Friday, September 22, 2006

TREK 10//2 Kick-Off Party

Come help us raise money for the Lance Armstrong foundation on the evening of Monday, October 2nd. For a $5 donation you receive complimentary food and beverages, 20% off 10//2 clothing and accessories, 15% off any other accessories, and special prices on bikes marked with yellow LiveStrong bands. See you soon!

Saturday, September 16, 2006

Heidi's new ride!


Serotta's have always brought a smile to my face and to our customers. Heidi was no exception. She truly loves her new ride. This Serotta Fierte is an awesome bike!

A New member of our Serotta Family

Congratulations Claire!!! We are extremely excited for Claire and her new Ottrott ST. Is that gorgeous or what?

Cyclocross is here!



Check this out. A Serotta Concours CX that's totally race ready. How sweet is that? A double butted Ti Frame like this one can be fully customized to do whatever you want. This bike is set-up with a single chainring running the new Mavic Kysrium ES wheelset. It is also sporting the new Ritchey WCS full carbon cyclocross fork. How light do you think it is? You can find that out when you come in ride it;-)

Thursday, September 14, 2006

"Generally" Speaking


Famous Attorney Takes a Tour of Kansas

I have been known to slip out of work early on occasion to go riding. Ok, actually, I do that quite often. (I hope my boss isn’t reading this…) And while my usual riding buddies consider themselves quite famous, in their own minds if nowhere else (“dude, did you see I got 18th in the Cat 4 race at the Tour of Widmer?!?”…”Where?”), it’s not often that I get to ride with someone truly famous.

It’s also not typical for three of the five riders to be packing heat. A lot of heat.

The Attorney General (AG) of the United States, Alberto Gonzales, roared into Kansas City on Wednesday afternoon for a day and a half of meetings and business. Several weeks ago, the AG expressed interest in going for a bike ride while in town. A good friend and Assistant U.S. Attorney contacted me for information about riding options in the KC area, and I provided a full menu of options for our esteemed guest. Then, on Tuesday, that “planning” work suddenly blossomed into something more – an invitation to be a bike tour guide for the AG!

I passed my FBI screening (barely), picked an appropriate route with the aid of local guru Mark Thomas of www.localcycling.com, and picked up two nice, new Trek bikes loaned by good friend and generous cycling sponsor Dan Hansen, co-owner of the Trek Store of Kansas City.

To be honest, it wasn't as glamorous as you might think. I wasn’t rubbing shoulders with the AG the whole time, swapping legal stories and talking UT football. Mostly, I rode with his FBI agent about 50 feet back, with two armed JoCo park police another 50 feet back – with the goal of allowing the AG a brief 45 minutes to feel like a ‘normal person’ out riding his bike by himself. But, it was an excellent experience all the same and, yes, your guessed, it all went to my head! The AG’s entire bike experience and general safety were entrusted to my ‘very capable’ hands (ha).

After he got finished ‘breaking some legs’ on the Mill Creek Streamway, the AG and I (hmm, I dig the sound of that) had an opportunity to ‘talk shop,’ take a photo, and swap stories about Texas. Then, as abruptly and efficiently as when he arrived, the AG and his 10 waiting agents slipped into armored SUVs and sped off – like something from a movie.

Despite basking in my new-found national importance and brief touch of fame – and already thinking of other potential famous clients for the fledgling Henson’s Famous Bike Tours – I was reminded of a joke told to me recently by my Canadian bike guide. What’s the difference between God and a bike tour guide? God doesn’t think He’s a bike tour guide.

HUGE FALL SAVINGS

TREK Road Bikes
Pilot 1.0 2006 reg. $769.99 sale price $693.99
Pilot 2.1 2006 reg. $1539.99 sale price $1385.99
Pilot 5.2 2006 reg. $2969.99 sale price $2672.99
Pilot 5.9 2006 reg. $4514.99 sale price $4063.99
Pilot 5.2 WSD 2006 reg. $2969.99 sale price $2672.99

Madone 5.2 2006 reg. $3299.99 sale price $2939.99
Madone 5.2 WSD 2006 reg. $3299.99 sale price $2969.99
Madone 5.2 SL 2006 reg. $3449.99 sale price $3104.99
Madone 5.5 2006 reg. $4069.99 sale price $3663.99
Madone 5.9 2005 reg. $5149.99 sale price $4635.99
Madone 5.9 SSL reg. $6999.99 sale price $6299.99

LeMond Road Bikes
LeMond Victoire 2006 reg. $3884.99 sale price $3495.99
LeMond Versailles 2006 reg. $1814.99 sale price $1633.99

Fall Savings on Summer Clothing

20% off all Men's and Women's summer clothing

Sale prices only good on in-stock items only. While supplies last.

