Wow. What a perfect day to ride mountain bikes. The rain the night before made the trails nice and tacky, and reduced the dust a lot. It was sunny and low 80 deg. temps with a light breeze.
Geoff Scott and I drove out to Palos with my wife and two daughters. The family made for great cheerleaders for the both of us. There were plenty of booths to check out and vendors for smoothies and hot dogs that made for a good lunch.

Registering was painless and Geoff and I got our numbers very quickly. No numbers for the jersey, as they used a RFID chip on the bike number plate for timing. Nice.
Geoff and Kristy raced the Sport class and did 2 laps. Kristy had a real look of determination on her face as I cheered her on in the first lap. Geoff just grinned and said “This is fun!” as he passed by. All the races started with a mild uphill and a lap around the grassy field, but that didn’t really help spread out the field. Geoff said he had to hike a bike around downed riders a few times before things opened up. He did his two laps and finished in the top third overall. He mentioned feeling like a real mountain biker now that he was becoming more confident holding his line and flowing through the technical spots. Great job Geoff!

I raced the Cat. 2 Comp class that raced 3 laps. I lined up right in the middle of the pack of 109 riders. After the Elite men and women went, we all started together. It was a bit of a struggle to find my own pace with so many other racers around and found I had to go slower than I wanted to in some sections due to simple congestion. After the first long lap, things opened up a bit and I found a good rhythm. Coming into the second lap, my oldest daughter gave me a bottle hand up that I promptly dropped, but Geoff was there to the rescue and got me the needed bottle on my next pass. The girls were a great cheering section!

At this point, I was trading off places with guys who were weaker on the single track, and stronger on the fire roads. I could tell these guys had some legs from road racing.

Second lap of the race, I found myself going faster through the single track and picking up quite a few places. It was important to ride strong on the multi-track in order to keep your place. As I came by a second time, Geoff tricked me into thinking I had yet another lap to go and this coming lap wasn’t the final one! I was getting fatigued and fell for it. I saw Kelly as I was fueling up on a gel and was encouraged by her cheering. I did let a few riders get past me as I tried to conserve a bit of energy for my “last” lap. As I got the line I started to go towards the lap route and Geoff yelled “you’re done!” and I toddled over the finish dazed and confused.

I finished 23rd out of 109 overall, and 13th out of 55 for my 30-39 age group. No mechanicals and great trail riding and conditions. Loved it!

I chose this race to be my first in over 10 years. It took place in the Kettle Moraine area of Southeast WI and promised to be a fun course. I was convinced to enter the Cat. 2 Comp category against my better judgment by Sean Bjork, a XXX racer and friend of the shop. Geoff Scott, a fellow Spidermonkey, joined us as well. Geoff entered the Sport category.

Geoff and I arrived plenty early to get parking and a preview lap of the course. The course starts off after the prologue with a steep, twisty, forested single track climb up the ski hill. As it has been really hot and dry, the soil was very dusty. The course then winds its way up and down the ski hill with fast, bermed turns that were a lot of fun. The second half of the course wound its way back and forth a field with pine trees and was on mowed grass. This was filled with a lot of hair pin turns and was similar to a cyclocross course according to Geoff. I found the climb out of this area to be more fatiguing than the more technical climb that started us off. It was really hot. It was over 90 deg. for sure. This did play a role in everyone’s performance.

After lining up behind the Pro/Elite men and Women, the call ups began. Staging was very well organized and the two elite categories started 2 min. ahead of the rest of us. The Comp field was to complete four laps; the Pros had to do five.

