Off the Couch
In a quiet way, the thousands of people who run, bike, hike, ski and paddle make a lot of noise in Wisconsin
Experts air out runners’ barefoot issues
For runners pondering the minimalist approach, the Science of Sport posted an excellent piece this week from a round-table discussion on the benefits and risks of barefoot running.
The participants could be considered the kings of biomechanics.
Stock up opportunity Sunday at the 4th annual Bike Fed bike swap
The Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin hosts its 4th annual Milwaukee Area Bike Swap on Sunday in the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee student union.
It's a great pre-Christmas get and give opportunity.
New York City posts "share the road" in Haiku
New York City has gone wildly poetic in promoting safety along its 200-plus miles of bike lanes.
More than 200 signs will include the curbside haikus, a dozen of which were crafted by artist John Morse.
Friends group raises $29,200 to make snow at Lapham Peak
The latest fund drive by the Friends of Lapham Peak generated $29,280 for improvements to the snow-making operation at the recreation area off Highway C, in the Town of Delafield.
The generosity of local skiers proved to be more of a sure thing than the forecast for snow this past week.
When the Friends group launched the Blizzard Challenge in June, their goal was to match the $10,500 put up by the Blizzard donors. Donations in September and October pumped the total well past the initial goal.Girls on the Run show giggles last to the finish line
Back in May, the Girls on the Run showed me it’s better to giggle than grimace during a training run.
Sunday morning, they taught me the same rule applies to racing.
Ski addicts search the skies for their winter fix
Snow is a powerful narcotic.
Most of us spend all summer complaining about precipitation and unseasonably low temperatures, and then winter begins to tease.
It’s as though the wrapping on a gift sitting under the Christmas tree has torn just a bit to reveal that the present juuuussstttt miiiight just be....
Team 7-Eleven book signing rescheduled for Dec. 15
Two of the founders of the pioneering 7-Eleven Cycling Team will appear at the Wheel & Sprocket store in Brookfield on Dec. 15 to sign the book detailing the team’s formation and success.
Jim Ochowicz, the Milwaukee native and current leader of the BMC Racing Team, will sign books with Tom Schuler, one of the riders recruited for the first 7-Eleven team in 1981. Schuler now lives in Wauwatosa and runs a sports management company, Team Sports Inc.
Bill to open Wisconsin and its parks for hunting moves to Senate hearing
Upon his election, Gov. Scott Walker declared “Wisconsin is open for business.”
A bill set for a public hearing Wednesday morning would add a variation, “Wisconsin is open for hunting.”
"You ran 15 miles on purpose?"
Runners will appreciate this Youtube video recreating a familiar exchange: the frustrating attempt to explain one's passion to a non-runner.
Snow-making starts at Lapham Peak
The crew at the Lapham Peak recreation area fired up a half-dozen snow guns Wednesday night and started stockpiling the supply needed to cover a 1.5-kilometer loop for cross-country skiing.
Through nearly 12 hours of snow-making, the team piled six mounds, each roughly three feet high and 30 feet long. That snow will be distributed over the ski loop.
Birkebeiner plans start line shift, south of Cable
Organizers of the American Birkebeiner ski races plan to move the start line for the massive numbers of skiers from the Cable Union Airport to land south of Cable, and east of Hwy. 63, according to a report in the Sawyer County Record.
Cowbells will ring for first cyclocross Midwest Regional Championships
Based on early registration, more than 400 racers are expected to compete this weekend in the first Midwest Regional Cyclocross Championships at Badger Prairie Park in Verona.
Wisconsin's Molly Seidel wins the Foot Locker National Championship
Molly Seidel, the best girls’ high-school cross-country runner in Wisconsin, is also the best in the nation.
The four-time state champion from University Lake School won the 2011 Foot Locker Cross-Country National Championship in San Diego, on Saturday, a year after a hip injury kept her from the prestigious meet.
Silent Sports list keeps Christmas shopping simple
I often feel inundated this time of year by pitches for products to add to the endurance athlete's Christmas list.
The collection of gadgets is overwhelming to me and possibly paralyzing to any non-runner or biker (that's you Mom) looking for help in making a gift selection.
Schneider sweeps Badger Cross Midwest Regional Championships
Samantha Schneider swept the Badger Cross double-header in Verona over the weekend and extended her run of regional success on the cyclocross circuit.
Riding for team TIBCO to the Top, the 21-year-old from West Allis won the Illinois State Cyclocross Championship on Dec. 4, and has more than a dozen victories in the fall season.
