Mat Stephens (ELBOWZ Racing) – sped free, but never managed more than a 35-second gap.

UnitedHealthcare riders worked hard to control the front for most of race and were content to let the four-man group dangle off the front. But the break was doomed from the start and the field was all back together before making the right-hand turn into the gravel road section on its way back to Cannon Falls. The fast pace was even higher on the six finishing circuits that included a short, steep climb to the finish line.

The United Healthcare Team put in some hard work in Cannon Falls to continue to control the peloton.

“It was a fast race, with a 48 kph average speed,” Förster explained. “All the teams tried to attack us and it was difficult to stay together. We lost some boys from the hard work in the first 70, 80 kilometers and then we came to the loops.”

Once on the circuit, the battle for control at the front was on between several teams, with the Jelly Belly squad taking over with four laps to go.

“We knew our best chance was to just ride the front and keep me out of trouble and then UnitedHealthcare was going to take over and try to lead out the sprint.” Hanson said. “Jelly Belly rode really great to get organized.”

Chaos reigned with the sprinters fighting for position behind the leadout train of UnitedHealthcare on the final lap. Sutherland was at the front, followed by Karl Menzies, Förster, Keough and Hanson. The battle to stay on the train intensified and Hanson said he had to work hard to close down a gap. After reconnecting to Keough’s wheel, he got boxed in when the leadout riders peeled off at the front.

“Once I lost the momentum on the hill, that was it. So I ended up third,” Hanson said. “I’m happy to get on the podium, but it could have been better.”

Kyle Wamsley (BISSELL) will be wearing the polka-dot Sports Beans King of the Hills jersey after taking top points in the first two sprint lines. Tom Zirbel (Jamis/Sutter Home) was awarded the Freewheel Bike Most Aggressive Rider jersey. The other special  jerseys remain the same: Carlos Alzate (Team Exergy) in the black Wheaties FUEL Sprint Competition jersey, Chad Haga (Team Rio Grande), in the green jersey as the Nature Valley Top Amateur, and Joey Rosskopf (Team Type 1-Development) in the white jersey for the TRIA Orthopaedic Center Best Young Rider.

Racing continues Friday with the Minneapolis Uptown Criterium, the marquee event of the Nature Valley Grand Prix, attracting what many observers consider to be the largest criterium crowd in the country. Uptown is a major entertainment district that abuts dense, upscale residential neighborhoods. The flat, six-corner course and a pumped-up crowd traditionally makes for high speeds. A long drag up Lake Street leads to a short dash from the final corner to the finish line on Hennepin Avenue.

Förster hopes to make it four straight for UnitedHealthcare with another performance like Wednesday’s 1-2-3 sweep of the Downtown Saint Paul Criterium.

“We’ll try to do the same as yesterday, but since we lost one rider, Hilton (Clarke), who separated his shoulder, we are only seven tomorrow,” he said. “We used all the guys today to do the sprint, so maybe it can be a little bit different. But the guys are good, they are all in good condition, we all work well together and we know what to do.”

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By Cynthia Lou, Nature Valley Grand Prix

Cannon Falls, Minn. – World champion Giorgia Bronzini (Colavita Forno D’Asolo presented by Cooking Light) sprinted to victory in Thursday’s Nature Valley Grand Prix Cannon Falls Road Race to win her third race on American soil in 11 days.

Giorgia Bronzini takes the sprint finish in the Cannon Falls Stage 3 road race.

Having two very strong sprinters on one team is an advantage, giving the team more options in chaotic sprint finishes, Cliff-Ryan said.

“The sprint was going to be for me today,” she said. “I lined up behind Shelley (Olds) with Giorgia behind me as a sweeper. That gives us a chance if I screw up the sprint so Giorgia can come. I chose to be on the left side and had to go onto the curb because the peloton came up the left. Halfway up the hill I yelled to Giorgia to ‘go.’ With Giorgia first and me third, it’s a good result.”

“We tried to do the same sprint today as we did yesterday,” Bronzini said of her plans with teammate Cliff-Ryan. “She is strong, and I hope she win tomorrow.”

Bronzini sprinted to victory in Wednesday’s Paul Downtown Criterium Wednesday night to go along with her victory June 5 at the Liberty Classic in Philadelphia.

The majority of Thursday’s 66.5-mile race traveled through gently rolling farm lands surrounding Cannon Falls. Several teams set out to make the race hard and attacks were launched nearly continuously.

“We’re going to be aggressive and race smart,” Evelyn Stevens (HTC-Highroad) said before the start. “We have a really incredible team here, and we’re sitting in second and fourth overall, so we have a lot of options. We’re going to see how the race plays out, what the other teams do, and take it from there.”

The most prominent break of the day gained nearly a minute’s lead in anticipation of the first Sport Beans Queen of the Hill competition. Leah Kirchmann (Colavita Forno D’Asolo), Rachel Warner (Missing Link Coaching Systems/Specialized), and Amity Elliot (Team Kenda presented by Geargrinder) took the top points, respectively, up the first QOH. But they were caught shortly afterwards.

