Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Ben Schloegel TRI Update #1



Hello All,
Hope this finds everyone well rested and fresh off of a great Holiday weekend. I am still pretty beat up from the Desoto American Triple T, but in good spirits. I had a great weekend and am more confident than ever that I am well on my way to the podium at Ironman Wisconsin this summer. I bested all but one in the field consisting of 20 plus All-American honor earners. The racer that got me only did so by 18 seconds. Eighteen seconds! Thats after 140 plus miles of racing, broken down over four races in the weekend. That was a tough result to swallow, especially being that the winner was awarded 1 minute of time bonuses through the first two races
(sprints that I am not inclined to excel in regardless). All in all, I
took them all in real time.
As I originally figured, I would give substantial time to my competetiors Friday evening in the prolouge and Saturday morning in the first olympic distance race of the day. Friday night, I held my own only giving a minute to the first place finisher. I ended up finishing 6th overall that night, 10 seconds out from a 5th place finish and a thirty second time bonus. This proved to be crucial in the end. Saturday morning, I did my best to minimize the damage that the speedsters would inflict on me and simply limit my losses. True to form, I suffered at the hands of the quick pace and power of my rivals who excel at this distance, finishing 17th overall on the morning and giving almost five minutes to the leader. Saturday afternoon, we had the second olympic distance race of the day, however this format was unique in that we started on the bike and would then transition to swim and run. They sent us off in pairs according to race seeding every fifteen seconds. The course was very difficult, starting with a six mile steady climb to the crest and then a descent into in a substantial flat land to our turn around. The true challenge of the day, other than the heat index of 95 plus, was Mount Lampblack, which is a two-mile climb of 3400 feet. A tall order for the second race of the day, I knew that this would be the real begining of the race. Getting into a wet suit is a serious challenge when you are cramping and have to do it fast coming off the bike. The run was great! I blew everybody's doors off and made time up on the entire field. I averaged 6:04's on the hilly course - the second fastest runner's splits were over 35 seconds per mile slower.
Sunday was the half Ironman. I started off this race 7:00 plus minutes down on the race leader, sitting in fourth overall . I held my own in the swim, and gained minimal time on the extremely difficult bike course. To put it in perspective, that same day they host a half Ironman (an opportunity for people to race the course with out doing the first 3 events) and out of the 550 plus racers, the fastest bike split averaged only 19.3 mph. This coming from racers that could easily pull off 25 plus in other races. I came off the bike in striking distance of my main competition, they tried to hold me off on the run as long as the could but only lasted a few miles. In the end, I caught, passed and put on at least six and a half minutes on everyone boasting the best run time by over ten minutes.
As said earlier, I am very pleased with the way things turned out and my strong finish. If you put all these races together and make it a true 2.4 mile swim (instead of the 3 plus miles we did this weekend), I believe my performance will be even stronger. I am very confident that my base work this winter and spring has put me on track to do very well this season. I look forward to representing your brands well. Thank you very much for all your support so far - this is going to be a great year!

Ben Schloegel

Friday, May 26, 2006

Plan Ahead for the Holiday Weekend

Just a friendly reminder that we will be closed on Memorial Day. So if you need a spare tube or Powerbar or new bike for a holiday ride, make sure you stop in Saturday, 10am - 6pm or Sunday, 12am - 5pm.

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Ride the Best Demo Day

You're invited to ride the best bikes around. Join us at the TREK Store of Kansas City on Friday, May 26th from 2 - 6pm or at Shawnee Mission Park on Saturday, May 27th from 10 - 3pm to try out the latest offerings from TREK, LeMond, Gary Fisher, and Klein.

Friday, May 19, 2006

Store Group Rides for All Levels


Mondays join us at 6:30PM for a unique recovery ride. All abilities welcome, as the group maintains a pace that keeps all together. If you’re a racer or fast rider with sore legs from the weekend this is a great way to spin out the bad stuff at an easy pace. If it’s your first group rider ever, you’re still welcome. Come learn some group skills, safety tips and enjoy a fresh route most weeks. Ride lasts from 60-90 minutes, sometimes has a theme, and refreshments (beer) are served afterwards. Speed slow. Some paved trail, some road, some surprise.


Wednesdays join us at 6:30PM for the polar opposite of the Monday Night Ride. This is a hammer fest designed to break the strong and punish the legs. Fixed route with hills. No particular waiting up. Guaranteed suffering. But while this ride may have National Team wannabees setting the pace, anyone is welcome to take up the challenge.


Saturdays we meet at Scooters Coffee of Shawnee (one block West of the Trek Store) at 8 a.m. for a cup of coffee then hit the door at 8:30 for a brisk tempo rider on one of several fixed routes.
All abilities welcome, but if you’re new to pack skills or quicker tempos bring a buddy. Not a race but some folks use this ride to ‘’tune up”. Maps provided.

Team and Party Update...

Trekbicycleofkc/localcycling.com presentation party was attended by about 50 riders and supporters. Riders and sponsors were introduced and freshly designed uniforms were distributed. Dan and the store crew hosted with some good food and plenty of wine. A number of folks got to feel some acupuncture needles courtesy of Cindy Chamberlin of team sponsor Sastun Center. Art Kent, also of Sastun turned out to be a former USCF National Team Massage Therapist. Reprentatives from Scooters Coffee, The Major Taylor Foundation, Bridging the Gap, and Bicycle Marketing and Communications were in the house as well.
The ‘home’ USAC club for Team Trekbicycleofkc/localcycling.com is Slimenundgrossen. Watch for team results and info at http://www.slimenundgrossen.com/

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Way to Go Tony!

Tony Wilhelm, TREK Bicycle Store of Kansas City mechanic and member of the TREK/VW Midwest Regional Race Team, won the overall GC for Catergory 3 at the Joe Martin Stage Race. Congratulation on your well deserved victory and upgrade to Category 2.

Come Join the Party...



The TREK Bicycle Store of Kansas City/LocalCycling.com team party and presentation is Thursday May 18th at the TREK Bicycle Store of Kansas….come meet the team sponsors, eat and drink with your team members, pick up new clothing if you haven’t already…

The Party will start cranking up at 6:30…. We will start with a couple of short presentations at 7pm….hang out and have fun til 9…

THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS WELCOME!

Saturday, May 13, 2006

Finally


For all you Campy lovers there is some good news. They are going away from the the old school square taper bottom bracket systems to their soon to be released Ultra Torque crankset. A lot of the information is still on the down low, but follow the link to read the information that is available.

Thursday, May 11, 2006

###### URGENT ######

The following URGENT message affects the future of all retail bicycle businesses in Kansas. If action is not taken by all trail supporters, including the bicycle retailers from across the state, future sales growth generated by access to convenient, safe rail-trails in Kansas will be lost.

HB 2432 will allow individuals to bring frivolous lawsuits against trail organizations in KS without having incurred any harm or damage. The hidden goal of the bill is to "bleed" the non-profit, volunteer organizations who are finally achieving some success in building rail-trails by fighting frivolous lawsuits brought about by adamant trail opponents.

Rail trails have generated a new source of sales for bicycle retail, restaurant and lodging businesses in the states where they have been built, even in rural states such as Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, and South Dakota.

Background

Jeremy Anderson in Governor Sebelius's office has heard from more people who support the bill (oppose trails and rural economic growth) than oppose the bill (support trails and new business opportunities in rural Kansas). We need to send as many emails, faxes and/or phone calls to the governor by May 15 as possible. Also contact your local legislators asking them to encourage Governor Sebelius to veto HB 2432. Jeremy said that no legislator has asked the governor to veto the bill. Its up to us to change this situation.

WE NEED YOU TO contact the Governor's Office and your State Representative and Senator ASAP to save the future of rail-trails in KS. Below are a few talking points to include in your phone call, fax, or email to your Governor, State Representative, and Senator. HB 2432 will be on the Governors desk the week of May 15 for her action. We need her to veto this horrible bill for Kansas trails.

This is not hard and only requires a few minutes. They will not expect you to be fully knowledgeable, they just need to know your opinion. Its your government - only you can make it work for you or others will make it work against you!

WE NEED YOU TO forward this to as many trail supporters and customers as possible to spread the word of the need to KILL this BILL.

Governor Sebelius Contact Info

Phone number: 1-877-KSWORKS (1-877-579-6757)
Local Topeka phone: 785-296-3232
Fax number:: 785-368-8788
Email Link to Governor's office is: http://www.ksgovernor.org/contact.html

KS Legislator Contact Info

Click link or paste address into your browser. I suggest using the Address method to find your representative and senator. Email links are provided for your particular legislator: http://www.ku.edu/pri/ksdata/vote/

We have until about May 15 to convince the Governor to veto this bill.

Talking Points

  1. Federal legislation encourages development of recreational trails. Kansas Law discourages development of recreational trails.

