Spring is HERE!!! (sorta)

It's spring, never mind the silly 4" of snow. PERFECT weather for getting out on the CX bike. Ran into Aimee L out there buzzing away on her mtb with studded tires. Huron River Dr was so wet and sloppy, I should have just ridden IN the river.

Came home with a extra-large tooth gear. This is why the mechanics at Aberdeen Bike & Outdoors run to the back room everytime I bring in a bike.

Team Day at Aberdeen Bike & Outdoors

Signs of spring....Team Day at Aberdeen Bike and Outdoors! Mike opened his doors Sun for a showcase spectacular of bikes, gear, and goodies. Though wet and cold weather discoraged the planned team ride, the store was filled with summer-like enthusiam. The grrrrls ooohed and ahhhed over everything from a 29-er Trek mountain bike to smokin' fast race wheels to blue flora motif gloves (which coordinated with our baby blue jerseys).

Kathryn, Christine, Laura R, and Kathleen

For more information about Aberdeen Bike and Outdoors check 'em out at
www.aberdeenbike.com


Mike and Grace discuss component choices

Session two and I'm still feelin the love

Session #2 of 'yoga for cyclists' is complete. Let me start by saying, I'm not a a traditional yoga person. Heck, I'm not the kind of person you'd like to see in a yoga class. As a matter of fact I almost got kicked out one time because I was laughing and playing around too much. Yoga's not generally my thing. That said, I was intrigued when I found out there was a class "Yoga for Cyclists". So I persuaded Laura J to come along for the ride....two people who would rather giggle through a class than try to hold the pose and say "OOMMMMMM".

So off Laura and I went to "Yoga for Cyclists" Monday the 7th. Of course I got singled out right away...likely because I sat front and center at the first class and I made Laura start cracking up. The reason: Ms. Shelley, our instructor, was watching this out of shape work-a-holic shaking like a leaf trying to hold a perfect plank and says to me "If you feel yourself shaking while holding this pose, you can rest". What I heard in my head was KC and the Sunshine Band's "Shake Shake Shake Your Bootie" and started to laugh . . . out loud - ooops - not exactly "OOOOMMMMM"

I never thought of myself as 'tight' but apparently I am - so Ms. Shelley has made it her personal mission to get me in peak form for spring cycling. She is a gentle soul, strong and tiny and apparently very good at what she does, because I went back to class this week, without my trusty side-kick, Laura (who is in Alabama cycling) and had a great workout. I'm a total convert.

The class was great and I'm pretty surprised by my flexibility in one week. So try it - you might just become a convert.

Skipping Chemo = More Bike Time!!!!

Ours truly Anne G made the Detroit News thanks to new cancer diagnostics and her enthusiasm for biking!

Kudos to the Anne-animal! As seen her native environment (on a mountain bike in the snow)

Full story HERE


Photo: Bryan Mitchell / Special to The Detroit News

Worst Day of the Year Ride!

12F temps and a windchill advisory did nothing to scare off our intrepid riders Aimee L and Laura J from tackling the 40 mi Polar Bear route. Though spring and the racing season doesn't start for a few more months, tell that to the boyz. By the first hill up towards St. Joes, the pace heated up faster than a seatwarmer set on 10. The grrrrls held their own, even with Aimee weighed down by a mtb with studded tires and Laura's lame "my brakes are rubbing" excuse 'til after a rather brutal roll-up before the halfway point. The grrrrrls wisely paced themselves, holding back from the group slugfest and joining two guys off the main group 'til Laura sensing home was "only" 10 miles away, made a run for it. With Aimee laying down some studded tire sass, the two tough-grrrrrls somehow caught (and shed) a cast-off from the main group, in the process losing the other two guys. Whooops!

Need clothing? We're ordering!

You want 'em? You need 'em? We're ordering!

Same beautiful design (light blue with the colorful Pear Tree Pen partridge in a pear tree).

--Short sleeve jerseys (women's, men's, kids available)
--Skinsuits (for that SuperFast look and feel!)




--Vests (heck we need these practically year-round in Michigan)




--Heavyduty winter jackets and long sleeved jerseys are available as well.

Champion System Clothing SIZING
note: the 2010 clothing ran smaller than the samples
For pricing, additional info, and questions
contact the team

Uncompensated product testimonials

"These jerseys are SWEEEEET!!!"-J

"My butt never looked smaller!"-L

Wed night rides are ON!

2 diehards (Aimee & Laura J)

+5" of fresh snow

+darkness

+10F temps (see thermometer!)

+windchill (who knows?!)

= 15 miles of FUN!!!

Put away that '99 Tour de France video you've been chanting along with Phil and Paul for the past five winters, find some warm clothes, and dust off the ol' MTB.

This was merely a Jens Factor 3 ("chilly, bracing, wintery") ride.

#1 Cat 3 Team of 2010!

Congratulations to the cat 3 women for nabbing the #1 Team spot in the 2010 Michigan Challenge!!!! Thanks to active participation and strong individual and team performances, the PearTreePens/AAVC women pulled ahead of the westside and upstate powerhouses, Priority Health and Hagerty.

Team Name_____________Points
AAVC Pear tree Pens............494
Priority Health Cycling Team...477.5
Hagerty Racing.................298
Real Women Tri..................63
Wolverine Sports Club/ACF.......31
Team GIANT - Michigan...........21

The cat 3 MI Challenge was DOMINATED by PTP/AAVC women with four in the top ten and THREE in the top five!

Congratulations to
#2 Kristi
#3 Emily F
#4 Laura J
#8 Grace

Way to make 2010 a FANTASTIC year!!!!
Full results