Walking and Cycling promotion

If you're interested in checking out Community Television Network's video promoting biking and walking activities, and which will be part of an upcoming episode of their "Eco Sense" program, check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLs_XuRMaTM.

Michigan State TT results

Lots of AAVC members were at the State TT on Sunday on Hines Drive. Results are now posted.

Congratulations to medal winners:
SHEDLOCK, John - second, Masters Men 55-59
BOHNSACK, Larry - third, Masters Men 55-59
VERMEULEN, Vincent - first, Junior Men 10-12
VERMEULEN, Nikolaas - first, Junior Women 13-14
BERKOOZ, Hana - first, Junior Women 13-14

And our Cat. 2, 3, 4, and 5 riders were looking good, too! Look for lots of names in the results.

Summer schedule for junior riders

As school ends and summer gets in a full swing, it seems like a good time to set a schedule for summer junior rides with the club. The goal this summer is to provide more regular opportunities for everyone to get out so we've switched around a few things and the following lets you know all of the options available for rides.

For junior-focused rides, Tuesday and Wednesday will be the main days. These rides will oriented toward helping juniors learn skills and getting the chance to ride with other juniors. There will be coaches and/or junior team mentors at these activities weekly to provide guidance.

* Tuesdays at 7:45 p.m. at Runway Plaza (http://bit.ly/aavcmap) will be the "B group" criterium practice following the full-speed criterium practice. Just like the full-speed criterium practice, the juniors, some women, and some other new riders will do a few short practice races to work on speed and group riding skills.

* Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. at Greenhills School (http://bit.ly/aavcmap) will be the junior practice. This will involve a combination of skills/ games and group ride; it will be similar to the Saturday rides we've done in the past.

For older juniors, including those ready to race in Cat. 4 or 5 fields, the following rides may interest you. These are faster, longer rides and require more bike handling skills, responsibility for oneself, speed, and endurance, so they will not be right for all riders. Some of these rides will have club coaches in attendance, others may not. Please ask if you have any questions about participating in these rides.

* Monday club rides (6:00 p.m., Wheeler Park, 20-30 miles) are great for learning group riding skills at a moderate pace (18-20 mph usually) and are appropriate for older juniors or those with good bike handling skills and decent speed.

* Tuesdays (6:30 p.m., Runway Plaza) are criterium practice, with the first hour+ being high speed practice races that will challenge the best rider's speed and group riding skills. We do 6 short practice races to provide multiple opportunities every evening. These are for riders with very good bike handling skills and speed.

* Thursday (6:00 p.m., Forsyth School, 40-60 miles) is a fast group ride that would be good for junior riders who are at the level of being ready to do some senior races (Cat. 5 or 4).

* Saturday and Sunday, 9:00 a.m., Wheeler Park -- long club rides for riders wanting to do more miles (often 50-70 miles, sometimes more).

Again, the Tuesday and Wednesday junior-focused events are best for young and new riders. If you have an interest or questions about any activities, please ask. We'll also have a handful of other junior team rides and activities during the summer, like trips to the velodrome, or a century ride.

If you have any questions about any of this, please let me know.

AAVC clothing design

We finalized the design with the artist at Hincapie Sportswear a few weeks ago, and the production version has now been approved. That's all to say, we finally know what our team kits will look like when they arrive in late April. Stay tuned for updates in mid-April as the shipping date approaches for details about when and how you'll be able to pick up clothing you ordered.

For now, have a gander at what the design will look like...

Women's track clinic

If you (or a woman you know) are interested in getting involved with track racing or developing your skills further, there will be a women’s track clinic early this season in Chicagoland. The announcement:

If you are woman interested in learning about track riding and racing please consider attending this clinic. If you know of a woman who might be interested in checking out track bike riding and racing, please let them know about this instructional event. This is a great way to get that roadie to check out the track and see what they are missing.

John Vittallo

Event: Women's Track Clinic 

"Track Cycling Instruction"

What: Sports Practice

Start Time: Sunday, April 18 at 8:00am

End Time: Sunday, April 18 at 12:00pm

Where: Ed Rudolph Velodrome

To see more details and RSVP, visit:

http://www.facebook.com/n/?event.php&eid=339529902306 (log in to Facebook required to view the event details)

26th Annual Ann Arbor Spring Training Series (STS)

Event details are now available for the Ann Arbor Spring Training Series. Check the event website for more information. We’ll also be looking for club members to assist before and during this series, so if you’d like to be involved, please contact Lucas at lucasjw@gmail.com.

Tailwind Cyclocross and Mountain Schedule for 2010

Robert Linden of Tailwind was at the MMBA Expo, and their 2010 cyclocross and mountain bike race schedule is looking good. Check out the schedule here.