When the bell went off for us, it was a mile of pure dust and jockeying for position. It wasn’t until after the first climb that I could breathe easy and try to settle in. First lap went great. Second lap I pushed a bit harder and was very thankful that Geoff organized hand ups of full water bottles. Third lap, I realized that I taxed myself a bit and started to get bad cramping in both hamstrings. I could have used some electrolytes to drink, but only had water. I rode within myself here, holding a solid mid pack position. I even started to pick off more riders on the beginning of the last lap. Feeling confident that I had enough left in the tank, I really let it rip down the main downhill half way through the course. I passed three other riders and was ready to pound out the last half of the lap when I realized I had a puncture! The Stan’s sealant was not enough to close the hole. Of course I didn’t bring a CO2/tube. I got off the bike and found a guy loading up some gear on the side of the course and borrowed a floor pump and was able to get about 15psi in the tire and rode it that soft for about a half mile. Then the bead finally pulled off the rim and I was reduced to walking/running. I was ultimately able to borrow a rear wheel from some racers camping out by the side of the course. There was amazing support from other racers here.
I was very glad to not DNF in my first race in years. Looking at the results, had I not flatted I would have come in mid pack. As it was, I wasn’t DFL either. Overall, I had a great time, worked hard, and rode my brains out.
/p>

The regular road ride can be spiced up with a quick jaunt onto some crushed gravel paths in the forest preserves. Taking a cross bike onto mountain bike trails that have become mastered adds a completely different challenge. Also, riding trails is a lot more fun on a cross bike than on a mountain bike. Riding mellower trails on a cross bike can be way more than fun than on a true mountain bike.

Many cross bikes also have features that make them commuter friendly, as well. Rack and fender mounts are found on just about any aluminum-framed cross bike, making it the perfect wet weather, winter, and light tour rig. Having a dedicated fender bike keeps the road rig ready for the nice days, keeps your feet from getting wet in rainy/snowy weather, increasing ride comfort, and the bike’s drivetrain is more protected from the grit and grime of the wet streets.

There are many more options like this to be found on the hand-made bikes from Seven Cycles, Firefly Bicycles, Parlee Cycles, and Serotta. Here’s a good example of what we’re talking about.

Many of us at Get a Grip Cycles ride cross bikes to train and race in the Chicago Cross Cup series. Others use them for the other reasons listed above.

Here is an example of some of the trail-worthiness of a cross bike:

We’ve all got our work cut out for us. You, too, if you’d like to come by and/or enter your super-secret-special batch of chili, that’d be great. It’s open to absolutely everyone, will include an ASSOS and Gore bike wear trunk show, plus general revelry and good times.

Things kick off at 6 p.m. and the trunk show featuring ASSOS & Gore Bike Wear will begin at 7 p.m. Come on by! And RSVP for the Chili Cook-Off on Facebook! To enter your chili in the contest, email saj@getagripcycles.com.

But the REAL NEWS is that we have a celebrity judge this year, fresh off winning the title on Food Network Star (season seven): newly-christened “Sandwich King” Jeff Mauro, a native of Chicago with a penchant for cooking and the camera.

The Spoils of Victory & How To Win

Mauro just completed a victory of lap of press and marketing events around the country to promote Food Network Star and his new show, Sandwich King, so we’re lucky to have him stop by for the Chili Cook-Off and much appreciate it. Of course, his specialty is sandwiches but he also knows his way around a chili pot. First, his sandwich philosophy and, then, the judge is going to give some tips on what he likes, doesn’t like per the Chili Cook-Off. (Contestants take note!)

Mauro’s 3 Rules of The Sandwich

1. Procure the best ingredients: focus on good meat, fresh bread, tasty cheese, good condiments, etc.
2. Focus on the textures in the bitedown: you want variation, not all crunchy or soft.
3. Make it pretty so people want to eat it.

And now, Mauro’s thoughts on chili (this is important, pay attention!): “I love a good, medium-hot chili. I want to be able to control the spice, so hopefully there won’t be any jalapeno-laden chili,” he says. “Let me control that. I love Tabasco in chili, love flavor where you can taste that everything was done at the right moments.

“There’s an art form to chili and that lies in the process. For me, when I make chili, it’s very simple and classic. I’m a big fan of that,” finishes Mauro.

More About Mauro

Persistence. Mauro’s got it. “This was my third attempt to get on the show and to not only get on it, but to win it, was great–and tough,” says Mauro. “I spent 2.5 months sequestered from everything, friends and family. Then I came right back and went to work, but still couldn’t talk about the show. I had to keep a lot of secrets for nearly a year and I’m glad that’s over.”

