• What is The Taste of VQ?

What are you doing this season as the temperatures chill and days grow shorter?

Hopefully, winter hibernation isn't the answer and instead you're looking to get one up in the off-season rather than be the one left behind. Look no further than Taste of VQ's eight-week session to keep your legs busy as temperatures cool down.

"Oh... but what about the holidays?"

The winter session starts the week of November 30, takes two weeks off for the holidays (December 21 to January 2, resuming on January 4) and runs until February 6. With the holiday time built in, there's no excuse for letting your training suffer at the hands of all that good cheer. In these eight weeks, you'll work hard and get a sample of everything to keep you fit while getting a jump start on next year's goals.

The next Taste of VQ Sessions start the week of November 30th.

This offering is one of the most unique training packages available on the market today. This package allows you to get a taste of what Vision Quest Coaching has to offer, before you commit to one of our Membership Packages. You get full use of the Performance Training Center at a designated schedule for eight weeks.

So, once a week, at a time set up by you and the VQ staff, you can come and train using VQ equipment and have access to the staff. This package is perfect if you are unfamiliar with the benefits of a performance center versus a gym or if you are unsure of whether structured workouts really make a difference. We are confident that once your eight weeks are complete, you will be excited and proud to be a member of Vision Quest Coaching.

Don't hesitate! The goal of this session is race-specific preparation with a closer focus on comparative data, using reference points to push training to new thresholds and experimenting with dialing in the pacing strategy.

In order to ensure that everyone is getting the right training for their goals, we are going to focus our workouts on specific types of events:

      • Sprint Triathlon Races
      • Olympic Triathlon Races
      • Half and Full Ironman Triathlons
      • Cycling (road race, crits, group rides & centuries)
      • Time Trials & Climbing

By taking an 8-week Taste of VQ session, your workouts will be scientifically structured with specific loads that focus on improving various energy systems. This type of indoor training will make you a leaner, more efficient, and physically, as well as mentally, stronger athlete. We believe in the process, not the end, and these classes have been designed with a process that will help maximize your end-result!

You'll need to bring:

      • A road or TT/tri bike
      • Heart rate monitor (optional)
      • Proper cycling clothing and shoes
      • Two water bottles
      • A towel

Cost of the 8-week session is only $150. Sign up now as the spots fill quickly!

Classes are held at David's World Cycle, 150 S SR 434, Suite 1088, Altamonte Springs.

To Register go to: Taste of VQ Florida Registration.

For more information email vq@davidsworld.com or call 407-772-2223.

This phase of the Taste of VQ sold out in a few days last year, don't hesitate, sign up today!

• Florida Racing Magazine - Nov 2009

Read about:

• Featured Rider: Phillip Gaimon (Jelly Belly)
  
  
• CycloCross Season (with calendar)
  
  
• BBBB Bash by zMotion
  
  
• Product Review: Bonk Breakers
  
  
• Hank Campbell: How to Finish the Leadville 100 in the Top 100

Subscription is FREE! Get yours by clicking here.

• Cyclocross: Training + Technique

Available from: TheMotorBookstore.com
Author: Simon Burney
Publisher: Velo Press — 2007
ISBN: 9781934030059
List Price: $18.95

Your price: $11.75

Cornering in snow, jumping hurdles, dismounting and remounting, powering through sand, mud, and ice—it must be cyclocross season.

From the expert on cyclocross racing and training comes this fully updated and expanded edition of the only definitive guide to cycling's most exciting and technical sport.

Beginners and cyclocross veterans alike will benefit from Simon Burney's comprehensive presentation of racing techniques and tactics, fully illustrated with photos of elite riders in top form.

Updated coverage of equipment and bike fit will help newcomers get off to a good start with the proper gear, while an expanded training section provides daily, weekly, and monthly planning guidance, with tips for on- and off-road training as well as run training.

[ TheMotorBookstore.com + ]

• LA Road Rage Trial Verdict: GUILTY!

From VeloNews.
By Patrick Brady
Photo: Chris Roberts

A Los Angeles Superior Court jury on Monday found Dr. Christopher Thomas Thompson guilty of assaulting cyclists by abruptly stopping his car in front of them on a hilly Los Angeles County road last year.