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Pure Sex Appeal




We just got in a slew of new bikes. Check out this Serotta Legend Ti ST. It has an incredible ride quality and with the SRAM Force Group it performs beautifully. The ST rear triangle absorbs vibrations and adds performance enhancing levels of vertical compliance. The tubeset is triple butted Ti and is the lightest and stiffest Ti frame available. The wheelset is the new Bontrager XXX Lite Carbon Clincher. Extremely light weight and extremely durable. I personally have 3000 miles on mine and I haven't had to true them once and I'm a big guy. It's a 57cm, so come on in and test it out. I can pretty much guarantee that it will change the way you think a bike should ride.

Monday, September 11, 2006

Ironman Wisconsin Post Race Report.

It never got out of the mid-fifties, it never stopped raining, I never was warmer than I was in the swim and I never want to race under those conditions again. A brutal, demanding and completely unforgiving day for all athletes from the fittest and strongest to those who at midnight, an enduring near 17 hours of early like winter conditions made it across the finish line. An honest and sincere tip of the hat to anyone who didn't snap and pack it in. It was best summarized for me when at mile 55 I passed a shivering and blue lipped Jesper Blake, the German stud with three other top ten Ironman finishes who could hardly talk or for that matter maintain control of his bike. Who ever said that low body fat and power to weight ratio was beneficial in cycling obviously never raced in a winter league.The swim set the tone for the day winds were constant from the "go" at 15-25 from the North East and it stirred up an evil, evil chop on lake Monona. The IM Wisconsin swim course is a two loop swim course shaped like a rectangle, the first half mile down was tough a rolling but inconsistent swell for about 1000 yards. At the turn buoy you turn East and suddenly you are swimming into the wave pool at Ocean's of Fun. I think I must of drank a gallon or so of that good ol' lake Monona lake water yesterday. A pack of about 6 of us endured the hardest and longest swim I have ever been a part of, to put it in perspective the fastest male pro did not exit the water until 55 minutes, about six minutes off the norm. No one broke the 51 minute mark, unheard of at this course.Ironman Wisconsin is famous for it's ridiculous T1, as you exit the water you run about a quarter mile to the start of the "helix" a walkway much like at Royals stadium then after only about another half mile of running you finally arrive at your bike. It was in the changing room of T1 you had to make a decision, do you take the time and put on extra layers, in what seams like minutes ticking off the clock, you recklessly try and pull Lycra up and over your wet body, here you bite the bullet or pay the piper soon after. Speaking of which, the bike is where all the fun really begins, so after the quick dip in the washing machine I'll tell you about where the race really began.The bike course has a twelve mile out then two loop course, it is an extremely demanding course on a great day. Throw in the kind of conditions we had and it becomes the deal breaker, the fastest time on the day was only 5:10, unheard of! I just kept telling myself that I had to eat and drink, every aid station I forced myself to take on gatorade and GU, in these conditions if you start to feel hungry, you can forget about coming back form the dead. In every race you feel significant highs and lows, but when you get low and your near hypothermic the mind is so prone to collapsing. My low came at mile 90 it was here when I came near the crest of one of the more significant climbs of the day. As I made my way to the top an age grouper who was on their first lap was making the climb about 10 yards ahead of me. Just as he was begening to crest the hill he started to do the "squirley snake", you know, where you feel like if you cut it back and forth from one side of the road to the other you just might, maybe, make it over that bastard. I am coming up on him and telling him "on your left, on your left!" he keeps on cutting it back and forth, but now he is on the back side of the crest. I am thinking to myself I am going to just bust out and by him to the left, as I make my move he cuts back hard in my direction. I start yelling again "on your left, on your left goddam it!". Just then his aero horns and mine lock and he cuts back to the right snapping us on to the ground and me over my handle bars. He lands on top of me driving his cleat into my right shin, my left leg burns almost instantly. I get up and look down, the guy is in la la land on the ground, I really think he was oblivious as to what he just did. At this point a couple of spectators have our bikes up, my brakes are all bent of and my wheels are knocked off center. My left and right legs are cut up, my left knee all ready starting to swell, my left arm and elbow, road rash. The hardest part of this was the let down after having my adreneline surge to deal with the incident. Just two miles down the road my stomach and body just crashed, just as we turned in to make the last 12 miles we took on a mean ass head wind 25 mph when gusting. I pulled everything out of my pockets four GUs a Bakers Breakfast cookie and ate them right then and there. The run was horrendous cold, wet rain fell the entire time. My left leg was burning with the pain setting in from my crash, and I was trying to get my nutrition on line. Out of T2, two guys dropped me in the first mile, and I was moving. I felt really good about the way my run was starting out and these guys just flat out dropped me, I would see them again in 5 miles. The run got to cold that the entire second loop I was having trouble grabbing items at the aid stations I couldn't seem to open and close my fingers and I was basically just slapping gatorade out of the hands of the volunteers. I was never happier to find the finish line coming across the line tenth and feeling completely wasted. I hate these conditions and it took all I had to hang in there yesterday, I just kept telling myself all day that as a firefighter on September 10th I wasn't allowed to quit. If I really wanted to honor the 343 brothers that gave all and marched to certain death to save thousands and thousands I had a responsibility to live in the same spirit. Simply said, to give my all and march on, to do otherwise would be to dishonor them and their memories. Today as we look back on the events of five years ago, we should forget the politics and look to all those who answered the call on September 11th 2001 and what they proved and gave to us. The human spirit is still good and strong we need to honor it. I want to congratulate Barry Ogden, Dave Cee and Chris Yows as well as all the others who hung in there yesterday, to finish is always the goal. Yesterday it was an especially admirable one to achieve.