The six episode season of Food Network Star ended a few weeks ago, but Mauro is already thinking about season two: “I’m getting prepared mentally and physically, and also working on the Sandwich King,” he says. “To that end, I’m getting in shape, and Jason Bressler at Revolution Spin (on Facebook, Twitter)  is helping me with that.

“I used to be the private chef at Guaranteed Rate, which has a nice bike culture, and I’d bike to work every day, but I live in Elmwood Park right now and it’s not feasible,” says Mauro. “I’m going to make Revolution Spin my thing now–really looking forward to it.”

You’ll also be able to find Mauro judging a burger contest at the Hard Rock Cafe, Oct. 15. Plus, find Jeff Mauro on Twitter, Facebook and your TV.

When the knee tends to flair away from the top tube over the top of the pedal stroke, one culprit could be stance width. In order to keep that knee over the foot, stance width must be widened. This can be accomplished by moving the cleats inboard on the shoe, giving a few more mm’s of width. When that is not enough, we can add a spacer between the pedal and crank arm, but this must be done with care, as we do not want to damage the threads of the crank with not having the pedal threads fully engaged.

A better solution is to use the Speedplay Zero Pedal System. In extreme cases, these pedals can be ordered with different axle lengths to perfectly accommodate different stance widths. At the Fulton Fit Studio (601 W. Fulton St.), we have a complete set of demo pedals in all spindle lengths to allow the rider to nail down the perfect fit.

The cleats themselves offer quite a bit of lateral adjustment to accommodate more narrow or wide stances. As we have been dialing in fits using the Dartfish Motion Capture, it’s easy to see how the foot tracks under the riders’ hips, which makes the necessary adjustments a snap.

More on the Get A Grip Cycles fitting process HERE! If this post was right on, great. If it left you confused, we can help.

Introducing: The 2012 Cervelo S5

Cervelo is introducing the S5 for 2012. Cervelo created the aero road bike segment with the Soloist and S2 models, leading to the design of the Tour De France-winning S3. Where other companies are just beginning their aero road frame efforts, Cervelo already has a huge head start. The S5 frames incorporate a lot of what was learned in the creation of the S3 and the P4 bikes. The S5’s have the dropped down tube and fork integration, internal cable routing starting behind the head tube, forward-facing seat stays and the seat post clamp from the P4. The chain stays are similar to what was used on the S3. The S5 features Cervelo’s new BBright bottom bracket and asymmetrical chain stays to add to a stiffer drivetrain.

There are three tiers of S5 for 2012. The basic S5 is equipped with SRAM Rival and is a very reasonable $3,800 for a complete bike. The S5 Team frame is an upgrade in both lower weight and a boost in stiffness. Cervelo claims a 10-percent reduction in weight (approx. 80 grams) and 10-percent stiffer frame. An S5 Team with Ultegra is $4,800 and with Ultegra Di2, $6000. Jumping up into the top end S5 VWD (Vroomen White Design) again drops approximately 10 percent in frame weight and is another 10 percent stiffer than the S5 Team. A SRAM Red-equipped S5 VWD is $7500. Going with Dura Ace Di2 costs $9000. All of these frames can be set up with the electronic shifting groups easily.

Not An Easy Build

Out of the box, these are not the easiest bikes to build. All that aero integration leads to more complicated cable routing. Thank goodness our clients will not have to worry about this step! That is our department.

Fitting the bikes will be easy as the proprietary seat post allows for both inline and offset saddle positions from the standard 73-degree seat angle that Cervelo uses on every size. The head tubes on these bikes are taller than the typical race bike. Those demanding a very low bar position will use an aggressively dropped stem. For the rest of us, it will be a lot easier to get the bars where they need to be in relation to the saddle. The dropped down tube also adds to the appearance of a very tall head tube. The bike certainly reads function over than fashion. No stone left unturned here.

In terms of ride quality, we have found it to be more stable than agile. The Team version tested is indeed stiff. No loss of energy in acceleration was noticed. This is a bike that exists for the solo break away and staying away. Bridging gaps is noticeably easier. All said the S5 is a great road race machine for less technical courses where the aero benefits can really shine. Triathletes specializing in ITU and Olympic distance races take note: this is the tool to get the job done. Add a set of clip on aero bars and crush your PR. Long or short course, if you can only have one bike for road and tri, this is the machine.

