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
Cyclist hit by car, killed while riding in Muskego
A 66-year-old man from Cedarburg was hit by a car and killed while riding a bicycle on Muskego Dam Rd. shortly before noon on Friday, according to the Muskego Police Department.
The initial release did not include the name of the victim, who is the first cyclist killed by a motor vehicle in 2011. Last year, 10 people were killed in collisions involving bikes and cars, and there were 11 such fatalities in 2009.
Marquette alums spark the Fireworks Four in Hales Corners
Marquette University alums Cassie Nelson and Scott Mueller started their Fourth of July celebrations at full speed Sunday morning.
Nelson ran a 23:54 to win the women's division in the Firecracker Four in Hales Corners, and Mueller bested the field with a 19:48 - keeping the tempo just under 5-minutes-per mile. Both won by comfortable margins: Nelson nearly 40 seconds ahead of Heidi Haapasklo, and Mueller 12 seconds in front of Ryan Jacobs. of Roxue, Ill.
Off the Couch embarks on the never-ending marathon: Fatherhood
I ran a personal best for four miles in the Firecracker Four in Hales Corners on Monday morning, but it was young Eleanor who carried the day of PRs in the Held home.
Celebrating the Fourth of July, the little one, just two weeks old, knocked back three ounces of breast milk in a single sitting. That bested her previous single-feeding mark by nearly a quarter-ounce.
Solo ultra leads through the internal wilderness
Sara Knutson running a personal ultra on the Ice Age Trail.
Avoid the tailpipe: exhaust impairs heart function in cyclists
Idling in heavy traffic is frustrating for motorists and damaging for cyclists, according to research conducted by Canadien health experts.
Reported Wednesday in Environmental Health News, the researchers found short-term exposure to the exhaust from heavy traffic significantly decreased heart rate variability in the study cyclists for up to three hours after they finished riding. Experts say reduced heart rate variability is associated with a higher risk of heart attacks.
Kenosha teen races to seven national championships
Sarah Huang loves competitive cycling: any discipline, anytime, anywhere.
Building a fat society
The news today that more than one-quarter of Wisconsin adults tip the scale beyond obese continues a trend that research suggests is tied to auto-centric lifestyles.
As I wrote back in May: Sheldon Jacobson, from the University of Illinois, concluded that by driving more from place to place, instead of walking or biking, Americans have become increasingly sedentary and are burning fewer calories. He points to that as significant factor in the surge in obesity, from a rate of 15.9% in 1995 to 26.3% in 2007.
International Cycling Classic opens for a 43rd year of pro cycle racing
The Point Premium Root Beer International Cycling Classic, the longest-running pro cycling series in the country, opens its 43rd edition on Friday.
Feeding families draws Kenyans to Summerfest Rock 'n Sole
In the simplest terms, they’re running for food.
Runner hit by car returns to the outdoors in the Rock 'n Sole
More than 6,500 will line up for the Rock ‘n Sole races on Sunday morning and the return of running over the Hoan Bridge for the first time in more than two decades.
Inaugural Rock 'n Sole leaves plenty of work for an encore
It was a bad sign for the inaugural Rock 'n Sole, when the medical tent filled up faster than the water cups.
That is a slight bit of hyperbole, but the race organization did not generate any standing ovations.
Rock 'n Sole director apologizes, promises improvements
Tom Schuler, the event director for the heat-stricken Rock 'n Sole races, took responsibility for the problems during Sunday's race and offered an unequivocal apology late Sunday.
"As Race Director, I owe all of the participants and the Summerfest Management team a sincere apology," Schuler said in a statement issued by the Summerfest PR staff.
A veteran's suggestions on the Rock 'n Sole: Go south.
More than 6,500 people participated in the inaugural Rock ‘n Sole on Sunday, creating 6,500 opinions on how to improve the races that the director contritely admits were seriously flawed.
I’ve participated in other races – notably the Madison Marathon – where the medical tent filled up quickly with runners needing IV solutions because of dehydration and heat exhaustion. I’ve also put myself in a bad situation and made a late-night trip to an emergency room by pushing myself beyond my body’s capacity.
Madison-area athletes sweep Trek and Pewaukee triathlons
Will Smith won the eighth annual Pewaukee Triathlon by a comfortable margin on Sunday, and joined two other fellow Madison-area competitors on the top step of the awards podium.
Smith, from Mt. Horeb, beat Pete Metz, of Germantown, by nearly five minutes in the sprint distance race that included a swim in Pewaukee Lake, a 16-mile bike lap and a 3.1-mile run.
Rock 'n Sole reportedly considers refunds
Following up on the problems in the inaugural Rock 'n Sole races, WTMJ-AM (620) reports that race director Tom Schuler is considering refunding a portion of the entry fees to the participants.
Schuler, through Summerfest officials, issued an apology Sunday night, taking responsibility for the lack of water at aide stations during the 10K and half-marathon races. More than a dozen participants were taken to local hospitals and another 50 were treated at the finish line for dehydration and heat exhaustion.
Trek's B-cycle waiting on word from New York
News from New York today puts Trek's B-cycle business in the running as a finalist to provide the bike-sharing system in the Big Apple, with a decision expected in the next month.
Trek launched B-cycle in 2008, in partnership with Humana and Crispin Porter + Bogusky, and now offers its rental bikes in 11 locations, including Madison.
Roessingh, Mathews win state criterium championships
Jordan Roessingh, a Madison rider racing for the ISCorp Team, won the Wisconsin State Criterium Championship on Sunday, in a sprint finish.
Holly Mathews, also of Madison, ensured an ISCorp sweep in the pro and elite races by winning the women's top division.
Asian teams make their mark on International Cycling Classic
Cyclists representing Team Taiwan and Team Hong Kong have taken wins in the early stages of the Point Premium Root Beer International Cycling Classic, making their mark on the Superweek series that continues in Brown Deer Park on Wednesday.
Feng Chung-Kai (Team Taiwan) won the opening race in the 43rd annual Superweek on Friday night in the Beverly Hills Cycling Classic. Feng surged out from the pack to gather sprint points and cash lap prizes, then held off John Grant (Texas Roadhouse/Motorex) for the win.
Green Bay drops its free bike-sharing program
Green Bay will shut down the free bike sharing it offered at downtown locations, after three years marred by theft and vandalism, according to a report on wisconsinoutdoorfun.com
Similar initiatives have failed for similar reasons. It seems free means "take it" to far too many individuals.
Wisconsin DOT looks to replace retired cycling leader
Cycling supporters hope to have some input on the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s plans to replace one of the country’s bicycle leaders.
Kevin Hardman, executive director of the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin, said recent retiree Tom Huber left behind big shoes to fill.
DOT reconsiders biking / walking lane on the Hoan Bridge
The long-standing "no" has softened to a "maybe" for the addition of a bike and walking lane on the Daniel Hoan Memorial Bridge, according to a report by Journal Sentinel reporter Tom Daykin.
Reporting from a meeting of the Long-Range Lakefront Planning Committee, Daykin writes that a regional director for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation announced plans to study the potential of accommodating nonmotorized traffic on the 2.5-mile span over the Port of Milwaukee.
Jenny Crain set to circle the Milwaukee Mile
Jenny Crain won’t produce the fastest mile on Saturday, but the most significant.
Summerfest offers refunds to Rock 'n Sole participants
Summerfest will provide refunds to participants in the inaugural Rock ‘n Sole races, which were marred by a lack of water and cups at aide stations along the race route Sunday.
According to an announcement issued late Thursday, participants will be eligible to receive a $15 refund from their entry fees, which ranged from $40 to $100, depending on the race and date of entry.
Wangsgard on pace for International Cycling Classic three-peat
Nichole Wangsgard, a college teacher who spends her summers cycling, holds the overall lead through seven races in the 43rd annual Point Premium Root Beer International Cycling Classic.
A year short of 40, Wangsgard has kept herself near the front of the pack and picked her spots wisely in the races in Illinois, Brown Deer Park and Cudahy. On Friday, she will continue to pursue a third consecutive Superweek overall title in the Brookfield/Maximized Living Criterium / presented by Bravo Cucina Italiana.
Serenity found in the Sylvania Wilderness area
It's a cliche, but life really does slow down in the North Woods.
Long, tea-fueled chats around the kitchen table and meandering bike rides and ski workouts are staples of my visits to friends in Land O' Lakes.
Aussies beat the heat in Racine Ironman 70.3; Harms wins in Door County.
Australians Paul Ambrose and Christie Sym steadily pulled away from the competition for victories in the pro division of the Spirit of Racine Ironman 70.3 on Sunday.
Ambrose crossed the finish in 3 hours, 51 minutes, 50 seconds. On the run, he maintained the lead built over fellow Australian Tim Berkel on the bike leg and was never threatened.
International Cycling Classic: Wangsgard secures three-peat, Feng holds yellow
Nichole Wangsgard proved she's perfectly capable of working and playing well with others, scoring her third straight victory in the Point Premium Root Beer International Cycling Classic with the help of her Primal Racing/MapMyRide teammates.
In 2010, the college teacher from Cedar City, Utah, raced solo to defend her Superweek crown. This year, she had friends and helpers, including Tiffany Pezullo, who wrapped up the women's portion of the series with a victory in the Evanston Gran Prix.
Cyclists take flight and beat airplane in Carmageddon challenge
By taking the victory in the Carmageddon challenge, the team of cyclists that beat a Jet Blue flight on Saturday elevated self-propelled transportation across the country and out-stunted the air carrier in the PR chase.
As a promotional tactic tied to the weekend closing of I-405 in California, the country's busiest freeway, Jet Blue offered $4 flights to cover the 30 miles from Burbank to Long Beach. A few laps of social media later, a group of cyclists called the Wolfpack Hustle took up the challenge of beating air travel between the destinations.
Bayfield climber leads team to summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro
Lori Schneider returned to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro on Monday, roughly 18 years after she climbed the peak with her father and began a journey to the seven tallest summits around the world.
The path took a difficult turn in 1999, when Schneider was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, but she turned the challenge into Empowerment Through Adventure and led others by example.
Cyclist killed in Oak Creek crash
Oak Creek Police report that a 56-year-old man was struck by a car and killed about 6 p.m. Sunday while biking on S. NIcholson Rd.
The victim was identified as Sam Ferrito, an Oak Creek resident.
International Cycling Classic: Feng rides winning break to retain yellow jersey
A breakaway featuring two veterans of the 2008 Olympics lapped much of the field in the Whitnall Park Road Race on Tuesday, and Pennsylvania native Bobby Lea proved the strongest of the pair.
Lea, a USA Cycling National Champion, beat Feng Chung-Kai and Ricardo Van de Velde to take the win in stage 11 of the Point Premium Root Beer International Cycling Classic. Feng finished third, good enough to maintain a 20-point lead over Laurent Beuret in the overall standings. In its 43rd year, the series has riders from Taiwan, Switzerland and the Netherlands on the top three steps of the podium.
Thilmany Paper's Scalebusters win $10,000 in weight loss contest
A five-man team dubbed the “Nicolet Scalebusters” lost a combined 292 pounds to claim victory and $10,000 in the Wisconsin Matchup weight-loss challenge
The first-time contest, organized by the wellness firm HealthyWage, included 212 teams that trimmed a collective 6,431 pounds. Thilmany Papers, based in Kaukauna, had the winning Scalebusters and nine other teams that combined to drop 863 pounds.
Cyclist killed on familiar route in Oak Creek
About 6 p.m. Sunday, Sam Ferrito told his wife he was heading out for a bike ride on his “south route,” the eight-mile ride from his home in Oak Creek toward the Root River Parkway.
Bike crash sidelines Fox 6 sportscaster Jen Lada
Local sportscaster Jen Lada broke her clavicle in a bike crash on Saturday and will be sidelined from her TV duties short-term and her triathlon pursuits for at least six to eight weeks.
International Cycling Classic: National champions battle in Whitnall Park
The sprint finish in the Whitnall Park Criterium pitted the U.S. elite national track champion against Taiwan's national cycling champion, and the American put his wheel across the line first on Tuesday afternoon.
Bobby Lea won for the second straight day in the scenic parkway in Hales Corners, and Feng Chun-Kai took second place and padded his lead for the Point Premium Root Beer International Cycling Classic overall title. Feng is just five days away from becoming the first Asian rider to take home the yellow champion's jersey, in a Superweek series that started in 1968.
Cooling off, polar plunge style
I noted in the hot-weather tips from the National Weather Service that a cool bath or shower will cool your body 25 times faster than sitting in an air-conditioned room.
Just watching this video from the 2009 Polar Plunge has a similar effect.
For Alzheimer's research, teacher on the run today from Madison to Milwaukee
Roughly 2,300 miles into his run across the country, and facing the most severe heat in decades, Glenn Caffery worried more Wednesday about the roofers he spied on his trek from Madison to Milwaukee.
"I do all the right things, and they're not taking breaks like I am," he said in a telephone interview from the road.
International Cycling Classic: Feng attacks to secure overall lead
Feng Chun-Kai launched a bold attack Wednesday to win the Humboldt Park Bay View Rumble and take a firm hold on an international title to go with his Taiwan national championship.
The 23-year-old surged out of a breakaway group with five laps to the finish and held off a hard-charging Andrew Crater. The win gave Feng (Action Cycling Team) a 40-point lead over Laurent Beuret (Team Atlas Personal) in the chase for the overall title in the 43rd Point Premium Root Beer International Cycling Classic.