Thompson, a former emergency room doctor, was found guilty of six felonies and one misdemeanor and could face as much as five years in prison.

He was remanded and ordered held without bail until sentencing. He was handcuffed in the courtroom after the verdict was read.

[ Read the complete article + ]

• Winter Training Crit Series

The Drew Landing Winter Criterium Series begins this Saturday, November 7th., and will run every other Saturday for 6 Saturdays, weather permitting.

The C Race starts at 8:00 am, The B Race starts at 8:30 am, and A Race starts at 9:10 am.

Onsite registration begins at 7:30 am and will be $12 for Adults, $8 for juniors. There will be a series payout for the top riders in A's 5 deep, B's 5 deep, and C's 3 deep.

Drew Landing is located in Clermont. From the intersection of Hwy 50 and Hwy 27, travel 2.0 miles south on Hwy 27, turn right (W) onto Hammock Ridge Rd., travel 1.6 miles to course on right. Park in the center of the course or across the street in the empty subdivision.

All riders must have a current USAC license, or purchase a one-day license on site. This is a great, safe course, 0.9 mile loop with an uphill finish. Hope to see everyone there.

• Holiday Hundred

Century ride December 5th at 8:00 am from Seminole State College in Sanford. This tour features scenic views of beautiful Seminole County. Work for your personal best or take a leisurely cruise on either the 25-, 62-, or 100-mile route.

Help the Seminole County South Rotary Club meet their goal of giving away 300 bikes this holiday season!

For complete details and to register, visit the Holiday Hundred website.

• New Hope for Kids Century Ride

Sunday, November 8. This ride is for people of all skill levels. Begins at 8:00 am from the Sanford Marina/Civil Courthouse area parking on Park Avenue, and goes all the way around to Wekiwa Spings State Park, through Florida Hills, DeLand, and Deltona and then back to Sanford.

Choose between 19, 57, or the full 101-mile ride. SAG stops and refreshments provided every 20 miles. For more details visit The Wish List.

• Triumph 'n' Ride Century

Sunday, November 22, the Triumph 'n' Ride Century starts in Ormond Beach and loops through Flagler Beach and Palm Coast.

Ride along the beautiful Atlantic Ocean and through the Tomoka State Park for 23, 35, 53, and 100 miles beginning at 8:00 am. All registered riders are automatically entered in the raffle for bicycle equipment, restaurant dinners, and surprise prizes.

For more information visit www.tnrcentury.org. This cycling event is a one-day event, rain or shine. Sponsored by West Volusia Friends of Felines, Inc. a non-profit coaliation in Volusia County.

• FRCA Board Elections

Voting to elect officers for the board of the FRCA, is open until November 10th. You can vote for up to five officials.

Current nominees are:

• Chris Bishop
  
• Henry Willis
  
• Jorge Michelana
  
• Josie Strange
  
• Keith Creeden
  
• Keri Burns
  
• Michael Chiarella
  
• Pablo Santa Cruz
  
• Robert (Bob) Tyler
  
• Tim Bascombe
  
• Tim Molyneaux

To read each nominee's platform, visit Florida Road Cycling Assn.

To cast your vote, send an email to USA Cycling. List up to five nominees (see list above). USA Cycling will provide a tally of all votes and seven nominees, with the most votes, will be elected as FRCA Directors.

On November 14th Officers will be elected at the Annual Board of Directors Meeting.

• Horrible Hundred News Update

Tom Bargnesi, Director of the 30th Anniversary Horrible Hundred, sent us the following event information:

Dear Fellow Cyclists,

We are just a little over two weeks from one of the largest cycling events in Florida -- the Florida Freewheelers’ 30th Annual Horrible Hundred.

Thanks to all of you who have already registered. Based on the preliminary registration numbers we are expecting a record crowd for our 30th Anniversary Party — well over 1500 riders.

As a reminder, early registration—which gives you a choice of a complimentary 30th Anniversary Horrible Hundred t-shirt or Polar™ water bottle—ends on Sunday, November 1. Register now at http://www.horrible-hundred.com/hhregister.html to make sure you don’t miss out on the fun.

Even though pre-order for the 30th Anniversary Horrible Hundred jersey has closed, there is still a limited supply on order in select sizes. You can still order a jersey while supplies last at http://www.horrible-hundred.com.

To add to the celebration, we have brought on a few new special activities:

You Could Win A 2010 Trek 2.3!

All registered riders are entered in this year's raffle to win a Trek 2.3 Road Bike. With a 100% Shimano 105 group and Bontrager Race components powering the 2.3, you can be sure this bike will shift reliably and crisply, and give you the ride you want for miles to come. The 2.3 has the same geometry as the tried and true Madone, so you know it comfortable and fast. Sign up for the 30th Anniversary Horrible Hundred and get entered to win the Trek 2.3.

Demo a New Road Bike!

This year the Florida Freewheelers are pleased to announce a limited number of demo bikes will be available, featuring bikes from Trek and Gary Fisher! What better way to get a feel for that new bike than by riding this year's 30th Anniversary Horrible Hundred on a demo bike. Come experience the new Gary Fisher Carbon Cronus. See the latest in Women's Specific Bicycles from Trek. Also on hand is the Trek Madone, ride Tour de France winning technology and all day comfort on the Trek Madone.

Sign up for the Horrible Hundred and reserve your demo bike today here: http://www.horrible-hundred.com/hhtrek.html.

Time Your Horrible Hundred Ride

The Florida Freewheelers and Topview Sports have teamed together to bring timing to the Horrible Hundred for the first time. Timing will be provided to the first 500 registered riders who also sign up for chip timing through Topview Sports.

If you already have an AMB timing chip, you will be able to use it for the Horrible Hundred. If you do not have your own, they will be available to rent from Topview for the ride. Either option is available for a minimal fee.

Once registered, you can pick up your timing chip and Topview Sports will be available to help mount it at any packet pick-up and registration location on Saturday and Sunday. Your time will be available for viewing online immediately after the last timed rider crosses the finish line on Sunday.

Visit FloridaCycling.com to sign up for timing and then check-in with Topview Sports at registration.

Familiarization Rides To Warm You Up

Our friends from local bike clubs and race teams around Central Florida have joined the Florida Freewheelers to put on rides leaving from Waterfront Park on Saturday, November 14.

These rides will take visitors and locals to fun locales around the Lake County area that may not be visited during the main event on Sunday. They may also just take you up some of those famous mountains of Central Florida that you will experience on Sunday, just as a warm-up. So come to town early and head out to these rides. You can find more info about them at http://www.horrible-hundred.com/hhevent.html.


We still have a few more fun things to finalize to make this special anniversary event memorable for all 1500+ of you we expect to host. Please visit our website frequently for the most up-to-date information about the event, including our expo, registration and parking.

See everyone in just a few weeks!

Tom

Tom Bargnesi
Director
30th Anniversary Horrible Hundred
Florida Freewheelers
www.horrible-hundred.com
HorribleHundred@FloridaFreewheelers.com

• Horrible Hundred Familiarization Ride

On Saturday, November 14, Team Armada will be leading one of several planned Pre-Horrible Hundred Familiarization Rides, for event participants who want to stretch their legs the day before the 2009 Horrible Hundred Century.

The Armada Pre-HH Ride will be a no-drop, 40-mile ride which will take us from Waterfront Park (the place where the HH starts), around Lake Mineola, and then through Montverde and Ferndale, where we will climb all the major "hills" in the area, including The Wall, Buckhill Road, and the granddaddy of them all, Sugarloaf Mountain, among others, before returning to the starting point, just in time for day 1 of the Expo, featuring national vendors—including Trek—live music and great food!

For a detailed route map, visit MapMyRide.com. And you can also print out the smaller version shown below, along with the cue sheet with turn-by-turn directions.


If you would like to join us, plan to be ready to roll at 9:00 am on Saturday, November 14.

Make sure your bike is in good condition (now may be a good time to take it to your local bike shop for a tune-up), bring plenty of fluids, at least one spare tube, CO2 cartridges, a nozzle, and some basic tools.

