Time to Renew Your Racing License

USA Cycling lists 12 PBC members with racing licenses that expire on 12-31-08, and 5 PBC members whose licenses expired on 12-31-07.  Time to renew your license for next year's races:  www.usacycling.org

The PBC will be holding its annual meeting soon.  Any ideas or suggestions are welcome.  Just send us an e-mail.

Pip Wins National Cyclo-Cross Title!!!

Pip Bannister of Putney just won the 60-64 National Title at the US Cyclo-Cross Championships in Kansas City. Check out the VeloNews story, including an interview with Pip, here. USAC has a great photo of Pip celebrating his victory. Cyclingnews.com has a photo of Pip and dailypeloton has the podium shot with Pip resplendent in his new Stars-and-Stripes jersey (although they got the caption wrong). Way to go Pip!!!

Tour of the Battenkill 2009

The 2009 Tour of the Battenkill returns April 18-19, 2009 in the Battenkill Valley of Upstate NY.

Changes from last year:
1. Course & venue change to Cambridge, NY (12 mi. south of Salem, NY - site of 2005-2008)
2. 100k / 62 mile Pro/Am on Saturday, April 18
3. A pending addition of a UCI 1.2 Professional Men's Race on Sunday, April 19 - 200k
4. Cyclo-Sportif on Sunday morning

Registration for the Pro/Am opens at www.bikereg.com December 21 at 7 PM.

Prouty Double Century - Benefits Norris Cotton Cancer Center

Billed as the Prouty Ultimate, July 10-11, 2009, a 200-mile, two-day ride through New Hampshire’s beautiful countryside. 1st Century is from Manchester to Hanover: lake shores, small towns, vistas and rolling terrain. Transportation to Manchester is provided.2nd Century is the Prouty Century Ride: rivers and farmland, gentle terrain, a jubilant celebration at the end.

Total ascent for the first day is 4,580 feet and 3,228 for day two. Overnight accommodations in new, air conditioned dorms the night before the ride at Southern New Hampshire University and the night after the first century at Dartmouth College. Minimum fundraising level is $2,500.

Proceeds benefit the Norris Cotton Cancer Center with patient services for New Hampshire and Vermont and research for the world.

Wanted: Cyclists to Contribute to This Blog

Will Kraham has been working hard at maintaining this Putney Bike Club website - but anyone who is interested can contribute: adding upcoming events, ride write-ups, or whatever you want that's cycling related.

So just post a comment here, and I'll send you an "invitation" to contribute to this blog. Up to 100 people can have "author" status on the site.

2008 West Hill Shop Cyclocross Race Results

To see the results, photos and a video of the 2008 West Hill Shop Cyclocross Race (and 2008 Vermont State Cyclocross Championships), visit westhillshop.com.

Connecticut Valley Century

2008 Connecticut Valley Century (COVAC) Benefit Bike Ride - Saturday, Sept. 6 starts and ends at the Hatfield Pavilion, Billings Way, Hatfield, MA. This rain or shine event features rides of 100, 75, 50 and 25 miles.

Ride Fee is $25 prior to 9/3 - get a free ride T-shirt; $35 on the Day of the ride.

Registration/check-in is from 7:00 a.m.-9:00 a.m. Fee includes cue sheets, SAG stops & snacks, and an after ride Baked Potato with all the fixings. All proceeds benefit the Amherst Rotary Good Works Fund.

For more information www.amherstrotaryclub.org/covac or call Sandy at 413-665-7505.

Last TNR - This Tuesday - Sept. 2nd

This Tuesday is the last planned TNR of the season. Potluck was scheduled for West Hill Shop Sept. 9, but it has been cancelled because of bad weather forecast and lack of RSVP. Email suggestions for end of season ride and barbecue to Pam Matweecha.

Quad Cross 2008 (Bedford Springs)

Presented by QuadCycles, Middlesex Community College
Bedford, MA
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Register here.

Sucker Brook Cross

Presented by Nault's Cyclery
Auburn, NH
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Online Registration Closes Thursday, September 18, 2008, 12:30 AM ET

Register here.

Green Mountain Cyclo-Cross Weekend

Green Mountain Cyclo-Cross Weekend, Verge NECCS Rounds 1 & 2, UCI Class 2
Presented by Catamount Family Center, Williston, VT

Saturday, September 27, 2008 to Sunday, September 28, 2008
Online Registration Closes Thursday, September 25, 2008, NOON ET

Register here. Race flyer here.

