Winter Savior

We have a lot of great things in the Upper Peninsula.  We have 4 full seasons, an awesome wilderness, perfect summers, white winters, and many other things that make the UP one of a kind.  Although along with it's advantages it does have it's disadvantages, until this year that is.

With the sport of cycling growing so popular and the talent pool getting deeper their is no time to slack anymore.  You cannot get away with casual riding in our short summer months.  Putting on fun miles for 6 months a year will make anyone a good rider/racer and has made a lot of good riders from the UP but when your competing at the highest level 6 months does not cut it, you'll get eaten up.  Forget getting eaten up you won't make it.  You need a year round plan., not necessarily a year round cycling plan as it's always good to take time off the bike in between seasons, but a year round training plan.  This year round plan does include an early start to your cycling.  Problem!!!!  We live int the Upper Peninsula and riding during the winter months is not possible.  You cannot be on the roads, they are snow covered and with anything over 15 mph you will suffer with frostbite (Ask Danny Hill.  Not fun.) from the wind chill.  You cannot ride the trails, they are covered in 8 feet of snow.  You cannot ride the snowmobile trails, even when groomed the 2.5 inch tires will cut through like a knife in warm butter.  You cannot ride the trainer, while you can but its so unhealthy to ride a trainer for hours on end in January.  Its like taking drugs,  you burn out.  You ever see a brain on drugs, yeah it's bad, well hours on a trainer in January has the same effect.

SOLUTION......SAVIOR!!!!

Surly Pugsley

This bike has hands down giving me the best start to a season I can ask for.  What is it you may ask?  First, get your head out of the gutter as this is the hottest thing to hit Marquette County in over 100 years.  (Get yours at Quick Stop Bike)  Second, it's called the Surly Pugsley.  A winter bike built in our neighboring state of Minnesota.  It's built with a wider fork, wider rear triangle, and a wider bottom bracket all to support the massive 4 inch wide tires/wheels.  The aforementioned  mentioned problems are all solved by this bike.  Wind chill effect, you're on trails where wind is not as much of a factor and with 4 inch tires anything over 15 mph is flying.  Fresh snow, ride through it.  Groomed trails, ride on top of them.  This bike handles the UP like it was made to ride on snow.......wait it was.  Thats the beauty of it, its like Chevy Silverado, raw snow power.  What about when the winter is done?...........nope we don't put it away.  We take it out and ride the beach like a magic carpet rides the air.

In past years I have spent hours a week on ski trails.  Gaining valuable fitness that transferred very well to the bike.  A good change a pace but when you love to bike it doesn't cut it.  I have spent the same amount of hours biking this year in December, January, and February as I have skied in the past.  If skiing hours have been good for my bike fitness Pugsley hours is going to be awesome for it.  Now that block 1 of base is under way the Pugsley will continue to provide all I ask of it.  It will build my base and better yet keep it fun.    

2011 Culver's Racing presented by Meyer Family Vision

The 2011 racing year is on its way and its time to announce all the good things that have happened to the team in the off season.  The biggest change, as you can see by the title, is adding a new sponsor.  Meyer Family Vision has come on board and will be our presenting sponsor. Meyer Family Vision is the leading eye care specialist in the Upper Peninsula and it's only fitting that they join the leading Mountain Bike team in the UP.  We are extremely excited to have them aboard and we look forward to great years with the Meyer Family.

Culvers Restaurants of Marquette and Escanaba will continue to support our team in a big way and once again be our headline.  Quick Stop Bike will be our official bike shop and mechanics and they should be yours too.  Quick Stop continues to make sure we are on the best equipment and running smooth every week.  I would also like to thank our other supporting sponsors. 

• St. Onge Insurance 
• I-Build Construction
• Palomaki Family Chiropractic
• A. Lindberg & Sons
• Straight A Photography

As previously mentioned in an earlier blog the teams eyes will be protected by WileyX Eyewear this year courtesy of Meyer Family Vision.  Look for our new style and our protective gear on the trails.

Our 2011 team will be: 

• Tyler Gauthier
• Tim Palomaki
• Danny Hill
• Glen Lerlie
• Ron Williams
• Kellie Stahl

As you can see from the last name on the list we have added a woman to the team.  We are extremely excited to add Kellie to the team and feel she will help show woman this is their sport too.  Look for Kellie in our local races this year.

The schedule will be a full one for 2011.  You can expect all our local riders to be present at our local races and competing in each one.  Here are some of the races to look for this year.  

• Keweenaw Chain Drive
• Ore to Shore
• The Great Deer Chase
• Keweenaw Fat Tire
• Tour da Woods
• Superior Bike Fest

Tyler will be focusing more on a National level along with local.  Here is a tentative schedule:

•  Pro XCT - Sea Otter
• Wisconsin Off Road Series race #1 thru #12
• Pro XCT - Mt. Morris, WI
• Pro XCT - Colorado
• USA National Championships
• Pro XCT - Missoula
• Ore to Shore
• Iceman Cometh
• UP CX Series

Kit design has stayed the same with exception to a few sponsor movements.  We have also added flat lock white stitching to both the shorts and jersey (white stitching not pictured.)

Arrowhead Ultra(COLD) 135

The Arrowhead Ultra 135 starts in International Falls, Mn., better known as America's "Icebox"! Racers must make the 135 mile self supported trek from International Falls to Tower, Mn by biking, skiing or running. All participants are required to have mandatory gear such as a -20 degree rated sleeping bag, bivy sack or tent, fire starter, stove and fuel, 2L insulated water containers, and finish the race with 3000 calories of extra food.

Race morning arrived, -19 degrees, Kerry Ice Arena parking lot, the Start. The parking lot was an eerie sight, with thick clouds of vehicle exhaust rising through the frigid night air pierced by the blinking LED lights which adorned the fronts and backs of all race participants. I had butterflies the size of condors waiting for the starter's pistol to sound, I was definitely afraid of the unknown fueled by the stories I had heard the night before at the pre-race meeting. At precisely 7 a.m. the journey began.

I made a rookie mistake right from the start, not matching my tire pressure to the trail conditions! My tires were way too soft and people were blowing by me like I was standing still, I knew I needed to add air but I didn't want to give up any more places. Trying to keep pace I was working up a sweat, a major "no-no" at -19 degrees 2 miles into the race. I saw another racer pulled over to the side adding air, I decided to join him. Sufficiently aired up, I settled down and got into a groove en route to the first checkpoint, the Gateway General Store. Roughly 35 miles and 5 hours into the race I was feeling pretty good. I grabbed a quick ham sandwich and Gatorade and checked in and out. The start of the second leg was more of the same, a fairly hard fast track, I had visions of a sub 20 hour finish, but course conditions can change quickly! As snowmobile traffic increased the trail surface began to get softer and the hills became more frequent. I was still enjoying the cloudless blue sky and the sound of the fat tires as they rolled along the cold squeaky snow. Closing in on 11 hours on the bike, with temperatures plummeting, and darkness settling in, a sign read "2 miles to Melgeorge Resort", the second checkpoint, mile 70. Two miles on a Pugsley with a frozen hub and a frozen rider seemed like an eternity!

I entered checkpoint 2 which was a beautiful two story cabin with fireplace ablazing and racers sprawled out in various states of undress feasting on a variety of food. I was immediately offered a bowl of hot wild rice soup and grilled cheese sandwich and a seat next to the roaring fire. Race volunteers were collecting wet clothes from the racers and drying them in the clothes dryer. Mentally I was at a low point in the race, I had serious thoughts of calling it quits. I even asked one of the volunteers when the next ride back to Int'l Falls was, fortunately they said not until 10 a.m. the next morning. I thought "hell I can be done by then with a little luck." With warm dry clothes and a full belly it was on to checkpoint 3.

I had heard rumors that the third leg of the race was the toughest, those rumors were definitely TRUE! The hills were relentless, temps at -35 degrees, and I didn't see a soul. I was questioning my sanity for leaving checkpoint 2 but I was in "no-man's land" with no choice but to continue on. At 5:30 a.m. I was at my lowest point of the race, but on top of the highest point of the course with one bar on my cell phone, I called my wife Heidi. That friendly voice was the kick in the butt I needed to carry on. Nearing checkpoint 3 I was out of fluids when I caught up to a racer stopped along the side of the trail, he offered me his last half a cup of slushy chicken broth, it was awesome! The Crescent Moon bar was the final checkpoint before the flat 22 mile ride to the finish.

After refueling on barley soup, a beef sandwich and about a half gallon of coke, it was time to get this over with. Shortly after leaving checkpoint 3 my left knee really began to hurt when I pedaled. I got off the bike and walked a few times, walking didn't hurt, but I couldn't push the bike 22 miles! I decided I would pedal 150 revolutions and walk 25 steps. I continued this until I was down to doing 100 revs to 50 steps. After 31 hours, I finally arrived at the sign to the Fortune Bay Casino, the race finish, adrenaline must have kicked in, because there was no pain to the finish line!

Its been a week since the race, I don't know if I would have did anything any different. Prior to the race I placed various nutritional products in the freezer to see which ones were the most edible while frozen. My nutrition on the bike was perfect and consisted of: Powerbar energy gel blasts, Powerbar electrolyte drink, Larabars, Clif Shot Bloks, and beef bouillon. Hycreek.com's baselayer products and balaclava kept warm and dry in the sub zero temps. My only real injury is frostbite to two toes that I was unaware that I had until after the race. The Arrowhead Ultra 135 is a well run and well organized event, but it definitely isn't for WIMPS!!!!