Kenosha police report bicyclist critically injured in weekend crash
A 61-year-old man suffered severe head injuries in Kenosha about 4 p.m. Saturday, after he pedaled into a Dodge Neon at 47th Ave. and Washington Road, police reported earlier Monday.
The cyclist, Chinh Doan of Kenosha, was flown flown by Flight for Life helicopter to Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee, where he is still in critical condition.
Nordic Ski racing returns to Badger State Games
The revived Badger State Winter Games will hold its cross-country ski races in Wausau on Feb. 4, a day crowded with two new races added to the Nordic calendar.
Minocqua Winter Park will host the inaugural Wolf Tracks Rendezvous and the Ashwaubenon Nordic Ski Team and Lakewood Ski Club have combined to create the Nicolet Nor-Ski on the Lakewood trails in the Chequamegon Nicolet National Forest.
Birkebeiner entries go up for auction
The Wisconsin Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society will auction 20 entries in the 2012 American Birkebeiner and Kortelopet, starting at 9 a.m. Wednesday.
The MS Society has been a primary charity partner of the Birkie since 2009, when Norwegian skier Bjorn Daehlie served as an MS ambassador and led the drive to raise money for the cause. Daehlie's mother has MS and the Olympian sought treatment counsel from Ian Duncan, a professor at the University of Wisconsin - Madison and lead researcher studying the use of cell transplants to repair nerve fibers damaged by MS.
Home runs come from the hips: expert explains the science of P90X
Until recently, all I knew about the P90X workout program was that Mike & Mike in the Morning interrupted my morning sports fix to rave about it.
Honestly, I didn’t pay much attention.
Derry's Pub hosts party to support Milwaukee Olympian Gwen Jorgensen
For Gwen Jorgensen, being an Olympic athlete still means holding a part-time job, pushing to find time to train and asking for help to take her parents and sister to London to watch her race in stars and stripes.
Supporters are invited to join Jorgensen for beers and donations from 5 p.m. to 9 Thursday at Derry Hegarty’s Irish Pub, 5328 W. Blue Mound Rd., Milwaukee. The $25 entry fee and other contributions will help cover the travel costs for Jorgensen’s family, and possibly her coach, to make the trip to the 2012 Olympics in August.
Another fast girl to watch in local cross country
Molly Seidel rightly captured the headlines over the weekend with her victory in the Foot Locker National Cross-Country Championship.
Another local runner, Rachel Werking, appears to be chasing right off her heels.
Mountain bikers pursue trails in Rib Mountain State Park
Mountain biking advocates in the Wausau area have started to build plans for a trail system that would produce long, dowhnhill rides on the slopes in Rib Mountain State Park.
Hansi Johnson, midwest regional director of the International Mountain Bike Association, led a discussion of the proposal Wednesday night, and gathered input from about three dozen people.
Rampaging Santas set to cycle a holiday tradition
'Twas the week before Christmas, and all through the city
Santas cycled in costumes, plump and pretty,
On bikes did they ride, pedaling far and near
Their gifts to all were joy and good cheer.
DOT says "no" again to bikes and pedestrians on the Hoan Bridge
For the second time in a decade, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation rejected a proposal to add a bike and pedestrian lane to the Daniel Hoan Memorial Bridge connecting downtown Milwaukee with neighborhoods and suburbs to the south.
In an announcement Friday, Secretary Mark Gottlieb cited the cost and the projected traffic problems in declining to include the pathway in the plans for a major bridge rehabilitation set to begin in 2013.
Reflecting on the Hoan
I've long been torn on the merits of a bike lane on the Hoan Memorial Bridge, wrestling to weigh the cost, usage and potential for more return on investment in paths on city streets.
This morning, though, on a run south of the bridge, I looked at the the blue span and arches in a light snow, with the skyline reflecting the early sun, and thought: "Damn it would be great to run across that thing right now."
Easement protects ski trails at Minocqua Winter Park
Don Behm reported on Saturday that a couple from Illinois had purchased 3,195 acres in Oneida County and granted an easement that will protect the 75 kilometers of ski and snowshoe trails in Minocqua Winter Park.
Ken and Carolyn Aldridge, of Libertyville, donated a conservation easement on the property to the Northwoods Land trust, the reported to be the largest conservation easement granted to a land trust in the state.
Top-10 workout song list sweats at 120 beats per minute
Work out mixes are as individual as the millions of exercisers sweating into their ear buds.
Whether its dance beats, Euro pop or 80s classics, there is one universal rule: it has to bounce at 120 beats per minute.
Eau Claire city officials consider ordinance requiring bike racks
Bike racks would be required as part of the parking plans for new buildings in Eau Claire, under an ordinance proposed by the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission.