Grand Prix Louis Garneau 2008 Cyclcross de Magog

Grand Prix Louis Garneau 2008 Cyclocross de Magog

Presented by
Martin Valiquette

Magog, PQ

Sunday, September 21, 2008
Online Registration Closes
Friday, September 19, 2008 at 8:00 AM ET

Register here.

Race flyer may be found here.

New England Velo-Cross Challenge

Presented by Lead Cycling Promotions
Londonderry, NH

Saturday, September 20, 2008
Online Registration Closes Friday, September 19, 2008, 6:00 PM ET

Register here.
Race flyer here.

Amesbury Cross

Presented by Noreast Cycling
Amesbury Pines Park Amesbury, MA

Sunday, September 14, 2008
Online Registration Closes Friday, September 12, 2008, 9:00 PM ET

Register here.

Race flyer may be found here.

Cycle-Smart Cyclo-Cross Training Camp

Cyclo-Cross Training Camp
Presented by
Cycle-Smart

Northfield, MA, at the Northfield/Mt. Hermon School

Friday, September 05, 2008 to Sunday, September 07, 2008
Online Registration Closes
Sunday, August 31, 2008 at 11:45 PM ET

Register here.

Three Notch Century

Three Notch Century

Lincoln, NH

Sunday, September 07, 2008
Online Registration Closes
Friday, September 05, 2008 at 4:00 PM ET
Register here.

Benefits Northeast Passage.

"This scenic and challenging ride will take participants through the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Cyclists will begin at Loon Mountain in Lincoln, NH and ride through Franconia Notch, Crawford Notch and over the Kancamagus Highway, ending back at Loon for a post event meal. Entry fee includes Three Notch Century t-shirt, four check points and post-event meal.

Participants are encouraged to raise additional funds to support Northeast Passage's disabled sports programs. All proceeds benefit Northeast Passage, a non-profit organization that provides recreation and health promotion programs to people with disabilties in New England."

"Northeast Passage delivers disability-related health promotion and adapted sports programs throughout New England. Northeast Passage is a program of the University of New Hampshire’s College of Health and Human Services is an affiliate of Disabled Sports USA. All proceeds from the Three Notch Century directly benefit the participants of Northeast Passage's adapted sports programs."

Tour of Quebec Registration Deadline is Approaching

The Tour of Quebec

There is open registration for men and women, to race on 9/6 and 9/7: Juniors, Cat 3-4, and Masters. 164.5 km for men; 138.5 km for women.

Putney/West Hill & Friends Race Results

I've been in Austin, Texas for the last five weeks, so the blog is a bit out of date. Here are some recent and not so recent race results to report:

Mt. Ascutney Hill Climb 3.7 miles
The conditions were hot and humid.

Jay Gump - Incline Training - 7th overall (1st in age group 34-44) at 28:42
Stephen Power - N.E. Roadmasters - 13th overall (3rd in age group 45-54) at 31:05
Michael McCusker - NCC - 26th overall (1st in age group 55-64) at 32:30
Jeremy Coleman - Putney/West Hill - 124th overall (9th in age group 55-64) at 40:44

Concord Criterium

Steve Fortier - Putney/West Hill - 26th Master 45+

Tokeneke Road Race

Bruce Carlson - Putney/West Hill - 21st Master 55+

Housatonic Hills Road Race

Mike McCusker - NCC - 5th Master 55+

Nutmeg Classic Criterium

Bruce Carlson - Putney/West Hill - 22nd Master 55+
John Bentley - 1st - Master 65+

Hartford Downtown Criterium

Steve Fortier - Putney/West Hill - 55th Master 40+
Bruce Carlson - Putney/West Hill - 15th Master 60+

Claremont Criterium

Steve Fortier - Putney/West Hill - 11th Master 35+

Unless I'm mistaken pardners, it appears that Steve Fortier is racing more than any other club member.