Introducing: The 2012 Scott Foil

The Scott Foil is a completely new bike for 2012. It replaces the game-changing Addict. Scott’s focus with the Foil is to take all the best qualities of the Addict and improve upon them by adding an aerodynamic component and increasing bottom bracket stiffness and acceleration. Mission accomplished!

The Foil frames add only 50 grams over the comparable Addict, but due to the added stiffness and aerodynamics, accelerate and hold speed far better. Scott was able to achieve this by carefully truncating the typical 3-to-1 ratio NACA profile aero tube and keeping the air flow separate as it goes around the bike, frame components, and rider. This shaves weight and allows for room with the carbon lay ups to give the bike great riding and handling characteristics. The head tube is now a tapered 1-1/8 to 1-1/4 inches to increase steering response and also aids in the aero dynamic shaping.

The Foil has two tiers of frame: HMF and HMX. The HMX frame sheds approx. 10 percent of weight while maintaining stiffness and ride quality over the HMF frame. The HMX framesets begin at the $7,500 price point for a full Dura Ace 7900/Mavic Cosmic Carbone equipped bike. $8000 gets you SRAM Red and Zipp 404 wheels; $11,500 is the top-end bike with Dura Ace Di2 and Zipp 404 Firecrest carbon clinchers. The HMF bikes start at $2500 for Shimano 105, $3300 for full Ultegra, and get this, $4500 for an Ultegra Di2 bike. This is real news. A sub-$5K carbon aero bike with aero Mavic Cosmic Elite wheels is an incredible deal. Please note that the electronic shifting bikes have frames dedicated to that system. One cannot go to a traditionally cable actuated system in the future on these frames.

Out Of The Box & On The Road

Out of the box, Scott Foils go together quite easily. The internal cables are routed for us already and everything is straight forward. We are always impressed at the specifications on Scott bikes. The bikes come with full Shimano or SRAM groups. No aftermarket brakes or cranks. The chains and cassettes also match their respective component packages. These things add up to a very solid and trouble free bike. It is how we would build our own bikes. In a word: solid.

On the road, the Foil is a better road racing bike than the Cervelo S5. Handling is both quicker and more predictable. Acceleration out of the saddle from a stop light is insane. The bike is extremely fast on the flats due to the aero nature of the tubes. It is really noticeable when really riding at your limit. The S5, according to Cervelo, is the fastest road frame ever tested in the wind tunnel. We believe them.

Some ride quality is sacrificed for these very real gains. This is typical from Cervelo where design and function trump all. The Scott Foil, while comparable in aerodynamics to the S5, has in our opinion better overall riding and aesthetic characteristics.

One can view and test ride these fine bicycles at the Irving Pro shop. Please give us a call if you have any questions or to set up a time for a demo.

Choose your weapon!

Though still a burgeoning cyclist, he’s like an Energizer bunny with his heart and mind in the game–just the kind of client we here at Get A Grip Cycles come to work daily to help and support.

He entered the 2009 Chicago Triathlon, bought a bike and “that was the beginning of it,” says Peebles. Now, two years later, he’s up to five or six triathlons a year, though he’s consciously adding cycling-only events to his schedule in 2011 to strengthen his cycling, which he considers his weakest (and favorite?) tri event.

“When I started doing triathlon, I immediately fell in love with cycling, just being on a bicycle with the wind around you and in your ears–it’s a spiritual thing,” he says. “I bought a decent entry-level bike right out of the gate, a Cannondale, and started out doing long rides by myself and would start to push myself and a college friend offered some initial remote coaching,” Peebles recalls.

That’s when we met Brent: “I did a fitting with Get A Grip and right away knew I wanted to up my equipment, get a carbon bike,” he says. “I worked with Adam [Kaplan] and he was top-notch. He wasn’t just fitting me, he was problem solving, fitting a bike to an actual person–and found the right bike for me.”