Saturday, September 09, 2006

Pre Race Report

I am thinking back right now to everyday this past July and August when I would hold off on my bricks and long runs until the heat of the day. I always wanted to get my body trained so that I would be able to handle any conditions and mentally toughen myself. Great idea and perfect timing being that it was the hottest avg. high July we ever had in the big cow town, no sir no shortage of heat, humidity and misery this summer. Some one apparently forgot to tell me that my big "A" race was going to be held in mid 60's with rain and clouds up in Madison, Wisconsin. In a drastic turn of tempurature from the past two years of record heat hear in the dairy land we are staring down perfect weather for London for Sunday's big dance. Well the beuatty of Ironman racing is that you will be miserable no matter the conditions for the majority of the day only a fool lets something like weather surprise them or dissuade them. I feel great about my conditioning, training and mental state right going into the race my coach and I have really set my body up for success. A big thanks to Joel at the store for making my equinox 11 hum and pimping my ride with that killer new white handle bar tape, only the engine can fail us now. I am going to be riding a zipp disc and 404 front wheel on the course, though it's fairly technical I think the aero benefit out weighs the slight handeling challenge. It has also been a long time since I wore arm warmers, which I assure you, will be on my skin little body come Sunday. Wisconsin is a challenging course very hilly and unforgiving if you go out to hard a course that when it does sneak up on you will tear your head off, a lot of good athletes have fallen hard on the run. I am going to go heavy on the nutrition this race, only because I think in colder conditions we forget to drink and eat. You just don't feel as compelled when your aren't sweating and heating up. As always I will be stocked full of GU and GU2O products all the way, I think that a GU gel every 30 to 40 minutes during and Ironman is conservative and that if you really want your stomach and body to balance this is a good routine to get into, you will burn off the calories if you happen to be excessive. GU has a new product that they unvieled here at IM WI, Strawberry Banana it is awesome get your hands on it soon.In other news my taller, better looking cousin Bob was up in Canada two weeks ago handing out "beat downs" to any one and every one under and over the age of 43 showing he is still a force to be reckoned with. Bonswatt took 31st overall and 3rd in his age group once again qualifying for Kona were he will join his brother (my cousin) Matt in October. Go get em' boys!Well that is all I have for now, come Monday morning I'll let you now how it all plays out. Want to send a couple shout outs to fellow athletes from Kansas City, Dave Cee, Chris Yoos, Barry Ogden, Don Little, Ann, Dennis and Curt here's to going fast and being patient.

Thursday, September 07, 2006

2007 LeMond Buenos Aires In-Stock


2007 Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires, Greg's first World Championship as a Junior racer was hosted by this Argentinian City.

Frame: LeMond Triomphe Min/Max Carbon
Fork: Bontrager Race Carbon
Wheels: Bontrager Race
Group: Shimano 105/Ultegra
MSRP $2449.00

Affordable Lights by Cateye In-Stock!

CatEye's new HL-EL210 has 5 LEDs with Opticube lens technology for a wide beam with excellent visibility. Features flashing and constant modes, as well as more than 100 hours of runtime on 4 x AA batteries.

Functions
-5 LEDs
-Opticube lens technology
-Wide beam pattern
-Constant and flashing modes Features
-100 plus hours of runtime
Side visibility

A WIDE VARIETY OF AFFORDABLE LIGHTS IN-STOCK FROM CATEYE.

Time to Light it Up!


FOR THE RIDER WHO WANTS LIGHT UP THE NIGHT SKY.

Boasting output equivalent to a 40 watt halogen bulb and a burn time of 4 hours, the Firestorm light system was built with speed in mind. Testament to this is the number of 24 hour bike athletes winning races with the Firestorm. Not a 24 hour racer? No problem, the Firestorm makes an excellent commuting light. Your safety is greatly improved by the increased visibility provided by ultra bright HID technology. The Firestorm also incorporates a low battery indicator to help monitor battery power. Included is a 2.5 hour charger that makes certain you have a full charge and are quickly on your way again. A LARGE SELECTION OF NITE RIDER LITGHTS IN-STOCK