Some Notes As April 2024 Ends

I got a sunburn on Saturday at Cheesehead Roubaix … and I’m not complaining! Uncharacteristically fair weather had a big effect on the turnout. More than 100 riders started, but not all of them finished the full route. Some people found shortcuts on the return trip from Belgium or bailed out even sooner due to high winds. I don’t blame them. It was brutal! The average wind speed was above 20 mph for the entire ride, bringing unseasonable warmth from the southwest. By 4:15 p.m., West Bend hit 80° for the first time since October 24. The ride was over by then, of course. But I was never cold for a moment on this year’s Cheesehead Roubaix and I don’t know if I ever could say that before. And this year’s improved attendance resulted in a nice payday for the Newburg Fire Department: $1,809 in cash donations and post-ride concessions. Thanks to everyone for their generosity!

Cheesehead Roubaix was my first ride on my BMC road bike since October 1. Yikes! My Framed gravel bike got most of the work in the meantime. And no, it’s not ironic that I went back to the true road bike on Saturday. Cheesehead Roubaix is principally a road ride—one with a couple of hills on which the BMC was obviously the better choice—and the gravel sections aren’t so nasty that anything more than a road bike is required.

There was good news for local mountain bikers last Thursday. West Bend’s Park & Recreation Commission enthusiastically approved a plan for new trails at Regner Park. Sounds like these trails could be ready this summer! The planned course is mostly rake-and-ride, with no heavy earth moving.

There’s mixed news about my fitness as we enter May. I’m happy to say that I already have exceeded my walking mileage goal for 2024. My goal was a very modest 260 miles, the same target I missed in 2023, when I walked only 238 miles. And just to be clear, these are miles I walk for the express purpose of improving my fitness; I do not track incidental steps as I cut the grass, shop for groceries, or go about other mundanities. My personal record of 463 miles, set in 2021, is within reach. I’m at 270 miles today, more than halfway to a new PR with 8 months to go. The bad news is that I barely sleep anymore and I am 6 pounds heavier than I was at this point last year … and I was no lightweight then! I have been very inconsistent with my time on the bike this year. Ride frequency and total mileage are down slightly from last year’s pace. That needs to change immediately and I think it will, as better and more predictable weather arrives.

No CX World Cups, But …

Last week’s disappointing news from the UCI was a bitter reminder to American cyclocross fans that we love a very Euro-centric, niche sport. Having no World Cup races on this side of the Atlantic in 2024-2025 will reduce fan engagement. But today’s announcement from the USCX series takes away some of the sting. Trek has stepped up as title sponsor for the upcoming season, ensuring its Trek CXC Cup will continue as a top domestic event. So, we’ll continue to have a UCI race here in Wisconsin, and plenty of Americans and Canadians will be on hand to fight for points that will qualify them for the world championships. However, don’t expect the big European stars at these C1/C2 races, as the cost-versus-benefit equation simply won’t make sense to them.

It will be interesting to see whether the revamped USCX can grow even further in the 2025-2026 season. This year’s schedule misses some regions of the country that traditionally have supported cyclocross well. I’m thinking particularly about New England, the Ohio Valley, Colorado, and the Pacific Northwest. And then there’s Jingle Cross in Iowa, with its rich history. And would you bring back a night race in Las Vegas, even if it weren’t tied to a bicycle industry expo? CrossVegas was always a good show. Is that only because it had the star power of prominent European riders? Well, maybe, but we can’t count on that anymore. Let’s see if USCX can tell a story that keeps us wanting another chapter.

Mountain Bike Trails At Regner?

Local mountain bikers will present a proposal for new trails at Regner Park in West Bend when the Park & Recreation Commission meets at City Hall this Thursday at 6:30 p.m. CDT. The plan would create a 2.2-mile trail in the woods at the west end of the park. According to the proposal, this would be “an easy course with no high risk features” and an ideal alternative for new riders who may be unprepared for the more challenging trails of Glacial Blue Hills. The proposal is a joint effort of GEARS and the local chapter of NICA, whose middle school and high school riders need a practice area that is safe and easily supervised by their coaches. GEARS and NICA would create and maintain the trails, providing a new recreation amenity without cost to the city. (This is very similar to the idea I had for Park Site O back in 2014.) Not mentioned in the proposal, but certainly obvious to the local cycling community, is the potential for fat bikes when these trails are covered by snow. It’s easy to imagine Regner Park as an annual destination for the Hugh Jass Fat Bike Series. If your schedule allows, then come to City Hall on Thursday to support the proposal.

From Aigle, With Love (Part II)

You could see this coming last year, and here it is: the UCI Cyclocross World Cup has abandoned North America with the release of its 2024-2025 schedule. Never mind that the United States is the biggest economy in the world. Never mind that North Americans supported past World Cup events on this continent both by racing in large numbers and by attending in large numbers. Tell me again how American cyclocross is supposed to grow when we don’t have a coherent national series and all of our best riders are forced to base themselves in Europe. There will be UCI cyclocross in America this fall, but it will be the C1/C2 variety, which lacks the prestige of the World Cup series. Domestic pros will battle for points in the hope of qualifying for the world championships, where the lucky few will be crushed mercilessly by the top international pros who had the benefit of competing at the highest level all season. So much for the “internationalization of cycling” that the UCI likes to congratulate itself for promoting.

Happy 91st, Mom!

Today is my mother’s 91st birthday and I am privileged to be with her in southeastern Pennsylvania. I don’t need to remind myself how fortunate I am or what’s really important about my time here. But as a “spring training” destination for my cycling season, the Philadelphia suburbs have been a bust. Since I arrived on March 26, a typical day has been wet, windy, and 10° colder than average. Last Friday we felt an earthquake centered in New Jersey, only 42 miles away. Today we had a solar eclipse. A superstitious man would wonder whether an angry god were out to get him. Seems like wherever I go, bad conditions follow.

Things look like they are finally turning around. Yesterday and today were the first back-to-back >60° days here since March 14-15. Tomorrow will be the first 70° day here since March 15. There’s mostly 60s in the forecast for the week to come, then the promise of 70s again next week. I will try to make the most of better weather. Today’s ride was just my fifth on this visit. I have ridden only 118 miles since arriving in Pennsylvania. Yesterday’s ride was my first 2-hour ride this year. That’s not getting the job done.