Which ended up being a Serotta Meivici. “I actually went and did a tour of the Serotta factory and walked out ready to get one,” says Peebles. “Adam had talked about Serotta and to see them building the bikes and to know that every single piece of that bike was hand-built in the U.S.A. and in that shop was ridiculous.”

It was also thanks to Geoff at Get A Grip that Peebles quickly turned from solo rides to more serious, formal training at Vision Quest Coaching, a top triathlete training firm based in the Chicago area and Florida.

“The rest is history,” says Peebles, and this level of physical, emotional and intellectual investment explains how Peebles has been able to go so far in endurance sports in a relatively short amount of time (like he said, about two years). “One reason I’ve been able to go zero-to-60 has been Vision Quest and my coach teaching me how to prep for races, race strategies, etc.

“I also have a very understanding wife,” he adds, quickly.

Put To The Test

Utilizing his hard- and quickly-won endurance, Peebles has turned his entire lifestyle around to participate in cycling events around the globe, including the fraught-with-pain Schwalbe Tour TransAlp, billed as “The Most Spectacular Stage Race For Everyone…7 Stages, 917 kilometers, 19,553 altitude meters.”

The event included “insane climbs” like the Stelvio Motirolo (up to a 21-percent grade). “I was never more happy to be off the bike than that day,” says Peebles. “We would descend (up to 53 m.p.h.) and immediately start climbing again.”

There were 1200 riders in the event, taking up quite a bit of roadway, says Peebles, who found pro-cycling attitudes made apparent: “Cars would have to wait but everyone was cool about it. Here, no one wants to wait an hour; there, they were taking pictures, cheering, clanging cowbells. It was the closest I’ll ever come to a Tour de France kind of thing,” finishes Peebles, who came in 84th out of 220 in the results.

“Having a power meter was huge. We’d be keeping in our range on the first climb and people would pass us, but on the next climb, or the next, we’d be passing them up again. We would also get to the flats and people would have nothing left and it really was learning how you can manage seven days of your own energy. Some days I did better than others, that’s for sure.”

In short, “It was the hardest physical thing I’ve ever done.”

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Besides training here at home in Chicago, Peebles continues his work with Vision Quest and travels to cycle when he can: “I did a six-day camp in Santa Rosa, Calif., to prepare for that race,” he says. “I’ve also been able to ride in Las Vegas and Saratoga, N.Y., plus all the Vision Quest events in Wisconsin and CompuTrainer workouts simulating mountain rides,” he says of prepping for vertically-minded events when living in the flatlands.

“This year I’m focused on two Olympic triathlons, one down and one to go,” says Peebles. “I’ll do some Gran Fondos in Wisconsin, in Blue Mounds; and then the Dairlyland Dare in Dodgeville, Wisc., essentially a Fondo. It’s five 23-mile laps, so it’s going to be a long day.” Join him?

Firefly Cycles Hits A Nerve

Peebles had read about new custom bike company, Firefly Bicycles (who we wrote about a while back in this post), and then walked into a Firefly frame at the Get A Grip Cycles pro shop on West Irving Park Road. “It was just hanging there and looked really awesome, just beautiful,” remembers Peebles. “I started asking Adam a few questions and then we got a little more serious and now the bike should be here anytime.”

Now you’re jealous! “[Adam] told me about [Firefly] and when you look at what they do and the cost, it was the perfect choice for me. More on that soon,” finishes Peebles, who admits to having a life apart from triathlons and cycling.

The family, including his two children: both love to ride and the kids are keeping him busy with their activities these days. He’s keeping them busy, too, though, with family travel often taking the form of outdoor and, often, cycling-related adventures. That and New York Yankees baseball. “Our schedule is arranged around games,” he says, adding, “…and craft beer, the hoppier the better.”

Last and certainly least for the purposes of this post, Peebles does work post-IBM. “I’m still not totally sure what I want to be when I grow up, but I’m an IT consultant for overall business solutions,” says Peebles. “My clients are very supportive and the flexible schedule lets me get all this done and still have a life.”