Rush on Festa to run as scheduled Thursday night
Runners should plan to take the start line as scheduled for the annual Wheels and Heels Rush on Festa tonight on the Milwaukee lakefront.
Organizers plan to have an extra water stop and plenty of fresh fruit on hand for their part of the summer 5K festival season.
Cure Alzheimer's Run update: Lake Mills to Wales
Given the record-level heat yesterday, I was compelled to ring Glenn Caffery this morning and find if he had melted on the Wisconsin portion of his cross-country journey.
The 49-year-old from western Massachusetts started from Oregon in May and is running to Rhode Island to raise money to support Alzheimer's disease research. He found the Glacial Drumlin Trail out of Madison on Wednesday and slogged out more than 20 miles to Lake Mills.
Kenosha County executive cited in crash with bicyclist
Kenosha County Executive Jim Kreuser was ticketed for failing to yield the right of way Wednesday, after he collided with a bicyclist pedaling with a passenger near the county administrative building.
The bicyclist and his companion suffered minor injuries and were taken to the hospital after the 3:38 p.m. crash, but they left before receiving medical treatment, according to the police report.
Tough Mudder promises 10,000 volts of luxury
Will Dean, a mud-splattered entrepreneur, built a business plan based on the theory that shared experiences are the new luxury goods.
And unlike the rest of the economy, the market for group suffering is booming.
International Cycling Classic: Lea wins number three, Feng holds yellow
U.S. Olympian Bobby Lea raced away from an international group and took his third victory Thursday in the Point Premium Root Beer International Cycling Classic.
The Pure Energy Cycling rider from Pennsylvania lapped the field with teammate Jackie Simes, while Superweek series leaders Feng Chun-Kai and Laurent Beuret marked each other in the breakaway. Cole House, the young rider from Oneida, broke away to take second and Hsiao Shih-Hsin rounded out the podium in the Brewers Hill Classic.
Bay View Classic shows off new course and Team VeloCause
The Bay View Classic, a fresh addition to the venerable Superweek cycling series, provides an opportunity to show off the neighborhood and a new team devoted to racing and charity.
International Cycling Classic: Simes wins in Kenosha; Crater takes sprint lead
Jackie Simes pulled out of a six-man break to win the Chase Food Folks & Spokes criterium in Kenosha on Friday, and continued the track racers' domination of the Point Root Beer International Cycling Classic.
Feng Chun-Kai, an Olympian from Taiwan, has turned his track experience into a winning performance in the Superweek overall standings, and U.S. Olympian Bobby Lea (Pure Energy Cycling) has won three races in the 17-race series. Lea's teammate, Simes, took his turn atop the podium after an aggressive ride on the 1-kilometer criterium course.
Milwaukee native reigns in the Tour de France
Australian rider Cadel Evans secured his victory in the Tour de France on Saturday, giving a family of cyclists and Olympic-caliber skaters from Milwaukee cause for a top-of-the-world celebration.
Evans' BMC Racing Team was built and guided by Jim Ochowicz, a Milwaukee Piux XI High School graduate who cycled from his own Olympic pursuits to manage teams at the highest level of the sport. Ochowicz founded and managed the original 7-Eleven Cycling Team - the first U.S. professional cycling team to participate in the Tour de France - and became president and general manager of BMC in 2007.
Soladay wins inaugural Bay View Classic
The inaugural Bay View Classic lacked the big crowds that turn out for its predecessor to the north, on the Great Downer Ave., but the Superweek race did match the party spirit and the winner.
Thomas Soladay took advantage of a moment of hesitation in a 10-man breakaway and sped off with just over a lap to go Kinnickinnic Ave. His move was decisive, and Soladay book-ended his Superweek victories: the Great Downer Ave. Race and the Bay View Classic. The Kelly Benefits rider saves his best for Saturday nights.
No shock: Two-dozen Tough Mudders hauled off to local hospital
Twenty-six of the participants in Wisconsin's first Tough Mudder obstacle run were hauled off for treatment at Sauk Prairie Memorial Hospital, a spokeswoman there said Monday.
The injuries ranged from fractures, lacerations and dislocations to heat related illness, all to be expected considering the 10-mile course included a 12-foot wall, numerous plunges, a run through burning hay bales, and strands of electrified wires. (Thanks to Breann Schossow for chasing down those numbers).
