!!!!!!! MIRRACO IS HERE !!!!!!!

Just in time for Christmas! Mirraco BMX bikes are in stock. We have Blends, Black Pearls, Five Stars, Signatures, and even the 20 Forty's.

For Women Only!!!!

Saturday Morning Women's Maintenance Clinics
Sean will also be conducting Women's Only Saturday Morning Maintenance Clinics. These clinics will focus on: How to fix flats, How to lube a bicycle chain, Pre-ride check over, and How to properly clean a bike. We will also touch on: How to adjust brakes, derailleurs, bearings, and Wheel truing, Women's Only Saturday Morning Maintenance Clinics @ 11 am, December 16, January 20th, February 24th.

Maintenance Clinics Starting SOON!!

Saturday Morning Maintenance Clinics
Something new for us at TREK Store is Saturday Morning Maintenance Clinics. We are very excited to introduce this maintenance. Our goal is to help cyclist of all abilities have a better understanding of the mechanics and up keep of the bicycle.
Sean Hermes, TREK Store service manager will led these Saturday Morning Maintenance Clinics beginning Saturday December 9@ 11 o'clock. These clinics last roughly an hour or until all questions are answered. Much of the clinic time will be spent on: How to fix flats, How to lube a bicycle chain, Pre-ride check over, and How to clean a bike properly. We will also touch on: How to adjust brakes, derailleurs, bearings, and Wheel truing. Sean loves challenges, so please, bring lots of questions. If possible please RSVP but walk-ins are all ways welcome. Saturday Morning Maintenance Clinics @ 11 am, December 9th, January 13th, and February 10th.

Trainer Nights and CycleOps Clinic!!

This Fall /Winter season will be jammed packed with fun activities at the TREK Bicycle Store of Kansas City!

Trainer Nights
The return of "No One Gets Dropped Indoor Trainer Night" will start Tuesday November 28th @ 7 o'clock. These trainer nights will last roughly an hour. We will watch different training videos and enjoy each others conversation. Trainer nights will run weekly on Tuesday nights 7pm - 8pm until the February 20th 2007. No Trainer Nights on: December 26, January 2, and January 30th 2007. If you don't have a trainer we will have trainers to rent for $3.00 per night. You are more than welcome to store trainers at the shop.
--------------------------------------------------------------
On our first Trainer night we will have a CycleOps Trainer Clinic given by our rep
Ron Le Mieux. Ron's going to explain the advantages of the different types of trainers and what they can do for you. It's also possible that Ron will be able to demonstrate the latest PowerTap 2.4 SL wireless powermeter. We will be giving a 20% discount on all CycleOps products on the night of the clinic. Rainchecks will be given for out of stock prodoct.

And the Winner is!

The 10//2 Lance Armstrong Foundation Fundraiser has ended and now it's time to announce the winner of the Discovery Team Jersey that was signed by Lance Armstrong. Before we announce the winner of the jersey we would like to thank everybody who participated in the fundraiser. The store collected nearly $500.00 to donate to the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Next year we plan to expand our fundraising efforts for this worthy cause.

As for the winner of the jersey...........
The winning ticket was drawn by the lovely Kelly Wong,















And the winner is............................ Tom Cole form Liberty, MO!




Thanks again to all of those who participated and don't forget that we are going to raffle off a TREK 1500 bicycle that was signed by Lance Armstrong as well as Indy car driver P.J. Chesson. Stop in and check it out!!!!

Yeti is coming

The Legend is Coming...

We've been searching the globe for a new brand of mountain bikes to compliment Fisher and Trek's already stacked line of off-road machines. Actually we didn't find a new brand at all. We found an original. Allow us to introduce Yeti Cycles as the newest member of the Trek Store family. Yeti has as deep a tradition in mountain biking as any company around and we welcome them with open arms. John Tomac, Juliana Furtado, Missy Giove, Myles Rockwell, Jimmy Deation and many others got their start racing for John Parkers Durango based company. Now located on the front range in Golden, Colorado, they make some of the best bikes in the world. Bikes will be in the store mid January.