Even though the Armada Pre-HH Ride will be a no-drop ride, we expect participants to be well prepared and familiar with group riding. This is NOT the type of ride to learn group riding skills. Additionally, be aware that our pace will be in the 16-20 mph range (considering the terrain), so if you're not capable to maintain such pace (which is really quite enjoyable), you may want to consider joining a slower ride.

We may make one stop to regroup, but specific details will be decided before we start the ride.

Last but not least, this ride is NOT a race! If racing is what you want to do, you may want to consider the Drew Landing Criterium Winter Training Series in Clermont (see the Armada Calendar for details).

So, if this sounds like a ride you'll like to do, come join us Saturday, November 14 at Waterfront Park. It will be a lot of fun and a great way to get your Century riding legs ready for the 30th Annual Horrible Hundred. Remember, the Armada Pre-HH Ride rolls out at 9:00 am.

For complete event details and to pre-register, visit 2009 Horrible Hundred.

• Race Across the Sky Encore

If you missed the chance to see Race Across the Sky in October, all is not lost . . . Fathom and Citizen Pictures announced that there will be an encore presentation on Thursday, November 12th. Tickets will go on sale starting Friday, November 6th! You can sign up for an email reminder. Participating theatres are to be determined.



EVENT DETAILS

At 10,000+ feet, against the misty backdrop of a former mining town, Leadville, Colorado, 1400 cyclists line the starting line. For many, it will be the most difficult race of their lives. For some, a bragging right to say they raced alongside the best in the world. Some imagine victory. Most hope only to finish. But everyone will count.

The race that started 25 years ago as a running race to drive tourism in Leadville has now grown to a lottery cap of 1000+ competitors, many of them the world’s most elite cyclists. But the Leadville Trail 100 "Race Across the Sky" Mountain Bike Race is not just a race of man against man: it’s man vs. man, man vs. self, man vs. elements, man vs. time. A clock set for 12 grueling hour’s slugs through 100 miles, over 14,000 vertical feet of climbing, some two miles above sea level, through extreme climate changes ranging from heat to hail, from rain to snow. To the racers, the risks of injury, fatigue and mechanical failure pale next to the chance that they will fall behind the 12 hour cut off mark and be eliminated.

Rivalries include six-time defending champion Dave Wiens vs. international star / seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong. Inspirational stories of human triumph include a Leadville woman rider who was critically injured by a car while training for last year’s race, another who suffers from multiple sclerosis, and 45+ rider who has raced all 15 years.

Whether they’re international stars of the sport or everyday folks with the will to finish a race whose difficulty is on par with the Ironman, the grit to push to their own physical and emotional limits strikes an elegant symmetry between racer and environment and a struggling former mining town whose very existence now relies on the tourism generated by this race.

At 12,600 feet anything can happen... Don’t miss this intense one night event!

For more information, please visit Race Across The Sky.

• Max VO2 - The Potential Inside

• Race Across the Sky

It was almost surreal walking into a theatre at 7:30 pm on a Thursday, and seeing the auditorium packed with cyclists. Not only that, but I knew at least 75% of the people there (if not more). Very cool!

And from what I heard, those who tried to get tickets at the box office, at the last minute, were unable to do so as the movie was sold-out! I had purchased my tickets online, days earlier, so all I had to do was pick them up at the box office.

I believe everyone there thought the movie (probably documentary is a better description), was great. And besides of plenty of footage of Leadville Trail 100 6-Time Winner Dave Wiens and Lance Armstrong, we got treated to a cameo appearance by Florida rider Gary Stern, who finished the race and has one of the coveted buckles to prove it.

Gary posted an excellent Leadville 100 recap on the Windermere Roadies website. [Read the article here +].

The panel that commented on the race and movie, before and after, included—among others—Leadville 100 co-founder Kenneth Chlouber, Lance Armstrong, and David Wiens. Their comments were interesting and helped understand the scope of the race, which is beyond challenging. Lance even talked about the possibility of the return of the Coors Classic stage race.

The movie itself was fun to watch and the Colorado scenery was breathtaking, making the Race Across the Sky title so appropriate. And even though the film focused on Armstrong and Wiens, there were plenty of additional inspiring stories that made it so much more interesting.

I am ready to purchase the DVD, whenever it becomes available.