Unattached

For the first time in 15 years, I am a man without a cycling team.

When Pedal Moraine announced its closure last September, it was clear that there would be big changes for Team Pedal Moraine. No team loses its title sponsor or its bike shop sponsor without a shakeup, and Pedal Moraine was both of those things to TPM. Team leadership, which itself has undergone many changes since September, worked diligently to find new sponsors/partners. It shared those details with rank-and-file members yesterday when it announced the rebranding of the team as Kettle Moraine Cycling.

I joined Team Pedal Moraine in 2011 and I served as its captain from 2016 through 2021. For most of those years, TPM was the only USA Cycling club based in Washington County. My affiliation with TPM was equal parts bonds of friendship and community pride. Reincarnated as Kettle Moraine Cycling, the team now has no local links, and many of my friends have moved on from competitive cycling. Some have moved on from Washington County! I’m still here, of course, but I don’t know if I’m still a bike racer. I didn’t do any races in 2025. The benefits I might have derived from Kettle Moraine Cycling seemed out of balance with the commitments to which I was asked to agree.

All the best to Kettle Moraine Cycling, but I am now unattached. And I’m not looking for a new team. I surely don’t need to be part of one unless I return to racing … and perhaps not even then.

The Bird Is The Word

Over the years, I have written a lot about my experiences with cycling coverage on television. Many of the satisfying moments have come from free broadcasts, while many of the frustrating moments have come from broadcasts for which I had to pay. I subscribed to NBC Sports Gold for four seasons, watching its annual fee increase each year. By 2021, it simply wasn’t worth the price anymore. But as the 2026 season begins, I have a new subscription. NBC Sports Gold no longer exists, but the bird in the picture above should look familiar. Here’s what I will get from Peacock:

You know what’s funny? I didn’t go looking for a subscription to Peacock; it came to me as a free add-on to my new Walmart+ subscription. I’m in the 30-day trial period right now, with a $98 annual fee to follow. I figure I can easily save more than $98 on the groceries, dietary supplements, and household supplies that I otherwise would get from Meijer, my current superstore. And Walmart will deliver everything to my door for free! I don’t like shopping. I won’t miss going to the store, which is much less convenient since the COVID-19 pandemic put an end to 24-hour access. With my weird schedule, I used to shop late on nights when I didn’t have to work. I also won’t miss self-checkout lanes. I’m not an employee, I’m a customer. Don’t give me that rot about keeping costs down. The machines themselves cost thousands, and a fair number of the people who use them are compensating themselves for their trouble by “accidentally” forgetting to scan a few things. So, yeah, Walmart+ will keep me out of the stores and away from the criminal element! It will keep me out of the garage, too. In the six weeks since my return from Pennsylvania, I have made only one trip by car that wasn’t to the grocery store. When groceries start to arrive at my front door, this remote worker may go months without touching his car keys. How much money will that save?

There’s a lot more to Peacock than cycling, but I don’t know how much of it will appeal to me. For now, I’m looking at it as a nice thing to have for free. Most of the races in the list above have been nothing to me but YouTube highlights since the end of the 2020 season. I’m going to feel like a real road racing fan again, and it all begins tomorrow at 1:30 a.m., West Bend time, with the prologue of the Tour Down Under.

I Had Bigger Plans

I continue to battle for longer and more restorative sleep, but things have been bad lately. During the last four weeks, I have averaged fewer than six hours of sleep per day. This week, the average has been only five hours. My energy level has been extremely low, and the thing that has suffered most is my commitment to indoor cycling.

I came into 2026 hoping for 15 hours of indoor cycling in January. Today, I got my first 1:23:17. Garmin Connect to the rescue! I was motivated to earn a badge that is available this weekend only:

And it may be just a digital award but look at those colors! How could I not covet a cycling badge so reminiscent of the Lampre kit that used to dazzle in the pro peloton?

Going forward, I need to rely more on discipline and less on motivation. But it is hard when sleep isn’t cooperating.

The 2026 WEMS Schedule

The Wisconsin Endurance Mountain Bike Series announced its schedule this morning, bringing back familiar favorites but leaving a little room for mystery. Here's what we know so far:

12 Hours of Alpine Valley

April 25

Alpine Valley Ski Resort, Elkhorn

Jack Lake Crazy Eights

June 6

Veterans Memorial Park, Deerbrook

Levis Trow 100

June 20

Levis Mound Trailhead, Neillsville

Nicolet Roche Boulder Dash

July 11

Nicolet Roche Trails, Wolf River

Skunk Hill Scramble

August 8

Powers Bluff County Park, Arpin

Hundred Down in the Underdown

August 15

Underdown Recreation Area, Gleason

Pitch Black Singletrack

Date TBD

CamRock County Park, Rockdale

A Little Retail Therapy To Get 2026 Started

This week, I added some new kit for the new year. And it may be months before I wear it, because this is definitely warm weather stuff. The bibs should look familiar; I’ve been wearing Louis Garneau bibs and shorts for years. Love the chamois. The orange jersey is from Sugoi, a brand with which I have a limited but positive history. The greenish-yellow jerseys are from Santic, a brand with which I have no history. I took a chance on Santic in part because of many positive reviews but also because the price was so good. In cycling, you don’t always get what you paid for. Sometimes a big name brand is a big disappointment and a smaller name is a better value. We’ll see where Santic belongs. I had to replace some worn-out articles in my cycling wardrobe, but now I’d like to be done buying kit for 2026, no matter how inexpensive it is.