We'll keep you posted.

The Cross Season has started in fine fashion!!!

IT ONLY GETS BETTER!

Do you remember this bike? The bike Lance is holding was used at the Indianapolis for the "Race to Replace". Look at what we have here in the store...

When you walk in you will see the actual bike that Lance Armstrong was holding at the "Race to Replace". As you can see Lance Armstrong has autographed the frame along with Indy car driver P.J. Chesson. How cool is that?

We will be raffling this bike at the end of the year. Each raffle ticket will cost $5 or 5 for $20. The more you buy the better your chance for winning. All proceeds from the raffle will go the LiveStrong Foundation.

Drawing for a Lance Armstrong Autographed Jersey

That's right, we have in our possession a Discovery Jersey signed by the man himself, Lance Armstrong. For a donation of $2 your name will be put in the jar. At the end of the month of October we will draw the winners name. It could be you. Your donation will go to the LiveStrong Foundation. Here is your chance to win a piece of history.

Happy BirthdaY Dan.

Store Co-Owner Dan Hansen celebrates his 29th birthday in style.

Pearl Izumi Clinic October 23 @ 7pm

WOW, it's getting cold out there and we've got a full stock of Pearl Izumi gear to keep you warm! If you find all of that technical jargon on clothing confusing, come to the Trek Store of Kansas City October 23rd and sit in on a Pearl Izumi clinic presented by our Pearl rep Doug Plummer. We're going to look at some of the winter items like jackets, tights, gloves, and booties. Doug can answer your questions about Pearl Izumi products and if we're lucky he might give us a sneak peek at some products for the spring!

This clinic is open to the public so stop in for the clinic and enjoy a 20% discount on all winter Pearl Izumi products, plus 40% of all remaining summer merchandise. Deep discounts are available on selected 2006 bikes as well.

Here's the vital information:
Where: Trek Bicycle Store of Kansas City
When: Monday October 23rd, 2006 7:00pm

TREK WSD Breast Cancer Awareness Ride

Join the TREK Store KC for a 10-mile no-drop ride, Saturday, October 14th at 10am. There's a $25 entry fee that's donated entirely to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Every participant receives a free gift! We hope to see you there.


To Register for this great event, go to active.com and search for "Trek WSD". Select Trek Bicycle Store of Kansas City as our location and you're all set! The first 25 to register will recieve a special gift.

Finishing the Serotta Ottrott ST

Today we finished the Ottrott! Since the last post we ran all of the cables added a chain, pedals, saddle,and a computer. After making sure it shifted perfectly we wrapped the bars and pumped up the tires. Now all it needs is a rider!





Here's the details:
-Serotta Ottrott ST Frame
-Shimano Dura-Ace Group
-Ritchey WCS Carbon Bars and Seatpost
-Ritchey WCS 4-Axis Stem
-Bontrager Aeolus Wheels
-Fizik Aliante Saddle
-Shimano Flight Deck Computer

A new Serotta is born.

It's just like Christmas in the shop when the UPS man drops off the big brown boxes that contain the frame and parts to build up a new Serotta. Building a custom bike piece by piece is a labor of love so check it out as we build a new Serotta.







So that's it for today, We got quite a bit done but there's much to do to finish the bike. Check back tomorrow as we complete the bike and call our very excited customer. More photos and a few more details on the components. Just check out those wheels, Bontrager Aeolus 5.0 carbon clinchers. Light and fast! See ya tomorrow!

New Serotta hits the road!

This is the newest addition to the KC Serotta family. This is a Serotta Meivici built up with the new Sram Force group. Complimenting the Sram group is a Bontrager XXX Race Lite carbon wheelset, Bontrager XXX Race Lite carbon stem, and Bontrager XXX Race Lite Boron/carbon bars. As you can see it's light !

Cross Season is Upon Us....

Stop by the TREK Bicycle Store of Kansas City today and get a look at the latest Cross Equipment.