As detailed in the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram, the committee will consider a standard of one bike spot per every 10 vehicle parking stalls for multifamily housing, rooming houses, commercial and industrial businesses, schools and hospitals.
Let there be skiing. Short loop opens at Lapham Peak
Thanks to Chris Jones for tipping me off to the trail report from Lapham Peak, where man-made snow has been spread to cover a 1/4-mile loop for skate-style skiing.
Paul Sandgren, the superintendent of the Southern Unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest (the guy in charge) posted the notice Tuesday morning. Skiers should be aware that it's a two-way loop, stay to the right.
Citations in death of Oak Creek bicyclist add to push for vulnerable user law
The driver who crossed the center line and killed a bicyclist in Oak Creek has been cited for two traffic violations, after a Milwaukee County prosecutor declined to pursue criminal charges in the case.
The decision follows similar actions by district attorneys across the state, who have declined to prosecute motorists in crashes that kill bicyclists and pedestrians.
Trio from Minnesota chosen to re-create Birkebeiner legend
A trio of skiers full of Norwegian heritage has been chosen to play the roles of the Birkebeiner Warriors and the mother whose centuries-old story inspired the modern-day races.
Barry Knapp and Darald Bothun, coaches on the Rochester High School Nordic Ski Team, will portray Torstein and Skervald, the birch leggers who rescued baby Prince Haakon during a Norwegian civil war in 1206.
Road rage on the bike path turns cyclist against roller skier
Cycling advocates need to redirect their campaign from share the road to share the path, after a cyclist allegedly attacked a man on roller skis behind the Kohl Center in Madison.
Police reported that the roller skier, a 56-year-old man, commented "cutting it close" after the cyclist made a quick turn in front of him the afternoon of Dec. 15. He then encountered the cyclist, waiting for him a bit further down the path.
Skiing at Lapham Peak rated "surprisingly good"
Chris Jones checked out the man-made snow loop at the Lapham Peak recreation area Thursday night and rated the conditions "surprisingly good."
Using the equipment provided by the Friends of Lapham Peak, the crew produced enough snow to put down a 6- to 12-inch layer on a 1/4-mile loop.
And the Velo Award goes to Matthew Busche
Mixed in with the presents under the family tree in Wauwatosa, pro cyclist Matthew Busche scored a holiday honor via the 2011 Velo Awards.
The cycling magazine picked Busche's victory in the USA Pro Cycling Road Championship as its 2011 Domestic Ride of the Year. The 26-year-old, riding for Team RadioShack, surged out of a four-man breakaway to outduel veteran George Hincapie for the win.
Runners go for champagne finish in Run into the New Year
Nearly 2,000 runners will put a champagne finish on 2011, or kick-start 2012, in the annual Run into the New Year at State Fair Park.
With the field growing each year, the 5K and 10K races organized by Great Lakes Multisport are starting to rival the Polar Plunge as New Year traditions.
Houston hires Trek's B-cycle for bike-sharing venture
Trek's bike-sharing business landed another Texas customer earlier this month, when the Houston City Council awarded B-cycle a $105,000 contract to install three kiosks and 18 bikes.
In Spring, B-cycle installed kiosks and bikes in San Antonio, and now has its bike sharing system operating in 10 cities, including Madison. The Trek venture was a finalist for the mega-contract in New York City, but lost out to Alta Planning & Design.
Birkebeiner moves ahead on new trailhead, back up start area
The American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation will build out a new trailhead south of Cable as a backup to the current start area adjacent to the Telemark Resort.
In announcing the plan, the ABSF board also said it planned to continue starting the popular races at the Cable airport as long as possible.
Laps at Lapham: Skiing that thin white line between sanity and silly
It's December 29, and where, south of Wausau, is there snow in Wisconsin?
With fewer and fewer days remaining before the Birkie in late February, my brother-in-law Adam Dowling and I, out of desperation, made the one-hour drive from Madison to Lapham Peak, in the Town of Delafield, Thursday morning. Skiing on man-made snow was preferable, we agreed, to being on roller skis or CAT Skis this late in the season, and certainly better than having to submit to the NordicTrack machines in our basements.
Big turnout uncorks a Run Into the New Year record
The 7th annual Run Into the New Year attracted close to 2,500 celebrants to State Fair Park on Saturday, without a nugget of deep-fried food to be found.
Instead, a sunny day, a flat course and free champagne induced the record crowd to turn out for the 10K and 5K races that have become a New Year’s Eve tradition in Milwaukee.