From your lips to God’s ears, Brent. Thanks for the look into your life…at home and on the road!

p.s. Firefly Cycles, can we get this guy some swag already, LOL?

And hopefully that’s how John Montgomery’s recent Get A Grip Cycles experience panned out; Montgomery picked up a Scott CR1, a bike that walks the line between performance and comfort quite nicely. The helicopter in the photo to the left? He didn’t get that here.

One thing in regards to performance, no doubt: in trading up from his road-worn Felt F95, Montgomery dropped 6.5 pounds off his ride right away. “It was pretty wicked cool to feel the difference from that alone,” he says. “I also spent a little extra to get some HED Jet 4s wheels. Adam [Kaplan, Get A Grip Cycles] had a pair left and I felt picking those up would make more of a difference than the money I’d spend on the next level of components.”

Now that he’s all set, Montgomery says he’ll use his Scott for recreational riding (“I get out almost every other day, at a minimum, and take the North Branch Trail and sometimes I go out to the Lake [Michigan].”) And he’ll use his Felt to commute, which isn’t as easy to do as he thought, evidently. “There are actually so many people who ride bikes to work in my office that we’re going to have to make more room in the bike storage for my F95.”

To this point, Montgomery has ridden largely on his own but (“I’m kind of a loner,” he says.) his new ride has him thinking about looking for a peloton to join: “I’ve always done solo rides or maybe gone with a couple of friends, but definitely working towards hitting some group rides and maybe an event at some point.”

That said, group rides are no stranger to Montgomery, born and raised in Bloomington, Indiana, home of the Little 500–of course. “I’ve been riding since my teens,” he says. “Cycling is a big part of the culture of the town; everyone watches the Tour De France and has for decades; and then there’s ‘Breaking Away,” the movie all cyclists know and love.”

When he’s not out riding or commuting, he’s likely to be working or pubbing (now that’s a good, adopted Chicagoan!). After 15 years spent creating special effects for commercials, TV and film, Montgomery got burned out and…get this…quit the day before the Tour De France so he could sit home and enjoy it like it deserves to be enjoyed.

What He Does

Now he’s taken that experience in the trenches and turned to training people, working with fxguide.com and fxphd.com to deliver online training in special effects and production on a global scale. His travel history backs that up: “I’ve definitely tied work and cycling together,” says Montgomery. “I travel a lot, 65,000 miles this year already. I’m able to spend 3-4 weeks in Colorado and come back to Chicago feeling like Superman after riding in the mountains.

“My business partner is based in Sidney, so I go there for three weeks every January and have spent some time cycling in Queensland, which is where the most expensive rental bike I’ve ever had convinced me I needed to upgrade,” finishes Montgomery.

Why He Rides; What He Thinks

“I just love getting out on a ride. “It gets me off the computer, away from technology–except for the GPS tracking.”

“I think [former Mayor] Richard M. Daley was very progressive in improving bike commuting, but could have done more to extend the bike lanes.”

“I see more and more people commuting than in the past. It’s very different than it was even three years ago.”

And then there’s the “pubbing” we mentioned, which Montgomery enjoys: “Chicago’s has developed a great craft beer scene very quickly; I enjoy that and craft beer is something I seek out on my travels, as well.”

Follow John Montgomery a.k.a. @johnmontslurry on Twitter.

THIS IS YOUR MOMENT.

This Friday, June 3, the folks behind the Chicago Velo Campus are hosting an extremely crucial fundraiser at the Adler Planetarium that we all need to support.

Come and see an animated, fly-through rendering of the 2014 grand plan. It’s a visceral vision of an endpoint that’s really only a beginning.

The other highlight of the evening: a concert by Evgeniy Gurev, Principal Trumpet Player of the Bolshoi Theatre. He’ll be accompanied by a 40-piece orchestra performing “Rhapsody in Blue” as arranged by Timothy Dockshitzer and the “Artunian Trumpet Concerto.” This is trumpet playing at the highest level, something with which Chicago and Chicagoans have a long history. (See video below to hear his music.)