Women's Peloton - Cannon Falls Road Race

From then on, no other breaks were allowed more than 20 seconds of freedom, with all teams contributing to the chasing. Yellow jersey wearer Kristin Armstrong (Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY12) even brought back two herself.

“It was a really good race and there was always something going on,” said Rushlee Buchanan (Colavita Forno D’Asolo), wearer of the Trio Orthopaedic Best Young Rider jersey. “The race went really fast, we were always concentrating. I think every team was out today to draw everybody out. It was good out there and the wind wasn’t too strong. We knew we had good sprinters in the bunch, so either way we knew we had good cards to play.”

All of the jerseys remained the same after today’s race, including the Freewheel Bike Most Aggressive Rider jersey that went to Shelley Olds (Diadora-Pasta Zara-Manhattan). The jersey typically changes shoulders on each stage.

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By Aaron Smith, the editor of the local blog Minneapolis Mussette, which reports on the Minnesota bike racing scene and related bike culture.

He’s just finished decimating whatever time I’ve posted as ‘personal best’ up Ohio Street. After time trialing down the Lilydale flats, kicking it in the big ring and devouring that punchy little switchback, Brad Huff is now sitting at ease. One leg on his top tube, the other unclipped, Huff’s now poking fun at one of the mechanics on his team with a fake Russian accent.

If I had tried the same I’d probably be doing my best to keep my Gu’s down.

Larry and Sophie – proprietors of the excellent Fix Studio in south Minneapolis, have just rode with me to my first Nature Valley stage and are introducing me to their good friend, Brad Huff. I’m a little wide eyed, but Brad takes it in stride as Larry asks him about how the legs feel. Larry’s expertise as a soigneur has garnered the respect of many riders at the NVGP (as well as beyond) but it’s apparent that Brad and Larry go way back. Huff describes a tightness in his right calf, nothing of concern. Larry asks him to tell the Jelly Belly soigneur to take special care of it.

It’s apparent that Huff is not the traditional PRO athlete. At this point in my journey, I wasn’t sure what to expect from the professional cyclist. I had not even raced yet and pipe dreams of taking a prime and ‘dropping the hammer’ filled my mind during the traditional Tuesday and Sunday group rides. The conversation turns to my lack of experience and I ask Huff if he has any suggestions for a budding Cat 5.

“Just stay near the front – no sense getting mixed up in the back.”

Later that evening I find myself on the final corner at the Lowertown Criterium yelling rather loudly for the Jelly Belly team. Local Adam Bergman takes a flyer off the front of the break and is looking good. This isn’t the Metrodome, this isn’t the Excel Center – there is no consistent shrine to these brave men and women who race. Even so, I feel it’s for the best. The interaction allowed and even encouraged between the fans and the PROs provides for a unique and altogether better experience for the spectator. Being a fan of this sport, as obscure as it sometimes can feel, gives you something you can’t obtain by being a fan of the ‘mainstream’ sports. A very important connection between you and the lycra-clad tornado flying by.

You can bet I’ll be right at the sidelines on that finishing straight screaming my lungs out cheering for the Jelly Belly team. With Brad’s great track record in the crits, it’s certain that he’ll be right up in the mix and most likely even taking one of the two exciting metro area criteriums. I hope to get to meet up with him again and wish him the best of luck, and I betcha I will too. Maybe this time I’ll be able to keep my jaw off the ground after watching him sprint.

Minnesota,Minnesota Bicycle Festival,NVGP,Nature Valley Grand Prix,St. Paul,Stage One,TT,professional cycling   Tags: Brad Huff, Fix Studio, Jelly Belly, Minneapolis Musette,   Comments Off  

It’s heresy to include criteriums (short circuit races) in a pro stage race. It’s just not done. Yet the Nature Valley Grand Prix has the top ranking on the USA Cycling National Racing Calendar despite using criteriums for three of the six stages.

What gives? How can a race get the top ranking when it breaks the rules?

The Nature Valley Grand Prix is the NASCAR of bicycle racing. Most pro stage races follow the European model, which emphasizes road races that start in one city, finish in another and a spectator’s race experience can last for less than a minute. Here they come and there they go.

Well, this ain’t Europe and people in the US of A want a show.

Since criteriums are held on a short course (usually less than a mile), spectators can see the start of the race, they see the pack of racers whiz by every minute or so, they can walk the course to see different aspects of the race and they can be there for the finish. And because the course is short, it can be surrounded by a party with a bike race in the middle.

Even people who aren’t into bike racing have a blast.

And our road races are nontraditional as well. They’re the long distance endurance events that road races are supposed to be, but they finish with multiple laps of a short circuit to provide the spectator experience that’s the hallmark of the Nature Valley Grand Prix. So they’re really road races that finish with a criterium. The best of both worlds.

