Card-Carrying Wisconsinite

Although I have lived in Wisconsin for most of my life, I have continued to think of myself as an economic refugee from southwestern Pennsylvania. But it’s hard to deny these signs of residency in the Badger State. Over the last two weeks I picked up my 2022 state parks vehicle sticker, my 2022 state trail pass, and—the icing on the cake—a Kwik Trip rewards card.

I remain steadfast in my opposition to your pro and college sports teams, Wisconsin. I still have never been to your state fair or to Door County and I don’t see why I should bother. You will never catch me ice fishing or playing Sheepshead. “Up North” (wherever that may be) is too cold for me even in summer. And most of your beer is cheap, lowest-common-denominator swill. But you do have fine mountain bike trails, and I’m now ready to start enjoying them again!

2022 Cyclocross World Championships Week

It looks like we’re going to make it! The cyclocross world championships will be in Fayetteville AR this week, only the second time the United States has hosted the event. I plan to watch the televised coverage of the men’s and women’s elite races. The juniors, the under-23s, and the team relay test event? I’m not promising anything. I don’t know if I can set aside something like 8 hours over 3 days: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. But if I don’t watch the undercard when it airs, then at least I’ll check out the highlights of those races or watch the replays when I have some extra time.

Injuries and positive COVID tests have taken some of the obvious contenders out of consideration: no Van der Poel or Van Aert on the men’s side, no Betsema or Worst on the women’s side. I think the men’s elite race will be wide open, but Eli Iserbyt and Tom Pidcock are good picks for the win. The women’s race seems almost certain to go to either Lucinda Brand or Marianne Vos.

This season we had a World Cup race on snow in the Italian Alps to show how cyclocross could fit in the Winter Olympics, and next fall we’ll have the Pan-American Championships in Costa Rica where it will be 80° or more! But it’s going to be a Goldilocks weekend in Fayetteville: 50-something on both Saturday and Sunday. That’s good for the racers and for the fans.

Meanwhile, it’s -12° in West Bend as I write this … -23° with the wind chill. I am riding my cyclocross bike these days, but with road tires on the turbo trainer!

The 2022 WEMS Schedule

The Wisconsin Endurance Mountain Bike Series has released its 2022 race schedule. All races are on Saturdays:

Hugh Jass Day 2022

Billed as one of the featured attractions of West Bend’s Winter Warm-Up festival, today the Hugh Jass Fat Bike Series returned to Regner Park for the third straight year.

Riders struggled against strong winds and sometimes single-digit wind chill on the loop around the baseball field:

Things were a little better on tree-lined sections like this one, ridden expertly by Team Pedal Moraine’s Brad Heckert:

Matt Grady and Kayla Weiss (smiling in the background) turned in Top 10 performances in their respective categories for Team Pedal Moraine:

After the race, a big crowd gathered for beer, food, race awards, and raffle prizes:

West Bend has proved a popular stop for the Hugh Jass series, and all signs point to a fourth edition of the Regner Park race in 2023.

Team Pedal Moraine Looks To The Future

Your logo here?

I was honored to serve as the captain of Team Pedal Moraine for six years, but someone else will have that honor in 2022. Late last year I told my teammates it was time to put the leadership in other hands. Although I remain committed to the team, let’s see what somebody else can do.

When I became captain at the start of the 2016 season, our membership was dropping and we were getting older. I thought I would preside over the last few years of the team’s existence, giving our soon-to-be retired racers a soft place to land rather than asking them to find new teams. But things changed for the better. We added more female racers to our roster, at least two of whom should be competing at the elite level by the end of this year. Two of our male mountain bikers developed into elite-level talents over the last six years. And in 2019 we produced two state mountain bike champions.

Results are great, and Team Pedal Moraine has punched above its weight in recent years. But results aren’t everything. There was a time when we were bringing home the team participation trophy at the end of the Wisconsin Off-Road Series calendar. As we move forward, we’re going to try to rediscover the cohesion we once had, to do more stuff together even when we’re not racing. Think group rides, team hiking/snowshoeing/skiing adventures, team picnics, and other activities that support and extend our commitment to healthy lifestyles.

The team met on Nov. 29 and again tonight to discuss the future. We’re looking for new partners—Pedal Moraine will continue to be our title sponsor—and we’re committing to a more animated presence on social media. If you follow us on Facebook and Instagram, then you probably have noticed the difference already. We have several new members with fresh energy and fresh ideas. Even the team kit will be refreshed in 2022!

You can be part of the new Team Pedal Moraine! Whether you are interested in riding/racing with us or you want to explore a partnership/sponsorship opportunity, we want to meet you! Contact me to find out more.