Putney/West Hill Race Van - Update

I have been searching for a used step van to convert into a PBC vehicle that could be repainted in the team colors and outfitted with fork mount bike racks, ski racks, gear boxes, and seats, and could be used for all club events: transporting racers and bikes and gear to road races, criteriums, cyclocross races, mountain bike races, nordic races, or used as a support vehicle for special events (length of the state ride; tour of the valley ride, charity rides; 4 gap ride, etc.). I was looking for an aluminum body vehicle, with either a gas or diesel engine. UPS, when they retire a vehicle, they remove all usable parts, paint it gray, and have it crushed. I guess they don't want anyone to associate "Brown" with any activity other than UPS deliveries. I received conflicting reports from FedEx drivers about what happens to their vans when they retire them. A certain bakery driver told me his company never retires their trucks, they just keep replacing parts and they are still using trucks manufactured in the 1960s. Wonder Bread has some good used step vans for sale. I have looked on ebay, craig's list, and other internet sources. I have found some promising trucks, but since no one responded to me about this project (except for Daq - who was as excited and enthusiastic as I had expected he would be), I assume that no one is interested and I have abandoned this project for now. My original post entitled "Putney/West Hill Race Bus" dated May 3, 2008 resulted in ZERO comments. The WHS made it clear that they could not support the project financially (nor did I ask them for any $), and were apprehensive about parking it in the field since it may cause trouble with the town (a sign issue).

If there is any interest in pursuing this project, please contact me.

A great New Yorker article about step vans ("A Fleet of One") can be found here.

PBC Membership Benefits Reminder

PBC membership benefits include:

10% off tires and tubes
10% off cycling tops and bottoms
10% off West Hill Shop clothing
Free or discounted admission to bicycle clinics and workshops
Summer Cycling Feast at West Hill Shop
Ability to post on PBC website
Discounted entry fee to West Hill Shop races (Mt. Bike / Cyclocross)
Putney Food Coop 10% off coupon

Plus the prestige of wearing the legendary PBC colors, recognized throughout the world since the 1960s.

Join now here.

Waiver can be found here.

TNR Start Times

A reminder that all TNR start promptly at 5:30 pm from that week's venue.

Wenzel Coaching Article on Race Tactics

Read aritcle here.

Race Results / Rider Down

Putney/West Hill Racer Results:

Hartford Criterium

Masters 40+ Steve Fortier 55th place (field sprint with winner)
Masters 60+ Bruce Carlson 15th place (field sprint with winner)

Rider Down:

John Bentley, who won a Senior Games race on Saturday, crashed on Sunday during a group ride while descending on Route 100 when two riders touched wheels and crashed in front of him. Concussion (LOC), bruises, road rash, but nothing broken. All he needs is a new helmet and a few weeks to heal.

Colorado Premier Training

For anyone who might be interested:

"My name is Chad Wells. I'm a coach with Colorado Premier Training (CPT) and I'm offering to you an exclusive offer for Putney Bicycle Club. This is a brand new sponsorship program we have just come out with, and I hope you'll be interested in taking us up on our offer.

The offer includes huge group discounts on:
* Individualized Coaching
* Wind Tunnel Testing (in some sponsorship packages, free)
* Power Meters
* Training Camps
* And much more...

CPT is one of the most experienced and successful nation-wide coaching organizations, and are also known for our 100% success rate at the CPT Wind Tunnel making teams like Team Slipstream, the fastest time trial team in the world. We work with recreational athletes to Olympians, and have the right coaching package for everyone.

Some of the athletes we work with, or have worked with, include:
* Levi Leipheimer, Professional Road Cyclist
* Tom Danielson, Professional Road Cyclist
* Dave Zabriski, Professional Road Cyclist, Fastest TT ever in the Tour de
France
* David Millar, Professional Road Cyclist
* Anthony Colby, Professional Road Cyclist
* Teddy King, former USA National Team member, Professional Road Cyclist
* Magnus Backstedt, Professional Road Cyclist
* Chris Baldwin, Professional Road Cyclist
* Christian Vande Velde, Professional Road Cyclist
* Danny Pate, Professional Road Cyclist
* Taylor Phinney, World Time Trial Champion
* Tom Peterson, Professional Road Cyclist
* Marisa Owens, Professional Road Cyclist
* Ben Jacques-Maynes, Professional Road Cyclist
* Dotsie Bausch, Professional Road Cyclist
* Chris Wherry, 2005 USPRO Champion, Professional Road Cyclist
* Jamie Whitmore, Xterra World Champion
* Lisa Lieb, Xterra Age Group National and World Champion
* Todd Wells, Olympian & US National Cyclocross Champion
* Shonny VanLandingham, 2006 NORBA Champion
* Chann McRea, USPRO Champion
Some of the current teams we work with include:
* Team Slipstream/Chipotle-H30
* Team Type 1 Pro Cycling Team
* Fort Lewis College Cycling Team
* Legacy Energy Professional Cycling Team
* Echelon Spokes and Slopes Racing

The sponsorship we are offering will allow your club to gain the fitness and knowledge to compete at the next level, using individualized training plans to maximize your clubs potential. Working with Colorado Premier Training, you will receive professional level coaching from our staff.