When you rewrite the rules, the real test of success is whether the insiders buy in. The professional teams attend in force because they need the crowds and media coverage to give value to their sponsors. And USA Cycling, the sport’s governing body, must buy it because they’ve given the Nature Valley Grand Prix the top ranking and invite the promoter to their symposia every year to share our radical ideas with others.

And, most importantly, the public loves the format and vote with their feet. The crowds are huge and enthusiastic and non-fans who come to one race come back for others, except that they come back as true believers.

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Confusing wintry mix aside, it seems that it’s that time of year. We’ve acclimated to Daylight Savings Time, we’ve seen that (at least here in Minnesota) 40-degree temperatures are a reality, and there’s even a chance we’ll toss our windproof bib tights aside for good this weekend, leaving us only with leg warmers and the like. Thank goodness Punxsutawney Phil graced us with this pleasant “spring.”

Forthcoming seasons aside, we’re going to need more than proper clothing to hoist our bikes off the trainer and bring them into the wild. Sean Peotter, of On Support, has tipped us off to the true art of the pre-ride safety check. He might know a thing or two about it…he sits on the planning commission for neutral support for the Nature Valley Grand Prix. Let’s take a look at what Sean thinks we all should do to ensure smiles during the miles:

Pre-Ride Safety Check

By Sean Peotter – OnSupport Neutral Service

One of the most overlooked things that should be a part of every ride is a pre-ride safety check. This check shouldn’t take long, but it will help ensure that your ride is a safe and enjoyable one.

First things first, you should first check to see if your tires are properly inflated. All tire manufacturers will print the recommended inflation range on the sidewall any tire. If you stay within this range, your tires should be in good shape. While checking the recommended tire pressure, you should also check the condition of your tires for cracks, tears, as well as any loose glass or debris embedded anywhere. Be sure the skewer that holds the wheel to the frame is secure as well.

Another very important item to look at is the braking system. Look at the cables to make certain they are intact with no kinks or frays. Give the brake lever a good firm squeeze to verify the cable fixing bolt is tight. Next, take a look at the gap between the brake pad and rim. Not only do you want to make sure the brakes are not rubbing on the rim, but you should also check the alignment of the pad. You don’t want the pad to come in contact with the tire or the dreaded friction flat tire will appear shortly thereafter.

Washing your bike after every ride is not always possible, though you should give it a thorough wash at least once a month. Not only does this make your bike look great, it also gives you the opportunity to look more closely at the frame. Cracks in frames can be extremely hard to see, especially if your frame is a dirty one. While you clean your bike, look at all the nooks and crannies for any signs of failure. If you notice anything, take your bicycle to a local shop for further analysis.

These checks should take no longer than a few minutes but this is in no way a substitute for a tune-up. It is always recommended to have your bike tuned-up once a year by a professional mechanic that will look at your bike more closely.

Happy trails!

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As cyclists, we’re ever-fearful of numerous “worst-case scenarios.” The possibilities are endless, but if we take precautionary measures in order to combat them, we are making ourselves (and the roads) that much safer. Stephen McCarthy, of Gear & Training, keyed us in to the finer points of purchasing the best investment for a cyclist: the proper helmet.

Getting a New Helmet for 2009

The purchase of a bike helmet has three main parts, each compounding on one another to make this new addition protect your noggin to the nth degree.

Consider the following:

The type of materials used to make the helmet and number of vents:

Remember, the lighter the helmet, the more expensive. A general rule of thumb is the more vents, the more air flowing through the helmet, the cooler it will be.

The manufacturer of the helmet:

While you might ask why that makes a difference, the reason is each manufacturer fits a different type of head. Some are round, some are deep, some are oval, some are for racing, mountain biking, or recreational.

Look for proper certification:

I know…we’re picking out a helmet, not a personal trainer. Still, helmets should adhere to specific certifications, so that when you really need it, it will accomplish the mission: protect your head.

Didn’t find everything you were looking for? More information can be found at the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute.

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Welcome to TRIA’s Your Cycling

Thanks for stopping by our blog! Enjoy what we have here, and let us know what you think!

We’re best known for our Nature Valley Grand Prix pro stage race, which will begin June 10th in St. Paul, Minnesota. We’re also hosting the Minnesota Bicycle Festival, which is a celebration of all forms of cycling. No matter what your focus, we’ll have you covered! Cycling is one of the most popular forms of recreation in the country. With the push to be as “green” as possible looming, the cycling boom will continue to exist for years to come.

The Your Cycling blog, sponsored by the TRIA Orthopaedic Center, is being created to help you get more out of your cycling. We’ve assembled a panel of nationally known experts, some every day Cycling Freds, and even some professional cyclists competing in the Nature Valley Grand Prix in 2009, who will blog on subjects ranging from training programs to nutrition to sports psychology to cycling techniques. Whether you’re a novice rider or a seasoned domestique, you’ll learn a lot from these folks and will be a better cyclist for it.

Keep watching the blog for updates or, better yet, subscribe to our RSS feed for instant updates when we make a new post! Regardless of the weather outside, we’re always here to serve up a nice steady tempo blog, rain or shine!

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