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!

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;-)

"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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Local Hero Jake O'connor!

Jake O'connor of Shawnee, Kansas competed at the World Hand Cycling Championships in Crested Butte, Clorado.

Read the entire story here:
http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_4252866

AEOLUS 5.0 CLINCHER

Aerodynamic performance for clincher tires

110GSM OCLV clincher rim bonded to full carbon aero skin to keep the weight as low as possible

Clincher version of the new aero wheel designed for Discovery

Passes all Bontrager testing for performance and durability

2006 Discovery Pro Cycling Team graphics

Includes valve core extender

US Pat 5,931,544

Presta valve

1600 grams per set

$2999.99

Gary Fisher Update

Steel is back for 2007.

Ben Schloegel TRI Update #3

Fresh off another brutal, brutal weekend of racing and back on the podium with a third place finish at Cat's 1/2 Ironman in Arkansas. Far and away the hottest I have ever been in a race before, temperature in the air 103, heat index above 110 and the pavement, who knows? This is a great race if you are training for Kona, US 1/2 nationals in Innsbrook or any other race where the elements and terrain will push you more than even the distances. The Northern part of Arkansas is extremely hilly, no switch backs there just straight up and straight on each and every climb, in that heat it will kick your ass. Stay hydrated and fueled and you have a chance.The water temp was 86 degrees, about the same as the air temp at race start, seven a.m. The swim was a bit on the long side only a few guys notched times under 30 minutes I was happy coming out just a touch over, I was amazed that to find I was sweating under my cap when I came out. In hind site I wonder what kind of hole swimming in that warm of water would put people in later on. A lot of guys would fall hard as the day progressed.Getting onto the bike, you climb for about 5 miles up to the ridge of the hills out there. All the roads are used for the logging industry up there and are in pretty good shape, it also makes for some great scenery when your racing. I caught all but about six guys within the first ten miles of the race, I had a great advantage of going up a long hill right out of the gates like I did. The ride out to the turnaround is really pretty flat, some rollers but after the first 15 miles it flattens out a bit. There is only three aid stations on the ride and at every one I tried to cover myself with as much ice water as possible, I can only imagine what a differnce it made for Landis to have a car and all that at his disposal his entire day. Anyway, the ride in was tough, more so than I anticipated you could really feel the heat coming on though around mile 35. There was two big hills, not long, but steep and they really played havoc with your legs suddenly using a totally different set of muscles. Getting back to T2 I was sitting in sixth place and new that I wanted to get on the podium I was about four minutes off 3rd and new that is where I wanted to end up, I didn't want to burn too many matches this close to Ironman Wisconsin so I thotled off quite a bit so to not totally trash my legs on that course. The run is brutal, a mile climb out of the lake and then basically a "T" intersection where you peel off both ways both of which drop you off into seprate climbs. The first one is a short half mile leg to the right, you turnaround and comeback about two miles past then back to the finish and/or to the start of the second loop. There is no shade on that run and if it was not for my own supply of GU vanilla bean and GU espresso love I would have been in a world of hurt. I had to pack in my own energy suppply though, the stuff they have out there just doesn't cut it, not in that heat. I finished strong and in the top, just where I wanted to be. I have never been more pleased with my training or condition leading into an Ironman, now if I can just stay healthy here at work and finish with some good speed work I think all the pieces will cometogether on September 10th. Take care.

CHROME BAGS In-Stock!!!

New Arrival!!!

MSRP $2199.99 instock
Complete Specifications
Frameset
SIZES
50, 52, 54, 56, 58cm
FRAME
Alpha SL Aluminum
FORK
Satellite Plus Edge, carbon
WHEELS
Bontrager Race X lite
TIRES
Bontrager Jones CXR, 700x34c, folding
Drivetrain
SHIFTERS
Shimano Ultegra STI, 10 speed
FRONT DERAILLEUR
Shimano Ultegra
REAR DERAILLEUR
Shimano Ultegra
CRANKSET
Bontrager Race Lite CX 46/38
CASSETTE
Shimano Ultegra 12-27, 10 speed
PEDALS
N/A
Components
SADDLE
Bontrager Race Lite
SEATPOST
Bontrager Race X Lite ACC Carbon
HANDLEBARS
Bontrager Race Lite VR, 31.8mm
STEM
Bontrager Race Lite, 7 degree, 31.8mm
HEADSET
Cane Creek S-3 w/cartridge bearings, sealed
BRAKESET
Avid Shorty 4 cantilevers w/Shimano Ultegra STI levers

Ben Schloegel TRI Update #2

Much like writing your own eulogy it must be painfull to do it once, a second time? Down right evil. Lets go back to a simpler time......
Topeka Tinman:
My second race of the season an Olympic distance race inTopeka, Kansas.
Being my first open water swim with a large group I took it pretty easy in the water. I felt like I had finished the swim strong, passing and catching a bunch of guys in the last 500 yard. I was pleased to exit the water somewhere in the top 10. Out of T2 I could tell it was going to be a really windy day out there, which I thought would be better for me, being a stronger cyclist and a smaller target. Out of the gates I passed a few guys right away, then I caught my cousin Bob (An awesome triathlete and one of the best all around guys in his age group world wide) by mile 7 and blew by him. Up ahead I saw the race leaders, you could tell they doing there best to battle the hard South winds. I slowly but surely had been pulling them in and was only about a 1/4 mile off there back wheel when we came to an intersection at around mile 17. I believe it was here where my entire season was sent off course temporarily. Kind of like that other famous intersection, Four Corners, where the devil made a deal for rock and roll, maybe not. The terrain was really undulating and I couldn't see ahead that far, so when the officer told me to turn left I did. Keep in mind the actual left hand turn was only about a 1/4 mile ahead, in hind sight this made pretty good sense. I rode about 3.5 miles down that rode, feeling more and more alone, kind of like the boy who begins to whistle in the woods at night when he is lost.
When I pulled up
to the next intersection it was painfully clear I was off course, I turned around and blazed back towards the intersection. When I re-arrived the police officer who sent me off course was still there "guarding" the intersection. You could tell he was kind of waiting for me, almost like he couldn't believe how long it had taken my dumb ass to figure out I was off course.
I asked him "officer, why did you send me off course".
He replied shrugging his shoulder and raising his palms up in a sort of clueless manner.
"I didn't think you were in the race".
It all made perfect sense to me then, how stupid I was to have those race numbers written on me, and that helmet with the big number ID and my stupid race wheel set and bike set up. I probably shoud have worn something more recognizable like hunting cammo and carried a shotgun, that way it would have been very clear- "I am here for the triathlon"!
You live you learn, the last time a cop made a technical error that involved me I saved about 2 grand and kept my ass out of detention. I guess me and the law is even now.
I finished the bike doing 28 miles of the 20 miles course, then took it easy on the run, I figured I would never be able to coast on a run again like that. I ended up 47th place overall, just out of the prize money. The only bummer was that if I would have ended the bike in the position I did, I believe I would have had a shot at the race. I am a strong runner and pulling back a quarter mile is always possible.
Spirit of Racine/US Pro National Championships
Well when your hot, your hot! When you got it, you let it ride. I would love to tell you that this race was a disaster because of a flat tire, that seemed to take forever to fix, or from the two times I threw my chain and actually had to stop and get off to fix. No this race was a disaster long before and after all of this happened; honestly in the end it would have barely come into changing the outcome. My first mistake was adding this race as late as I did to the agenda (about two weeks before hand). My second, being completely and totally overtrained, something my coach and I have addressed and corrected.
The swim was brutal, I fell off the pace of the front side almost right away and with it began my hardest day yet in the sport of triathlon. Let me put this in perspective for you, in 2003 IM Kona I caught two flats and was stuck on the side of the road for 30 plus minutes and then proceded to run on a completely busted right hip to finish. That race in Hawaii in no way touched the depths of desperation I felt in Racine, nor came close to matching the emptiness I would feel crossing the finish line. Racine would, in the end, be the toughest race I ever finished.
Back to the swim. The water in Lake Michigan was pretty choppy that day, I do great in flat conditions, okay in large swells, but choppy is really not my deal I think it has to do with the having to really focus on my breathing patterns. I came out of the water dead last of the pros, but I knew that something more was "off" than just being in choppy water. I think I knew even that morning it was going to get worse from there.
Moving in and out of T1 I even felt weird, as if all since of urgency was gone, I am usually pretty good at hustling through T1 and T2. Right away on the bike I could tell I was dragging, I didn't have any "snap" or "kick" at all in my legs, this was all to clear when guys I know and train with started to catch me. Keep in mind I wasn't in pain and I didn't feel like I wasn't working or hurting, but guys that I know who can't hardly keep my wheel during training rides where blowing by me. One of my friends Mark Carey (who I have to give props to for a great race) was a little shocked when he caught me, he rolled up on me and did a double take then just staight up asked.
"You feeling a little flat today?" The bizare part of that statement to me was how bad I must of looked, and been unaware of it, almost as if there was
a sign on my back. I must of looked bad, I even tried to sit on Mark's
wheel for a while, not to get an advantage, my race was long since over, but really just to see if I could find a rhthym again and get things going. It was useless, I felll of his wheel and stugggled in.
I have only DNF'd once in my life, to this day I feel it was justified and do not regret that descion. I have never walked the run or any portion of it in any race. In Racine I wanted so badly to do both, I felt like I totally embarrased myself and that I had no buisness racing as a pro. What was I thinking? Why do I feel like shit? Have I completely out performed my talent and long since peaked? I knew what I was doing this whole time, but when you get in that rut and your falling apart it is so difficult to talk yourself out of it. That was all I thought about for 13+ miles, it took me 1:22:00 to get through that run a long time by my standards and I swear I
was giving it my all that day. My legs, arms and lungs had no answer for
my brain that day.
My bike avg mph was only 22mph my run split and swims a dissaster, I left the race, packed and drove back that night with my friend Adam McIntosh.
Even though I had plane ticket out first thing in the morning I wanted to just get moving. I figured the car time would give me lots of time to try and figure it all out.
In hindsight, I was trying to throw in an "A" race performance in the middle of being totally overtrained. My coach had let me get away from using my powertapp and hr in training. I had begun to be consumed with quantity over quality and so on. My resting HR had been elevated and my sleep sub par in my journaling the three weeks prior. All classic signs of being overtrained, I addressed this immediatley with him and we quickly went into a rest intensive mode, doing nothing for three days and then simply jogging or riding for fun no watch, no gps. It was good to get my brain back on.
Oh yeah, I finished 8th out of the pros putting up a 4:30 something.
Concrete Man-
This race was the weekend after US PRo Champs, we were in town for my wifes 10 year highschool reunion. My coach and I decided that if I felt good it would be a good idea to try and "get back on the horse". I had a solid race, I had felt a slight bug working in my stomach and throat the entire week previous so I had to avoid the "red zone". I knew that I was going to have to go at about a 1/2 IM pace.
I swam well, killed the bike and had a strong run. I ended up crossing the finish line second. True to 2006 form though when I checked the results I amazingly had dropped to 10th place. Apparently I covered the 5 mile run course in 37 minutes (that is somewhere in the 7:20 range) I have had bad days, heck the week before was one of my worst, but I would know if I had ran that pace. All I can figure is that they put in me in a different "heat" and added about ten minutes to my time. I have e-mailed the race directors but heard nothing back from them.
Ladies and Gentleman that is all I can give you for race updates. I told myself afterTin man that I would hold off and couple that race report with the next, surely it would be more positive. I am afraid if I don't do something to break the cycle or end this hex I will end up insane. I am off to Arkansas next week to race in the heat and humidity, where I am most at home.