Ride the Divide rolls on the big screen in Madison and Milwaukee
Based on the reviews I've read, Ride the Divide beautifully captures the epic adventure of the mountain bike race it documents, the 2,700-mile Great Divide from Banff, Canada, to the Mexican border.
Local enthusiasts, or just the curious, will have two opportunities to see the film this week: at 7 p.m. Wednesday night in the Rosebud Cinema, 6824 W. North Ave., in Milwaukee, and at 8 p.m. Wednesday night in the Orpheum Theater, 216 State St., in Madison.
Wrapping up the Flying Pig Marathon's nude runner
Enjoying a respite from the rush of news today, I ran through some of the coverage, or lack thereof, about Brett Henderson.
Haven't heard of him?
Injury rates higher in young athletes who specialize in a single sport
Pre-adolescent athletes who specialize in a single sport have higher injury rates than their more well-rounded counterparts, according to the research findings from the Loyola University Health System.
The results of the study, which included 154 athletes, match earlier guidlines from the American Academy of pediatrics.
Minneapolis goes gold and Eau Claire makes the list of bicycle friendly communities
Eau Claire won a bronze ranking and Onalaska an honorable mention in the latest Bicycle Friendly Community awards from the League of American Cyclists.
The two cities in western Wisconsin join Madison, La Crosse and Milwaukee among the Badger state representatives recognized for promoting bicycling. Madison is one of 11 cities in the country to receive a gold designation. Milwaukee and La Crosse have bronze.
The greater good: to race fast, or to fast from racing?
Would Jesus race? I had never pondered that question until I received this posting from Off the Couch contributor Sara Knutson.
Budget panel cuts $5 million for bike/pedestrian projects
Backing Gov. Scott Walker, the Republican majority on the Joint Finance Committee has voted to eliminate $5 million in state support for bicycle and pedestrian paths from the 2011-'13 transportation budget.
Based on the vote 12-4 vote on Tuesday, state support for transportation enhancements from gas tax and related revenue appears to be short-lived, lasting only one budget, 2009-'11.
Volunteers needed for cycling national championships in Madison
The University of Wisconsin Madison Cycling Club has volunteer slots left to fill for the USA Cycling Collegiate National Championships Friday through Sunday.
The UW team is hosting the championships for a second year, and needs a few more workers to help as course marshals for the road race on Friday and the team time trial on Saturday. In addition to directing traffic at corners, the team needs more people to help delivering provisions to locations on the course, according to Ken Huxtable, president of UW Cycling.
Tour of America's Dairyland hosts weekend clinic for women cyclists
The Tour of America's Dairyland has upped its prize money for women in its upcoming 11-race series, and will host a weekend clinic to help riders build their skills to grab a bit of the cash.
There is still room available in the bike handling and group riding clinic from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and the race skills session from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday. The Saturday classes will be based at the Wheel & Sprocket store in Fox Point and the Sunday lessons will take place in the Germantown Industrial Park.
Reviewer finds perspective in "Ride the Divide"
Off the Couch contributor Stephen Smith took in the movie Ride the Divide last night at the Rosebud Theater. The veteran bike racer from Wauwatosa put the bicycling challenge in perspective, with this review. The movie is showing tonight at the Orpheum Theater in Madison, in a benefit for the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin.
Favorites look to home advantage in USA Cycling Collegiate Championships
Three of the women named as favorites to win USA Cycling National Collegiate Championships in Madison this weekend will look to ride the advantage of racing in their home state.
Kaitlin Antonneau, Ashley James and Natalie Klemko will be among more than 400 riders representing 103 collegiate racing teams in the championships, hosted for a second consecutive year by the University of Wisconsin cycling team.
Who's up for a game of Capture the Flag?
Showing that an adult cause can include some childish fun, the Miwaukee River Greenway Coalition has organized an all-comers "Capture the Flag" game in Kern Park on Saturday.
The group is working to develop the paths along the Milwaukee River for long-term recreational uses, and the outing in the park will help bring people up-to-speed on their work. More importantly, it will be good fun; although not necessarily clean.
Bikers race to fill Riverwest 24
In a confirmation of the low-key nature of the Riverwest 24, even the organizers were surprised when it filled in about six hours.
That's 600 people, who registered in person, on Sunday and Monday.
James, Anderson reach the podium in USA Cycling Collegiate Nationals
Ashley James, from Dousman, led an early break in the women's Div. 1 road race on Friday and stayed with the winning group to the finish line in Blue Mound State Park.
Riding for Appalachian State University, James took the bronze medal in the USA Cycling National Championships, behind Anna McLoon, of Harvard, and Rachel Warner, of Lees-McCrae College. James is the defending collegiate cyclocross champion and will look to add to her successes in the criterium in the University Research Park on Sunday.
Antonneau wins USA Cycling collegiate title, leads local sweep
Racine native Kaitlin Antonneau won the sprint to the line in the criterium on Sunday and the overall individual title in the USA Cycling Collegiate National Championships in Madison.
A freshman at Marian University, Antonneau took fifth in the road race on Friday and helped lead her team to victory in time trial and the overall Division 1 championship.
Runners: Start your engines for racing on the Milwaukee Mile
The banked turns of the venerable track at State Fair Park in West Allis, home to racing stars for more than a century, will play host to a new form of foot-power on July 16: the inaugural Milwaukee "Make it Happen" Mile.
In the once-around format, children, aging runners and local elites all have the chance to swap rubber and race to the winner's circle.
Storm damage closes Tuscobia Trail
The Tuscobia Trail from Winter to Park Falls has been closed by trees blown onto the trail by strong winds from a thunderstorm in northern Wisconsin early Monday morning.
Tax for bike lanes dropped in Maine, debated elsewhere
A proposal to impose a 2% tax on sales of new bicycles failed to win approval in Maine, but with tight budgets in states around the country, similar suggestions for funding cycling improvements are likely to follow.
"If bicyclists want bike lanes they should pay for them" is a common argument following stories about bike and pedestrian paths. The point was made again last week, after a blog post on the decision to cut $5 million for bike and pedestrian enhancements from Wisconsin's 2012-'13 transportation budget.
Door County Half Marathon checks its growth
Dominick Meyer led a record-number of runners across the finish line of the Door County Half Marathon on Saturday, ending a streak and starting a discussion about growth for the popular race.
Jason Ryf, a teacher from Oshkosh, won the previous three half-marathons on the lakeside course in Peninsula State Park, but injuries and a conflict kept him from returning to defend his title
CAMBA trails ready for Cable Classic race, chase for the "Dominator" trophy
The lingering winter in the north woods raised some worries that the mountain bike trails in Bayfield County wouldn't be open in time for the annual Cable Area Off-Road Classic, on Saturday.
Race organizer James Bolen wrote on Tuesday that the course would be ready for the 16th annual race on the challenging single-track trail developed by the Chequamegon Area Mountain Bike Association.
My RSVP for the 30th annual Ice Age 50
With equal measures of excitement and anxiety, I’m looking forward to the 30th annual Ice Age Trail 50 this Saturday. It will be my first attempt at running 50 miles (or any distance beyond 31 miles) and I don’t know what to expect.
