Weekly Update!

NEWS SUMMARY

• Bill “Bucketman” Morse takes to the streets at the not-so-Frosty non-Snowshoe 5k roadrace and takes the No 1 spot in the age group as he prepares for Snowshoe Nationals.
• Steph “Superlicious”-Cooper marches through the scenic Martha’s Vineyard 20-miler before the love-bug bites.
• Snow issues of last week has GSSS with a rare double header on Saturday the 20^th. Please note the night race has had a course change due to further dwindling snow cover as Mother Nature continues to play her games.
• Road Bike Rider guides you around the corner, the sharp corner, for you corner-challenged riders. See article below.

UPCOMING RACES/EVENTS (Feb/Mar):

Feb 20^th (Morning) – GSSS Horse Hill 7k Snowshoe Race (Merrimack, NH) (Reschedule from Feb 13^th)

Feb 20^th – (Night) GSSS Kingman Farm Moonlight Snowshoe 5k (Madbury NH)

Feb 21^st – King Pine Winter Tri (East Madison, NH) (Race #4 of 4)

Feb 21^st – Half at the Hamptons Half marathon (Hampton Beach, NH) www.active.com

Feb 27^th – GSSS Exeter Snowshoe Hullaballoo (Exeter, NH) (Reschedule from Feb 6^th)

Feb 28^th - Sheraton Hyannis Marathon/Half-Marathon (Hyannis, MA) www.hyannismarathon.com

Mar 6^th /7^th - U.S. Snowshoe Nationals Weekend (Syracuse, NY)

Mar 14^th – GSSS Championships sponsored by Redhook (Gorham, NH)

Mar 20^th – Multisport World 2010 Conf & Expo (MIT Cambridge, MA) www.multisportworld.com

Mar 28^th – Michael Schott Memorial Circuit Bike Race (Marblehead, MA) www.bikereg.com

(do you have a race or event coming up that you want others to get interested in? Send it so I can post it!)

Snowshoe Races/Results/Standings

GSSS - http://hstrial-cdunn9.homestead.com/GraniteSeries.html

WMAC - www.runwmac.com

Winter Tri Series Races/Results/standings

www.wintermultisport.com

RACE NEWS:

Feb 13^th – Martha’s Vineyard 20-miler (Vineyardhaven)

The Super-Coopers, Steph and Dan and an entourage of Wicked Club Runners headed to the MV20. As Steph called it “ it’s a beautiful scenic run on the Vineyard and the conditions were great, I’d recommended it to anyone”. Dan’s injuries (seems like we all have them these days) kept Dan from the long runs and had to bow out before it started. Superlicious Steph kept the Orange & Black on course and finished with a well run steady pace in the middle of the 450 runner pack. Congrats Steph. Good thing this race wasn’t on Sunday as Steph and 4 others in her crew caught a Valentine’s day luv-bug that took all out of commission. We wish all well. This winter has been so full of crazy illnesses taking people down from a few days to a few weeks!

Feb 14^th – GSSS Frosty’s Snowshoe Dash for a Cure (Atkinson, NH)

Another poor snow condition weekend spelled doom for yet another snowshoe race as the Frosty’s Snowshoe Dash became an asphalt sprint. No snow, no snowshoe; no snow, no golf-course trail race (too-damaging); welcome asphalt pavement. Bill “Bucketman” Morse said he was lazy this past weekend and opted for the short drive to Frosty's in lieu of a 2+ hour drive to a snowshoe event in the western part of the state, but it was everyone else that was lazy, Bill was the only Comp rep along with 6 other DRR racers in the field of 120. It was a fast winter road race.....a race slightly short of 5K. Bill kept up with the speedy youngsters and was 14th overall out of 120, winning his age group, leading the DRR crew and bringing DRR back up to 2^nd place in the GSSS team standings. 2-weeks to Nationals and Bill is peaking at the right time.

With the recent snow hopefully Horse Hill and Kingman Farm this Saturday will both have enough cover to give Bill some actual “snowshoe” training before nationals. Although the thin cover has altered the Kingman Farm evening course, it will be well worth it as its an Acidotic organized race which means lots of give-a-ways and lots of beer for the victors! Bring it home! (and stop at my place with it and support the injured swillers!)

UPCOMING RACE NEWS

· Comp will be running, snowshoeing, and winter Tri-ing in the white mountain state this weekend, join the action.

OTHER NEWS

Another info tid-bit from Road Bike Rider: Navigating the sharp corners and surviving. Any one who has pushed it hard and fast I’m sure has had that feeling, “Am I going to make this corner?” as the momentum pushes you wide and to the edge of disaster. Enjoy. (Denise, take note, and you’ll be cornering like a pro)

o^o o^o o^o o^o o^o o^o o^o o^o o^o o^o
RBR
Sharp Corners

What the matter? The situation is explained this way by Coach Fred Matheny:

"A few years ago, my wife and I drove from Colorado to Ohio to visit relatives. I was lusting badly for a ride after 2 long days in the car. When I finally got on the bike, I felt like hammering. I chanced upon some curvy pavement and let it rip. "Big mistake. I underestimated the severity of the corners and overshot one especially tight bend, heading straight for the trees, poison ivy and a barbed wire fence. With my tires chattering in a full-fledged 2-wheel drift, I saved it just before catapulting over the rusty wire and into the itchy undergrowth."

Sooner or later you'll probably make this mistake, too, and overcook a corner. What should you do if it feels like you won't make it through?

Here's the Coach's help:

---Lean, lean, lean! Generally, it's better to increase your cornering angle even though you may lose traction and fall to the inside. Consider the options: Either slide down or ride off the outside of the road and hit things like guardrails, trees or big air (for a while) -- assuming a motor vehicle doesn't stop you first.

Of course, if the shoulder is smooth and carpeted in plush grass, running off the road makes good sense. But you'll rarely have time to check and decide. In most cases, the normal reaction -- to stay upright for as long as possible -- can lead to worse injuries. Lean more and you might make it through.

---Stand hard. Give your tires the best chance of maintaining their grip by standing heavily on your outside pedal. Put virtually all of your weight on it. Press hard and push your bike into the turn. When you're doing it right, the machinery will be angled more than your body.

---Brake, then don't. Take off as much speed as you can before the turn, then release the levers. This is another technique that goes against instinct. But braking in a turn makes a bike want to straighten, the opposite of what you need it to do.

That said, you can usually feather the rear brake in a turn without dire consequences. It may slow you just enough to make it through. But be ready to let up if the wheel grabs, chatters and threatens your control.

Caution! Don't use the front brake while turning. This goes for normal cornering, too, not just panic conditions. Front braking when the bike is leaning will point you anywhere but where you're aiming. It can even cause the front wheel to wash out abruptly -- and down you go.

(Adapted from Coach Fred's Solutions to 150 Road Cycling Challenges)

(IF U GOT RACE NEWS, SEND ME A WRITEUP, I’LL POST ANY DISTANCE, ‘CUS ITS ALL FUN STUFF)

I can’t print it if I don’t know about it.

Ride smart, ride hard, ride fast, love your bike, (“Race like a Tri Star, Kick a little arse!”)