THE CHICAGO VELO CAMPUS FUNDRAISING CONCERT
WHAT:	Fundraiser for the Chicago Velo Campus
WHERE:	Cafe Galileo at the Adler Planetarium Chicago
WHEN:	June 3, 2011; 6:30-9:30 p.m.
WHO:	Evgeniy Gurev, Principal Trumpet Player of the Bolshoi Theatre w/ 40-piece orchestra

Time To Get It Done? NOW!

We have, literally, hours to get behind the once-in-a-century project that is the Chicago Velo Campus. A stepping stone in the concentrated campaign to bring general cycling awareness AND Olympic-level cycling to Chicago from top to bottom–from kids taking their first ride on a bike to commuters to both amateur and professional competitive cyclists. Plus, triathletes of all levels, inner city kids just learning how to work on bikes, physical therapists, young Olympians…we mean everybody.

Visions of the future and enjoyment of the arts have their place, but the message this Friday night is an urgent one, says Emanuele Bianchi, Chicago Velo Campus president.

“Right now is the time when we all have to stand up and state that we support this project. We’ve been working on this non-stop and many people have said they think it’s a good idea–a great idea, but saying it only gets us so far.

“Now–today–show that you mean it and buy a ticket to Friday night’s fundraiser. It’s going to be potent and unique and wonderful,” continues Bianchi. “If you absolutely cannot attend, buy a ticket for a friend. Chicago’s cycling community has to come out for this to make the Chicago Velo Campus a reality. That’s all there is to it.”

Every single cyclist and every corporate entity with a stake in the Chicago cycling community–and Chicago overall–needs to get tickets, send a representative and GET BEHIND THIS!

What is the Chicago Velo Campus?

The Chicago Velo Campus isn’t just a sweet, two-in-the-nation kind of indoor/outdoor cycling track. It’s not even a conglomeration of various cycling- and sports-themed facilities.

It’s a concept, an idea and a true human-to-human interaction founded by the vision of Chicago Velo Campus president, Emanuele Bianchi. A native of Italy who moved to Chicago in 2004, Bianchi now calls the city home. He’s focused and driven on what has become his life’s work.

Bianchi had his vision handed to him, in a way, through his incredibly active work with the Junior Development Program of XXX Racing-AthletiCo. He has pushed himself and his charges tirelessly in order to create a juniors program that’s one of the strongest in the country.

Talent development at a young age is what can make America even more of a player on the international scene AND affect both the Chicago cycling community and its geographical community, as well.

In The Words of Emanuele Bianchi

“The idea was to have a place where youth and others–everybody–can train; the fact is that the [cycling] youth movement is under-developed in America, unfortunately. Races with juniors are very non-popular; 100 people register for the Cat 5 and only 12, eight, six, or four, in the juniors. I’ve seen these things; to reach a full field with juniors, it’s almost impossible.

“What we need to make this happen is more cycling by every household,” Bianchi continues. “You start a kid out when they’re young, they like it, they train, they buy a better bike and the culture of cycling gets into the blood, the system, the life to the point where their dream is to get a new bike rather than have the latest video game.

“If you create a velodrome in a city like Chicago, where the weather forces you to do nothing or some other indoor sport for much of the year, why don’t we have a velodrome where we foster sport and competition, teach kids to repair bikes and get themselves around safely, to be healthy? This is for all of us to be healthy in many ways.”

About Those Facilities:

I have a stock mountain bike that I have been riding for 10 years. It has been repainted twice and completely rebuilt as many times. Is the connection I feel to that machine due solely to the time in the saddle? I think it has to do with the time spent together…all the trails and miles. All the memories imbedded into that steel and gears.

I think that all bikes, when used and enjoyed by the rider, have personality. It is the accumulation of nicks, dings, wear and tear of use that imparts a patina that a new bike just does not have yet.

Only the accumulation of time, blood, sweat, smiles and miles give the machine its special something that makes it more than a mere object. It becomes a partner, a gateway in which to experience the world in a way which cannot happen without both a rider and a bike. Singly, the rider is only a person, and a bike alone is useless. Only together is that soul, that dynamic, created.

Yes.  We certainly do love bikes here.  What gives your bike that special something?