  2. Current law recognizes the role of the federal government in regulating trails.

  3. Language in HB 2432 ignores the federal government's regulatory role.

  4. HB 2432 will encourage frivolous lawsuits designed to stop trail development.

  5. Trails are built and maintained by volunteers who raise money from non-governmental sources.

  6. Trails are a recreational resource all Kansans can enjoy.

  7. While proponents of HB 2432 cite the need to clarify adjacent property owner liability issues in the first section of the bill, they cannot identify a single case where this has been a problem.

  8. Trail proponents have no problems with the first part of the bill (is similar to adjacent property owner liability definitions in MO) and we believe the language does not harm trails. The real damage to trails in Kansas is the penalty provision, which encourages frivolous lawsuits against trail organizations.

  9. Foundations and other private donors would be reluctant to contribute funds to an organization involved in numerous lawsuits- regardless of the outcome of those suits. Trail funding would dry up. Trail building would stop and valuable resources would be diverted from building and maintaining trails to defending trail organizations in court.

  10. Allowing cities and counties to determine statutory violations has worked in the past. There is no need to give trail opponents another mechanism for stopping trail development.

  11. The general public overwhelmingly supports recreational trails.

  12. Trails provide positive economic impact to areas they pass through.

  13. Studies have shown property values actually increase where trails are accessible.

  14. Crime and vandalism are reduced when rail corridors are developed as opposed being left abandoned.

  15. Trails are available for hiking, biking and equestrian use. Thousands of people benefit from having access to quality recreational trails.

  16. Kansas ranks nearly last in public access recreation opportunities, which negatively affects the health and economy of Kansans and their communities. Trails offer opportunity for exercise local and tourism regionally.


Please take action immediately for the future of trails and bicycling in Kansas.

Sincerely,
Dale Crawford
KanBike (Kansas Bicycle Federation)
kanbike@comcast.net

and

Ben Wilson, Newsletter Editor
Chainchatter - JCBC Newsletter
http://jcbikeclub.org

Trek Anthem C Elite Helmet Recall










Anthem C Elite Helmet Recall - FAQ’s


Q: What helmets are affected by the recall?
A: Only Anthem C Elite & Anthem C Elite WSD helmets are affected. No other Trek helmets are affected.


Q: What is the problem?
A: Consumer Reports claims that the Anthem C elite helmet does not pass the CPSC impact test.


Q: Did Trek test the helmet?
A: Yes, Trek tested the helmet and it has also been tested by independent laboratories, and it was certified by CRITT standards. However subsequent tests by Trek after hearing from Consumer Reports indicate that the helmet may have a problem with the CPSC impact standard.

Q: Have there been any injuries?
A: No, there have not been any injuries.

Q: What are you doing for consumers?
A: There will be a consumer press release, but dealers should also try to contact consumers and ask them to return the helmet to their dealership. The consumer should be offered a full refund. Trek will credit the dealer for their cost of the refunded helmet once the helmet is returned.

Q: What should I do with the helmets that I have in my inventory or that I get back from consumers?
A: You should contact your inside rep with the information. They will fax you an RGA to enclose with the helmets you are returning and issue you a call tag to pick them up.


Q: Are there problems with the other Trek helmets?
A: Consumer Reports tested other Trek helmets and they passed. All of the Trek helmets are tested by independent laboratories and all product runs are regularly tested.

Q: Are all Anthem helmets involved?
A: No, just the Anthem C Elite helmet.

Q: How can I tell the difference between the regular Anthem and the Anthem C Elite helmet?
A: The Anthem C Elite helmet has a nude carbon crossbar across the front of the helmet. The regular Anthem helmet does not.

Monday, May 08, 2006

Giro! Giro! Giro!

Il Falco flies...


Paolo Savoldelli (Discovery Channel) rockets to a win!

Friday, May 05, 2006

Way to Go Megan!!!


Megan Hottman, fresh out of Mission, Kansas, is racingher way to victory in this year's Tour of the Gila. She represents our MRRC Trek/VW Midwest team and isracing in the Pro-Women's Category. Way to go!!

Thursday, May 04, 2006

Travis Brown in Action with His 69er

You have heard the hype, now see a picture of the man himself and the 69er in action.

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Pure Sex Appeal


Bontrager has unvailed one of their newest creations. Does it get any cooler than the Bontrager XXX Lite Crankset?

Stop the Madness



We have what you have been waiting for. The new Gary Fisher Race Day full suspension bikes are in stock. Stop in and take a look at the Procaliber and supercaliber, the fastest Fishers ever.