Please contact me for sponsorship program details. Our offer is through July 31st only.

To learn more about Colorado Premier Training, you can check us out on the web at http://www.coloradopremiertraining.com.

Chad Wells
Director of Residency Coaches
Colorado Premier Training
231-330-0594
chadw@coloradopremiertraining.com
http://www.coloradopremiertraining.com
**Click here for a chance to WIN a FREE wind tunnel session**"

Tour of the Valleys Road Race History

Wearing the Putney/West Hill jersey and racing in the Master's field last season inevitably brought questions from other racers, such as, "How's Neil?" "Is the shop still without plumbing?" "Where's Scott Wade?" "Is David Bradford here?" along with comments, such as," The Tour of the Valleys was a great race." I trained with Doug Dale at Incline Training this winter, and he would reminisce about the TOV race. I rode the Tour of the Valleys course on May 17th, and noticed the usual landmarks (the water spigot with the cyclist sculpture on Kurn Hattin Hill; the sheep in the meadow with the sheep dog near the fence on the Patch Rd. at the Major farm) and realized what a great course it must have been, since it had two climbs, and a hilltop finish (Green Mountain Orchards on West Hill Rd.), and unlike many of the road races today, it did not consist of several laps around a shorter course. So I asked Neil to give me a little history about the race, and here is the first installment regarding the first three years.

"The first TOV was a point to point starting in Lebanon, NH, and finishing all the way up at Putney School, at that last turn up to Elm Lea Farm. John Allis led for most of the race, but was passed right at the last turn by Doug Dale, a savvy drafter and sprinter, who took the inside line. The next race was on the current loop, except the finish was at the Putney elementary school. We thought all the hills would spread out the field but there was a bunch sprint, at 30+ mph, of over a dozen riders for the win! We had to ask the racers where they thought they placed. So the next year we changed to a "promoter's finish", that is, after a steep climb. So most racers remember the finish at Green Mtn Orchards. Yes, there was cold beer available after the first events. We often, in the first years, had some hot Canadians come down who would take the best prizes home"

Ride Leader Needed for TNR on June 10th

Weatherhead Hollow Road
Franklin Farm
Leyden

Colrain
Leyden

Arne Hammarlund will not be able to lead the TNR on Tuesday June 10th - it starts at the Guilford Fairgrounds, is a 37 mile ride through the towns of Leyden and Colrain and Guilford. Please contact me if you can lead this ride.

Recommended Road Races in June

Waterville Valley Time Trial
Campton, NH
Saturday, June 07, 2008

Register here.

Cyclonauts Road Race
Monson, MA
Saturday, June 14, 2008

Register here.


Housatonic Hills Road Race
Southbury, CT
Sunday, June 15, 2008

Register here.





Cox Charities Cycling Classic
Providence, RI
Saturday, June 28, 2008


Register here.

TNR Schedule Update and Other News

There have been some changes to the schedule, so be sure to check the latest version of the TNR schedule here.

If you have paid your PBC dues and have not received your membership card please let me know -- send an email to putney.bicycle@gmail.com or directly to me at will.kraham@gmail.com

The next VMBA monthly meeting will be held at Grafton Ponds in Grafton VT, on Wednesday May 21 @ 7pm. Grafton Ponds is interested in becoming a chapter of VMBA, which is excellent news! For more info, contact:

Patrick D. Kell
Executive Director
Vermont Mountain Bike Association
1949 East Main Street Richmond, VT 05477
802-434-3969 x 112
www.vmba.org

I have created a PBC folder for all members to post their favorite routes on Map My Ride, and I will publish the username and password when I finish mapping my hill climber's ride and upload the route to the folder.

Tour of the Valleys Weather Update

It is raining now, but the weather tomorrow for the TOTV ride is promising: At the time of the start, the temperature will be in the high fifties or low sixties, so you may want to start in arm warmers and knee warmers. It will be partly cloudy all day, with only a 20% chance of rain -- it will rain late in the afternoon, but you will be napping with a full belly by then. There will be a 9 mph wind from the west, so we may have a tailwind as we ride from Grafton to Saxtons River. See y'all tomorrow.

TNR Gaps

There are still some gaps in the TNR schedule -- rides w/o leaders. Please look over the schedule here and let me know if you can lead a ride.