Taiwan national champion wins International Cycling Classic
Feng Chun-Kai won the opening race in the 2011 Point Premium Root Beer International Cycling Classic on July 8, and maintained his Asian domination right through the finale Sunday night in Whitefish Bay.
Feng's Action Cycling Team was the most dedicated and strongest over the 17 races, and their efforts allowed him to stand on the top of a truly international podium.
Kratz rolls through France on Ride 2 Recovery
In Emily Kratz’s latest cycling adventure, she left the competition behind … literally.
The racer from Pewaukee didn’t hammer through a time trial. Her fellow riders didn’t instigate attacks or trigger sprints. Instead, they pushed pedals in a united effort.
Lakefront Marathon changes course
Organizers of the Lakefront Marathon have tweaked the 26.2-mile course between Grafton High School and Veteran's Park to show off the lake bluff at Concordia University and shorten the finish, or at least make it seem that way.
With the extra half-mile added in the loop on the university campus, the finish will be shifted off the sea wall and along the lagoon in Veteran's Park. The change eliminates an agonizing loop at the end, with the finish line in sight.
Chicago adds buffer for bikes
Cyclists in Chicago celebrated the ribbon-cutting on Monday for a bike lane protected from traffic with plastic posts and a parking lane, a beefier version of the cycle track being installed on Bay St. in Milwaukee.
The bike lane, on a half-mile stretch of Kinzie Street, is similar to protected bikeways praised by riders and criticized by motorists in New York and other cities. The project in Chicago cost $140,000 and is part of Mayor Rahm Emanuel's proposal to install 25 miles of protected bike lanes each year.
Tough Mudder return to Devil's Head "99% certain"
Wisconsin has a spot on an expanded Tough Mudder calendar for 2012, and it's "99% certain" the British commando-type obstacle run will return to the steep hills of the Devil's Head Resort in Merrimac.
Will Dean, the founder and CEO of the grueling franchise, said the inaugural run in Wisconsin on Saturday and Sunday went well, except for parking problems at the venue. That should be corrected next year, Dean said.
Tour de Fat needs a car-swapper for its return to Humboldt Park
New Belgium Co.'s melding of beer, bikes and vaudeville will roll back into Humboldt Park on Saturday, in need of a car-swapping star to headline its three-ring circus.
As part of the 13 Tour de Fat festivals around the country, New Belgium swaps a $3,000 Black Sheep commuter bike for a car, traded by someone willing to forgo motorized transportation.
Family seeks answers in mysterious Oak Creek biker fatality
Sam Ferrito’s survivors have visited the scene of his death numerous times in the past week, always leaving with more questions than answers about the crash that killed him on July 17.
To them, it’s inexplicable that a car heading in the same southbound direction on Nicholson Ave. would cross the center line and hit Ferrito, who was biking along the northbound lane intent on avoiding exactly the kind of collision that killed him.
Evans' ride to Tour de France victory passed through Superweek
Australian cyclist Cadel Evans celebrated his victory in the Tour de France on the same day the Point Root Beer International Cycling Classic wrapped up its 43rd run of Superweek races.
The series and the cycling star have a more direct connection than that twist of the calendar.
Work starts to extend river trail in Wausau
Heavy equipment started moving brush and dirt Thursday to clear the path for a 1.5-mile extension of the River Edge Parkway in Wausau.
The Wausau Daily Herald details the partnership that joined to develop the pathway: Marathon Electric Manufacturing, Regal Beloit and a grant from the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Grant program.
Bike-share starts in Madison, struggles in Miami
The start-up of a bicycle rental system in Madison has received mostly positive reviews, while a similar system in Miami has struggled with a slightly different business model.
The Miami Herald reports that DecoBike has fallen well short of generating the advertising revenue it had projected, after four months of operation. Like the B-cycle system in Madison, the Miami bike-share charges for usage, but also counted on money from sales of ads on its bikes.
Tom Bunk set for his 24th Minnesota Voyageur Trail Ultramarathon
Tom Bunk, part of the first-family of ultra running, earned top billing in this preview of the 30th annual Minnestoa Voyageur Trail Ultramarathon in Duluth.
The 69-year-old runner from North Prairie has finished the 50-mile race 23 times, more than any other participant.
UW-Eau Claire student paddles to New Orleans
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire senior Ben Jonas used to describe himself as more likely to be on the couch playing video games than playing outdoors.
Tour de Fat rolls its cycling spectacle through Bay View
The New Belgium Brewing Co. brought its Tour de Fat extravaganza to Milwaukee on Saturday, and the costumed cyclery created a rolling spectacle through the Bay View neighborhood.
