In Memory of Jillian

Jillian Drow - front

My friend and teammate, Jillian Drow passed away in a tragic hiking accident earlier this week.  Jillian was a hard-working, fun loving person...and she was a better mountain biker than I.  Her charisma and love of life caused the whole team--not once, but twice--to go swimming in frigid Lake Superior in late September.  Jillian was a joy to have on the team, and an even greater joy to have as a friend.  You will be sorely missed, J-bug!

Michigan Cycling Team Trail Work Day

Today's trail work day went off without a hitch.  We got quite a few miles of trail cleaned up between eight of us.  Two mowers broke...bush mowers (photos after the jump).  My mower was fun to work with because there was no chute to direct the grass...and rocks...and sand and sharp sticks.  It was fun though.  I'm happy that the team is actively making contributions to the local community. 

Check out Michigan Moutnain Biking Association for more on local trails.

First Time at the Track

Saturday, I went to the velodrome with some of my teammates from U of M.  It was my first experience riding on a cycling track, and it was nothing short of amazing!  The track banks at 44 degrees at the corners, and you can (not me) safely ride around it upwards of 40mph.  At their 10am class, we learned how to safely navigate up and down the track in pacelines.  By the end of the session, we were doing flying 200m scratch races.  I managed to squeeze out a 14.1 second lap...I hope to tear it apart as soon as possible.  Here's a Wikipedia article about track if you want to learn more.

As a coach, if thought it necessary to ride the track just to experience it so I could better help my athletes understand it...but the track was like crack.  I will definitely be back.