Oyez, Oyez, Weekly Mt. Bike Training Races Start on Wednesday, June 4th

The Putney Bicycle Club, through the efforts of John Buser and John Baker, will start weekly mountain bike training races at the race course at the Putney School Lower Farm, every Wednesday at 5:30, beginning on the 1st Wednesday in June -- June 4th. There will be category A, B, and C races -- self-selected. All mountain bike racers are welcome - you do not have to be a member of the PBC to race - but this series would not be possible without the generous volunteer effort of PBC club members. If you want your bicycle club to offer more events of this type, then you need to step up, pay your dues, and take an active part.

Tour of the Valleys

The classic Tour of the Valley ride will take place this Saturday, May 17th. The start location is the West Hill Shop. The start time is 11 a.m. Post-ride food provided courtesy of the West Hill Shop and the Putney Bicycle Club. All riders of all abilities are welcome, but if you are not a Putney Bicycle Club member, now is your chance to join the club. This is a tour -- not a race. Be safe, have fun. Below is the official flyer.

Tour of the Valleys RIDE
This Saturday, May 17th

Leaving from the West Hill Shop at 11AM
This historic 60 mile race loop through Windham County Vermont is now a scenic show-n-go ride, finishing with an apres ride feast with friends. Maps available, but no support. PLEASE sign in before you ride, thanks!
Raindate Sunday the 18th departing @ 12:00pm
Questions....
email Jim Sweitzer at jim@westhillshop.com

Check out West Hill Shop here

Check out Putney Bicycle Club here

TNR - May 13th - Change

The start location for the TNR tomorrow - May 13th - has changed from Marlboro College to the Chesterfield Inn, with the post-ride meal at Top of the Hill Grill. Ride leader is Bob Immler. Pass it on.

TNR May 13th

The Tuesday NIght Ride will be from Chesterfield Inn, with dinner at the Top of the Hill Grill.

The Length of the State Ride - Our Club History

The West Hill Shop today (it was once located on West Hill Road in Putney).

In an earlier post, I informed readers of the 1st Annual Connecticut River Challenge Ride - a one-day event from the Canadian border to the Massachusetts border on Route 5. (See post dated 4/20/08).

Neil Quinn, founder of the West Hill Shop, former racer, promoter of the famous "Tour of the Valleys" road race, and the father lode of historical information about cycling in these here parts for the past 40 years, provided me with the following history of the length of the state ride:

It was Bob Gray (West Hill Shop/Snail Cycles co-founder, many-time national X-C 50k champion) who had the idea to ride the state in one day as a training exercise with several other hot-shot cross country ski racers. Johnny Caldwell had earlier persuaded some ski team members (including Bob) to run the Long Trail from Canada to Massachusetts as a training exercise (a new record, 9 days 4 hours, 270 miles, in 1969). Most of the riders in the first years were national-class X-C skiers; Bob, Jim Galanes ("The Motor"), Tim Caldwell, Chris Osgood, Joe McNulty, Stan Dunklee (I think), Kim Mumford (US downhill team). Bill Koch came along on a number of the rides, although his knees usually gave out after about 150 miles. It was sort of by-invitation-only, trying to include only good riders who would not crash out the others, or start too quickly and not maintain the pace. We would do support with one or two vehicles, often with Bob's wife Sue in their truck. The plan was to keep buying food and drink and pull ahead of the riders every hour or two and stop so they could take on vittles. They would stop most years for an hour for lunch, around Stockbridge. Sometimes there would be a swimming stop, in Plymouth. One year we went up the night before and camped out near North Troy....the mosquitos were so bad we packed up about 9:30pm and had to search out two motel rooms for the rest of the night! One year I was able to fit 13 (count 'em, thirteen) bicycles, along with Bevan and Jeremy, into my red Suburban, while most of the riders went up in other cars. The usual start was at day break at the border checkpoint at North Troy. The usual route was Route 100 all the way to Route 30 then to Route 5 to finish at the Bernardston border. The skiers, just off their season, were not concerned with Terrible Mountain or any other hills. I never rode the whole way myself, but joined in for segments. One year Bill Koch thought it would make sense to start at the Mass border; he said he heard that there would be a wind out of the South all day. They had a head wind most of the way instead.

After many LOTS rides each year, it died out as a West Hill thing, largely due, I think, to too many Bozos wanting to come along.

Other groups have done it, of course, since those early days (I think we were the first). Betsy and I had a friend (Doug Fontaine, a VBT leader) who started up north near Canada with a another rider, rode down one day unsupported to our house on the Massachusetts border, spent the night on our kitchen floor, and rode back up the length of the state the next day.

This is one of those events that exists just in our memories....little was ever written down. We did take a few pictures sometimes. I remember one of Bob by the Massachusetts border sign; he was very obviously thinner than he had been that morning at the start.

Stay tuned for more posts on our club history.

Putney/West Hill Race Bus

I previously floated the idea of buying an old school bus, painting it in the West Hill colors, and converting it to carry bikes and racers to road, mt. bike, and cross races. However, my discussions with the Vermont Dept. of Motor Vehicles went nowhere, and even if we took out most or all of the seats, they maintained that the driver would need to have a commercial driver's license, since the bus was originally designed to carry X number of passengers -- so I gave up.

Now I am considering reviving the concept, and purchasing a panel van instead, so anyone can drive it. Is there any interest in this project? I can locate a vehicle, but will need help painting it in the West Hill colors, and installing bike racks and ski racks and clothing and equipment boxes, and seats for racers. If it is parked in the field in front of the shop, with the side facing I-91, it will serve as mobile advertising for the shop. Anyone interested in forming a committee to work on this project? When I obtain non-profit certification from the IRS as a 501(c) organization for the PBC, any monetary donations or labor can be deductible as charitable expenses. We will need to raise some funds for purchase, supplies, registration, and insurance. If you are interested in helping out, drop me an email.

You're either on the bus or you're off the bus.Tom Wolfe, The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. This is a great book by Tom Wolfe first published in 1967. It tracks the story of Ken Kesey following the eye of the storm so to speak as it leaves the Beat Generation, stops by the Perry Lane bohemians and then crashes onto California at full force with the hippies, LSD and psychedelia.


The van could be used to go to races, but can also be used as a support vehicle for long recreational rides, like the Length of the State ride, and can be used for cross country ski events, and we could have the van in the 4th of July parade, with a group of riders in PBC clothing riding behind the van throwing out Gu packets to the crowd.

Will.

Berkshire Brevet 300k

Berkshire Brevet 300K
Westfield, MA
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Register here.

"A hilly route heading west into the Berkshires then south along the Housatonic river to Kent CT. Crosses into eastern NY before returning to Westfield. Route is Lollipop shaped. Climbs include Jacob's Ladder (8 miles) both outbound and inbound and BashBish Falls (4.5 miles long with two short sections of steep, 18% grades)."

Repository of Rides

I will be creating an account on the Map My Ride website for all PBC members to access ride routes. This site permits the creation and viewing of routes in map, satellite, topographical, or hybrid views. I will post the account name and password in the near future, so stay tuned. You may upload any route you already have created using the Map My Ride tools, or that you have created using topographical software, or simply a text based cue sheet or map. Eventually, we will have a repository of all of our favorite rides that all members may access at any time. The link for the Map My Ride website is already on our main page, on the right hand side, under the heading "Our Favorite Spots."

On a personal note, I upgraded to Cat 3 based on my road race results in 2007, but do not have medical clearance to race this year due to my spinal cord injury resulting from the OTH accident last August during the D2R2 endurance ride, which prevented me from competing the Green Mountain Stage Race. I will be competing in the Mt. Ascutney, Mt. Agamenticus, and Mt. Greylock time trials, and participating in endurance events (Brevets, Length of the State ride). I will be having spinal cord surgery in the fall and recovering during the winter (no cross-country skiing for a second consecutive winter).

If you have any suggestions for future posts, please let me know.

Will, PBC, Inc. President

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Star Forming Region NGC 3582
Credit & Copyright: T. A. Rector (U. Alaska), T. Abbott, NOAO, AURA, NSF

This the photo for today. A different photo every day. The link is here.

Syracuse Race Weekend - Stage Race

Syracuse Race Weekend
Syracuse, NY
Saturday, May 17, 2008 to Sunday, May 18, 2008

51 - 111 miles depending upon your category.



A stage race, consisting of the Song Mountain Road Race and the Song Mountain Time Trial (8 miles) on Saturday,
and the Syracuse Criterium on Sunday. The Song Mountain Ski Resort is located in Tully, NY. The road races start at 10 a.m., racing from Song Mountain through Otisco Valley and a climb on Oak Hill Rd. The Individual Time Trial – First rider at 3:30 p.m. The crit starts at 9 a.m. on Sunday and is at Syracuse's Inner Harbor - broad roads and wide turns.
There is a Children's Race – Starting at Noon on Sunday, with free helmets and fittings for children.

Register here.
There is a British style ale brewery in Syracuse - the Middle Ages Brewery, 120 Wilkinson St - Syracuse, NY 13204. Here are their beers, if you are tired of



as your post-race recovery drink: