Team Potter Cycling

Door County

2011-07-12T16:55:00.002-05:00

Cap't Bob and PBC in Door County Wisconsin.

We rode from Sister Bay to Gills Rock. Boarded the passenger ferry and rode it to Washington Island.

We had a wonderful time riding our bikes on the island.

It is a great bike friendly place.

Almost 40 miles for the day.

The a little relaxation and dinner.

I would recommend anyone cycling Door County. A great and beautiful place to ride.

2011-07-02T20:48:00.000-05:00

July 2 ride

2011-07-02T20:44:00.002-05:00

Cap't Bob and PBC getting a nice ride on July 2 2011.

It has been quite some time since we have been able to ride together. Nice warm afternoon ride on the paved trail to Ely.

Hoping to get some more rides in this next week.

2011-03-08T16:30:00.001-06:00

Capt Bob looking FAST for March.

Early Spring Riding

2011-03-08T16:23:00.005-06:00

March 2011

Capt Bob and PBC have finally started to get some outside miles.

We rode our Marion Loop two days this week:)

Ready for some outside miles and getting those outside legs in shape.

Ride on

Team Potter

Fire and Ice Parade 2010

2010-12-06T15:42:00.002-06:00

Capt Bob and PBC joined some other HBA members in the annual Holiday Parade in downtown Cedar Rapids on Dec 4, 2010.

If we look cold, it is because we were!

It was fun to be a part of the parade, and lots of little kids, were enjoying all the Christmas lights on the bikes, and of course we had ourselves and the bikes decorated with lights. Hokey Spokes are AWESOME!!

New City Bike

2010-12-04T13:09:00.002-06:00

Rand got a new bike this week. We both want to start running errands and going out to eat on our bikes. Check out his sweet new Fisher Simple City 8. Baskets and panniers, oh my!

November Ride

2010-11-09T16:25:00.002-06:00

Capt Bob and PBC got out this last weekend to ride.

With warm weather in the 60's we were able to get 33 miles in on November 8, 2010

Team Potter is still riding! Hoping to get some more outdoor rides in before the snow falls.

Making New Friends in Harmony, Mn

2010-09-12T05:44:00.003-05:00

Hobo Park in Harmony,Mn along the Root River Trail. Fun Little park, with many photo opportunities.

Goldpointe Criterium Photos

2010-07-19T07:00:00.000-05:00

Team Potter member Stacy (a.k.a Penutty) shot some photographs of the 2010 Goldpointe Cycling Criterium in downtown Cedar Rapids, Iowa with Team Potter member Denise (a.k.a PBC) back in June. For Stacy's images, head on over to her blogsite here. To see PBC's photos, visit her flickr photoset here. Enjoy!

Riding to Lanesboro

2010-07-07T09:40:00.001-05:00

Saturday 7/3/10 on the trail to Lanesboro

TeamPotter Iowa and Illinois Division in Root River Mn.

2010-07-05T19:30:00.004-05:00

Fun Weekend in Root River Mn. We had great sunny and warm weather. We had fun, and some great photo opportunities. More to come

Loosebits is on a Mission

2010-07-05T12:00:00.008-05:00

Gingerclip: Good ride, Loosebits. Time to rehydrate and head home.

Loosebits: We got some good riding in this weekend. I bet I've passed Penutty by now.

Gingerclip: uh.... Last time I checked she was 85 miles ahead of you, and we only rode 10 this morning.

Loosebits: <sprinting back to his bike> You can take the car home, Gingerclip, but I'm gonna ride. Ride, ride, ride! Gotta catch Penutty. Look how fast I am. I bet I'm faster than Penutty.

So thanks to Penutty, Loosebits rode his first 20+ ride today: 21.1 miles. Way to go, Loosebits!!

White Rock Trail

2010-06-27T10:38:00.003-05:00

Team Potter Dallas explored the White Rock Trail early Sunday morning. We set a new distance record for LooseBits of 15 miles! (LooseBits wants it known that he has not fallen over yet with his new clips. Is it wrong that I hope I am there with my camera when he finally does?)

Clips for LooseBits

2010-06-26T19:51:00.003-05:00

Team Potter Dallas took a short ride on the city streets today. Riding in the neighborhood with lots of stop signs is perfect for LooseBits who is getting used to his new clips!! I think he is officially a "real" cyclist now. Yay!!

Mothers Day "Beginners Ride"

2010-05-14T15:40:00.003-05:00

We had a wonderful Mothers Day bike ride last Sunday on the Tandem. Art and Suki joined us. We did the Toddville loop and it was not without adventure. Art quickly named it the " Beginners Ride" This is Art not looking like a beginner.

Bike to Work Week

2010-05-14T12:22:00.003-05:00

Next Week is bike to work week. Next Friday is bike to work day. I know many live to far away from their work to commute. If you live 5 miles or less from your workplace. Then get out there and ride.

see video from Today show

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/37148528#37148528

Early Spring Riding

2010-05-05T14:38:00.001-05:00

Getting some early spring outdoor riding and miles. The wind must slow down. It has been windy for several days, and makes it less enjoyable.

Our Newest Member

2010-02-21T14:31:00.003-06:00

Today, RandyRand and I went to Richardson Bike Mart and picked out a bike for him. He came home with a new Trek!! I am proud to present...Rand and his Trek!

Team News on BikeJournal

2010-02-21T09:00:00.002-06:00

Hey Team Potter Groupies, you can now post team news on bikjournal home club page.

Check it out!

Team Potter in the Holiday Parade

2009-12-19T10:40:00.004-06:00

Photo by Dan Tucker

Capt Bob and PBC joined HBA on the Full Moon Ride December 5 2009.

We started in Hiawatha and rode on the paved trail to Downtown Cedar Rapids.

We joined other cyclists, and rode our decorated bikes in the parade.

Our entry won first prize for the best decorated vehicle( get that a bunch of bikes a vehicle)

Tour de France for the Rest of Us

2009-09-22T12:38:00.004-05:00

Here is a fun video for you today. Team Potter member, Gingerclip discovered this on the interwebs today and shared it with me.

In France, Remi Guillard decided to bring his friends along and stage a Tour de France style stage finish and prank unsuspecting Sunday riders. He's got a team car, motorcade, photographers, crazy fans, and streakers. Everything to make you feel like you've just rode to a stage victory. I'm sure I would be scared by this if I came upon it, but I think Team Potter needs this kind of warm welcome on a Sunday ride, don't you think?

MTR 2009

2009-09-07T19:54:00.001-05:00

More pics from the MTR

MTR 2009

2009-09-07T18:34:00.004-05:00

2009 Midwest Tandem Rally in Rochester Mn. Wonderful weather great rides and lots of fun people.

Once again Capt Bob piloted the Black Pearl back to home port.

Rest stop on Saturday morning

The Black Pearl Rides again.

2009-09-01T17:43:00.004-05:00

Saturday ride with HBA on the Pearl. Getting some tandem miles in before the MWTR.

Performance Rap Video

2009-08-12T15:06:00.004-05:00

Yep. You know roadies have hit the big time, when our new theme song is all about PERFORMANCE and a little slam against those fixie riders. Move over "I want to ride my bicycle", we've got a new theme song!

Thanks to Cyclelicious for sharing this on their blog today.

Sunday Morning Heat Rash Ride

2009-08-09T16:08:00.003-05:00

We finally have a heat wave in Iowa. Humid, hot and chance of storms.

The Capt and PBC decided to do an early morning ride today before the heat and humidity got too bad. We had a hard time deciding which bikes to ride, but after some discussion we took the CrossBikes, just because they were the easiest to get to. We were just going to do our Marion route, but soon decided that at least we needed to go as far as Alburnett and back.

Going out we had a nice tailwind, so you know what that means, going back we had pretty strong SSW winds. It was hot, but we got just over 26 miles in by 10AM. Then of course the storms started rolling in, one after the other. It did not cool off, just got more muggy.

All in all, still a nice morning ride.

August 9,2009

Tour de France Video

2009-07-25T00:33:00.001-05:00

Black Pearl Sunday Ride

2009-07-19T13:32:00.003-05:00

The Capt and PBC took off on this cool July Sunday for a little ride on the the Black Pearl. It was a very nice day for a ride, somewhat cloudy, but cool . We rode downtown CR to try to meet up with another couple but they did not get the message, so we rode north to Oscars for breakfast and then on North to my favorite (Alice Road), we then headed west to Alburnett and then back home. Total of about 35 miles. Then home to watch the TourDeFrance.

Proctor Cycling Classic 2009

2009-07-07T11:23:00.004-05:00

The Proctor Cycling Classic was a few weeks ago in Peoria, IL. This event was also the Illinois State Championship. I got a chance to head down in the morning and capture some of the action.
Here are a few of my favorite images from the day. Enjoy!

More Holy Toledo Pics

2009-07-06T16:07:00.009-05:00

HOLY TOLEDO RIDE

2009-07-06T05:45:00.002-05:00

This is a yearly HBA ride where we start in Hiawatha, Ia and ride our bikes to Toledo Ia. We have several great stops along the way, a lunch stop as well. We will spend the night in a motel and ride back the next day.

This year was a little more challenging on Saturday, we had continuous rain all day, needless to say we were all soaked and cold by the time we got to Toledo, and then of course the rain quit. Sunday was beautiful sunny and warm, Yippee!

Congrats to Maximus he rode 120 miles in two days, and new first for him. Yep I am pretty sure he can do RAGBRAI!

Great job Team Potter!

Volunteer Schedule for Goldpointe Criterium

2009-07-02T10:44:00.005-05:00

This is the work schedule for Sunday July 5th. The Goldpointe Fitness Criterium begins with course setup at approximately 630 AM.

To see the schedule bigger, please click on the image.

Peoria Ride

2009-06-22T12:01:00.002-05:00

Capt Bob and PBC headed out to Peoria on Saturday to meet up with the Illinoid Division of Team Potter. We rode in the afternoon, which by the way was about 90 degrees.

We took our bikes to Washington, Il and saddled up at a bank and headed out quiet, and very smooth country blacktop roads. We had a few rolling hills too.

We eventually ended up in Morton, and by this time, the heat was pretty uncomfortable. After a little convience store stop, and some cold Gatorade we headed back.

It was a beautiful route, low traffic and nice roads.

Thanks Penutty and Maximus for that wonderful ride, We ended up with about 30 miles, and unfortunately both of us forgot a camera, so not photo's taken, I will just have to add a previous photo.

It is always great when Team Potter can ride!

HBA Full Moon Ride

2009-06-13T17:00:00.003-05:00

Wednesday 6/10/09

Captain Bob and PBC joined HawkeyeBikeAssociation for the monthly Full Moon Ride.

We left the trailhead at 5:30 pm, with approximately 33 riders heading north on the trail to Center Point. We stopped for supper at Pappy's and then rode home in the dark, with lights a flashing in the rear and headlights a blazing in the front.

It was a fun ride, but got home to late at night.

Until next time---Go TEAM POTTER

Volunteers Needed: Gold Point Criterium

2009-06-03T11:59:00.010-05:00

Help Cedar Rapids Cycling

Volunteer

And be part of the event

Sunday, July 5th

Volunteers are needed to help with the Gold Pointe Fitness Club Criterium. The races include several State Championship events and bring cycling to downtown Cedar Rapids July 5th.

Volunteers are needed to help with:

registration
support
course crosswalk
corner marshals

Three shifts are available: morning, midday & afternoon.

To volunteer email: teampottercycling@gmail.com

Slow Sunday Ride with HBA

2009-05-31T18:08:00.002-05:00

May 31 10am was the start of the Slow Sunday Ride lead by non other than PBC. I started doing these rides a couple of years ago, to encourage new or slower riders to get the opportunity to ride in a group. We had a very large group this morning Total of 18 riders. We rode approximately 20 miles on a relatively flat course. The top photo you might recognize the tandem. Yes it is true we had a mystery couple on the :"BLACK PEARL" Dave and Carolyn wanted to try the tandem so with some pedal switching seat rising and lowering they took off with me to join the group.

We had a fantastic warm, slightly breezy morning for a ride. Team Potter continues to ride, and even share their bikes.

Capt's Sunday Afternoon Ride

2009-05-25T14:52:00.003-05:00

Capt Bob far left(Bert and Ernie Jersey) Lead a Sunday afternoon ride with HBA. We had a wonderful sunny Sunday afternoon.

Ride destination was Marion square park to Wittier, Waubeek, Central City, Anamosa and back to Marion. Nice rolling hills, a tail wind on the way back. Total 43 miles.

Windy Ride

2009-05-12T16:16:00.004-05:00

My first attempt at uploading a video for the team. Enjoy all you Team Potter wannabes' !

Team Potter on a windy day

2009-05-12T15:20:00.004-05:00

Peoria branch of Team Potter was in town last weekend, and we went for a windy ride north of Marion. It was a little chilly and breezy but we had a nice ride and then went to Mr. Beans for lunch. Life doesnt get any better than that. Thanks Stacy and Greg!

Share the Road

2009-05-04T11:57:00.002-05:00

While I was thinking about the Ride of Silence, I came across these "Share the Road" videos. They are a great reminder to both drivers and cyclists that we both need to share the road. Cyclists need to be given space (3 feet of room in Illinois) and as cyclists we also need to be courteous to drivers and allow them room to safely pass if possible. Patience is key for drivers and awareness is crucial for cyclists.

Here are just a few videos that I like:
Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Ride of Silence: Reminder

2009-05-04T11:38:00.003-05:00

Just a little reminder this Monday morning about the upcoming Ride of Silence on May 20, 2009. The Ride of Silence will take place globally with riders both honoring cyclists who have been injured and killed on the road as well as promoting safety and awareness.

In Peoria, the ride will start at 7:00p pm at Glen Oak Park, check out the article in the Journal Star.
for more information.

Tour of Turkey Crash - The Other Side

2009-04-21T13:00:00.005-05:00

To be fair on this blog, we should share both sides of the story. Yesterday, I posted a link about the horrific crash in the tour of Turkey between Daryl Impey and Theo Bos. Fellow Team Potter cyclist, Tina (a.k.a Gingerclip) and I were discussing the crash this morning and watching the video over and over again trying to figure out just what happened. On initial viewing, it looks like a blatant take down to me, but after reading Theo Bos' statements regarding the event. You can read what Theo had to say here. He is clearly upset about the incident and the accusations placed against him.

I am also sharing the slow motion video of the crash, which I think I have watched about 25 times now. After watching the slow mo and reading Bos' statement, I do believe what he is claiming to have happened is possible. I will let you all decide for yourselves.

Cycling star, Lance Armstrong, weighed in on the video and had this to say yesterday on his twitter page:
"Bos doesn't even get disqualified. pitiful. he deserves a long suspension." and later "rewatched Bos crash 10x. Fences were uneven, sprint looked nervous/sketchy, but imo the hands should never come off the bars in a sprint."

Tour of Turkey Crash

2009-04-20T23:24:00.006-05:00

There isn't much I can say that Ken Conley didn't already say on his blog, Spare Cycles. Barloworld rider, Daryl Impey was seriously injured during the tour of Turkey when he had "contact" (ah-hem) with Rabbobank rider, Theo Bos.
Here is a video clip from the Tour of Turkey. If you don't want to watch it all, please fast forward to 3:25 to watch the drama.

Daryl Impey won the Tour of Turkey despite what appears to be a deliberate takedown. He comments on the incident on his website. According to Bike World News,"He suffered a broken hip, a neck injury and facial trauma, lost several teeth and had a deep cut in his lip as well. Impey was awarded the victory but obviously could not attend the awards celebration".

The Perfect Circle

2009-04-17T13:43:00.002-05:00

Just a little Friday video fun for you. It's nice - go ride your bike. =)

The Perfect Circle from Matthew on Vimeo.

Matthew Modine rides the streets of New York on a bicycle to tell everyone about "Bicycle For A Day."

"Bicycle For A Day" is a fun, open and proactive invitation designed to inspire individuals, communities, governments and corporations to take a step towards solving the current environmental issues. BFAD is a global initiative bringing together people who choose to ride a bicycle rather than use gas-powered motor vehicles.

BFAD will debut with small, VIP events during Summer / Fall 2008 that lead up to a gathering at The South Street Seaport in NYC, to mark the "official" BFAD day, September 20th.

This is not a bicycle race! BFAD is a day to demonstrate how doing ONE thing can help improve the environment.

http://www.bicycleforaday.org/

2009 Ride of Silence

2009-04-14T14:24:00.000-05:00

•Ride of Silence is a nation-wide event to honor those who have been
injured or killed while riding their bicycles. For more information, please
visit www.rideofsilence.org

•This event is free. All participants must be over 18. For safety reasons,
all riders must wear a bicycle helmet. Any cyclists without a helmet will
be asked to not participate in the ride.

•The Illinois Valley Wheelm’n are endorsing the 2009 edition of Peoria’s
Ride of Silence. For further information regarding this local event, please
contact Bill Clark @ 347-4841, or Mike Honnold @ 696-2591

TEAM POTTER Rides Again!

2009-04-13T10:59:00.003-05:00

Spring is finally here, and Team Potter (Peoria Division) came to Cedar Rapids last weekend, and joined HBA(Hawkeye Bike Association) for a Saturday ride.

It was a sunny chilly spring morning, when Capt Bob, PBC, Penutty and Maximus headed up East Post Rd to downtown CR to meet the group at Green Square Park. We arrived just in time, to join approximately 30 riders . We rode out Ellis Park to Stoney point rd and to Cherry Hill park. We had the group photo, then many went other ways. We stopped at the Blue Strawberry downtown for a little breakfast sandwich, and a little social time. We then rode on home. Great 33.70 mile ride for Team Potter!

Epic Cycling Adventure + Photography

2009-03-29T08:54:00.007-05:00

That post should have caught your attention. Cycling and photography - two things I enjoy very much and really love people who put them together. What about people who put them together for all the right reasons? There is a photography contest going on called the "Name Your Dream Assignment". The winner will receive $50,000 funding to support their efforts to document their dream assignment.

I am a big fan of reading the blog, The Epicurean Cyclist, of photographer and cyclist, Russ Roca. He has entered the contest to pursue his dream of being the first zero-emission, multi-national photo assignment as he pedals his way through North and South America documenting people who are living eco-friendly lifestyle and are leading activists toward a more sustainable planet. Russ is a real cyclist advocate as well and I really hope the cycling community will put their support behind him and this effort.

Please read more about his dream and photo assignment and vote for Russ here. The contest ends on April 3rd, so please vote soon.

Below are a couple of photos (that I have shamelessly taken from his blog and I hope he won't mind) of one of Russ' bikes that he uses to carry all of his gear and of him out riding. He does this sort of traveling all of the time and I would love to see what captures on his journey. Here is also a link to his photography work. He also has many other cycling blogs, so check them out too!

Busted Bikes & Crashes

2009-03-25T12:12:00.003-05:00

I just found a very sad, yet very interesting and sometimes humorous blog today called "Busted Carbon". Its pretty much nothing but pictures of broken bicycles. Gasp!! I know! Cranks and Handlebars seem to be a common one.
Captain Bob will especially sad to see that today's bike isn't carbon, but is sadly a busted titanium Litespeed. He will cry, I know he will.

Check it out here:
http://bustedcarbon.blogspot.com/

I've also added it to our list of cycling blogs on the right. =)
Speaking of broken bikes (which either means you did something stupid or you crashed) here is the video of Lance Armstrong's crash earlier this week. I heard he is still going to try and ride??

Lance Armstrong Post-Crash at Castilla y León from CycleTo on Vimeo.

New + B-Cycle

2009-03-14T16:13:00.006-05:00

Sometimes all you need is some new shoes. I am pretty excited that my new Specialized MotoDiva shoes showed up at my doorstep yesterday. As Paolo Nutini said, "Hey, I put some new shoes on and suddenly everything is right". I think these new puppies will help me kick off this cycling season right. I've been working on and trying to drop some weight. I thought a little bit stiffer soled shoes would help increase my power and stop the awful hot spots I was getting with my old shoes. You'll notice they are mountain bike shoes. I ride on the road, but use mountain clipless pedals. This girl likes to be able walk when off the bike.

Okay, that is my new. I also found a cool new idea, called B-Cycle. I think this concept would work great in a bigger urban setting. This isn't something that would work for me in terms of commuting from home. I honestly live too far from work with way too dangerous of roads (umm..highways actually) in between. If I was a city commuter or lived in a highly populated urban area, then this might be awesome. Check out the video below.

Routes & Recipes Book

2009-03-08T13:54:00.008-05:00

Well, the weather is on the verge of breaking and I don't know about you guys, but I am already adding weekend rallies to my calendar. I'm planning my summer rides and starting to think about getting out there and training. Some of the best ways to get out and ride is to join a club. I belong to two clubs, the Hawkeye Bike Association in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and the Illinois Valley Wheelm'n in Peoria, IL. Both would be happy to have your membership and provide a regular riding schedule to keep you fit.

Whether you ride with a club or not, you probably ride on your own and are looking for some good training route or looking for a casual Sunday ride to somewhere new. I have a great solution for you. The IVW, Routes & Recipes Book!

The Scoop:

The IVW has put together a book of 50 routes for the Central Illinois area. It also includes 72 recipes submitted by club members, Great Harvest Bread, Not Your Average Joe and Tanners’ Orchards.

What You Get:

The routes are from 26 different cyclists and area bike clubs covering a total of 1,740 miles with a variety of distances (11-70 miles with 35 miles the average distance) and starting points, such as: Brimfield, Bureau Junction, Chillicothe, Dunlap, East Peoria, Farmington, Goodfield, Hopedale, Hudson, Kewanee, Lacon, Mackinaw, Morton, Mossville, Pekin, Peoria, Princeville, Sparland, Washington and Wyoming. Each route consists of a map, cue sheet, items of interest & an area for personal notes.

The book will have a laminated cover with a coil binding. All proceeds will be used to promote the club’s advocacy programs. These books can be ordered for delivery at a cost of $20 each or pickup for $15.

Want One?

Please contact Mike Honnold at cannondale_25@juno.com for more information or send $ directly to:
Mike Honnold, Routes & Recipes Book Order, 1822 West Bel Aire Avenue, Peoria, IL 61614.

You can also pick one up at Russell's Cycling and Fitness in Washington. I've been told they have a few left.

Here is a Sample Route From the Book:
"Scenic Peoria County Route"

Location: Peoria County; Peoria; Nelson Sprinkler Factory
1 Sprinkler Lane, Peoria, IL 61615

Location Note: Please park near the north side of the main employee parking
lot. Do not park in the lot used for semi truck trailers!

Distance: 30 Miles
Terrain: Moderate route with rolling hills – flat at the end

Features: Nice rural ride passing through the scenic Jubilee College Park
along the way. Jubilee does offer opportunities for filling up
water bottles or using the bathroom.

Here is the link to this ride on Map My Ride (we will be featuring online routes in the near future).

Now how awesome is that? You get great recipes, great route ideas and you get to put some money into the local community to help with advocacy for things like new trails and bike paths!

Complete RAGBRAI Route!

2009-03-08T13:15:00.004-05:00

Who0-hoo! Here it is, the entire RAGBRAI route complete with elevation profiles, milage, and wind on GEOBIKE. This is where I go to see just how hard I actually think the route is going to be. It looks like Day 2 is going to be tough. Long and hilly!

If you are interested in riding RAGBRAI, be sure you sign up online. Registration deadline online is April 1st. If you are planning on riding then this also means you will need to start training and that means spinning on the trainer or rollers inside and as soon as this Midwest weather breaks getting out there for a spin!

Looking for new training routes this year? Well, check out our next post about the Illinois Valley Wheelm'n Routes and Recipies book.

Street Smarts: Bike Lanes & Paths

2009-03-03T13:33:00.008-06:00

In today's society full of motorists, it isn't easy to find safe and dedicated bike lanes. Some cities can hardly call themselves "bike friendly". Even if they have bike lanes, it doesn't always mean that these are routes that are direct or go through busy downtown areas - things that would be especially important if you are a daily commuter going to work. If you do commute, it means you are probably on the road next to motorists who are in a hurry on their way to and from work. What about your safety and visibility? I am across two new things today to aid cyclists in the fight both to be seen and to have some rights to road.

The first is a virtual bike lane concept called Light Lane, dreamed up by Alex Tee and Evan Gant of Altitude. The idea is that a laser beam would project a bike lane barrier behind your bike as you ride at night, allowing not only the visibility that motorists need to see you ahead, but also creating that separate barrier and your own riding space, hopefully encourage motorists to give you a little room. As far as I could tell, this is merely a concept at this point, however, it is very interesting and something night commuters would find pretty useful.

The other is an option that leaves a more lasting influence. It has less to do with your immediate visibility or safety, and more to do with showing where bike lanes should be and alerting fellow cyclists where it is safe to ride. How is this possible? Contrail is how. It is a very simple frame mounted device that dispenses chalk onto your rear tire and them wherever you ride, you leave a thin chalk trail behind you. Of course, the more regular commuters who take the same path, the more obvious that route needs s dedicated bike lane. Contrail was conceived by Pepin Gelardi and Teresa Herrmann and designed for for the Power to the Pedal competition.

Photo credit: "skittle bikes" photo by Jessi Pervola

Photo Credit: Studio Gelardi

Thanks to the following blogs and sites for this material.

Bike Videos Galore!

2009-03-01T20:03:00.004-06:00

Okay, I might have become mildly obsessed lately with cool cycling videos. I think it has something to do with being here in the Midwest and not being able to ride outside yet. It is just so darn cold. So while the days are spent on trainers, getting used to the saddle and dropping some weight just anxiously awaiting being able to ride outside, I find some motivation in watching these swanky videos of being riding. The one below is clearly advertising for Hutchinson tires, but very stylish never the less. Check out the lady wearing red tights and silver pumps of all things, while riding.

It's Your Ride from Cinecycle on Vimeo.

Here is another cool video, which is less produced, but very neat is its own right as it isn't video at all. It is really 900 still photographs taken with a Sony DSLR and a fisheye lens mounted on this guys trike and it captures his morning commute. As a fan of photography as well, I really dig this one and I might have to try it out on my bike this spring, just for fun. =)

Ride To Work from Nicolas Lambert on Vimeo.

So, if your stuck indoors like I am, I hope you are enjoying these cycling nuggets of creativity and I hope it is giving you that little nudge to keep riding those trainers and rollers! Pedal on, my friends!

Podium Girls

2009-02-26T16:03:00.004-06:00

Ever wonder what it is like to be a podium girl? You know, the pretty girls who get to hand flowers out and zip up the awarding jersey? Oh, and get to kiss the riders?
Here is a quick little video clip about Kirsten and Joanna who were the podium girls at the '09 Tour of California.

MEET KRISTEN & JOANNA - ATOC'09 from CYCLEFILM on Vimeo.

Want more podium girls? Check out an interview of the Tour de France podium girls here and the Giro d'Italia here.

Photo by Ken Conley

2 New Things

2009-02-25T15:18:00.003-06:00

#1. Team Potter Cycling has a new email address! Yay!
You can now email the team at teampottercycling@gmail.com

#2. I found this cool video today while looking at other cycling blogs. I found this one shared on the Epicurean Cyclist. It is just a cool video with interesting angles and after I watched it, I just wanted to ride away. Its motivating in the way that just pedaling in the fresh air with the sunshine on your back is. Not exercise or racing - just freedom. Enjoy!

Rapha Rides The Tour of California from RAPHA on Vimeo.

Tour of California (or Tour of Theft?)

2009-02-25T09:59:00.008-06:00

Photo by Ken Conley

There were lots of great things that happened at this year's Tour of California. We watched Fabian Cancellera race to victory in the opening prologue with a cold that forced him to abandon the next day.

Photo by Ken Conley

We watched the riders suffer and persevere through cold rain and wind the first half of the week and ride over the Golden Gate Bridge for the first time ever.

Photo by Ken Conley

We saw Lance back in the saddle, not only riding but also promoting LiveSTRONG and his advocacy for cancer research and funding as he promised he would do.

Photo by Ken Conley

Ultimately, we saw Levi Leipheimer 3-peat the time trial in Solvang and 3-peat his win and put his stamp as the dominator of the Tour of California. What a week of racing!

Photo by Ken Conley

There was so much good to watch with all that great racing and perseverance, but alongside all that good there was some shocking thefts that happened. The Astana trailer was broke into the night after the Prologue and Lance's own time trial bike was stolen along with a few other Astana bikes. (read more on that story here.)If that wasn't bad enough, Dave Zabriskie, the 2nd overall in the TOC and American time trial champion rider for Garmin-Slipstream came home to his house being raided any many valuable items like bicycles, a car, stereo and tv equipment stolen. (Read more on that story here.)

What kind of world is this? I know we are going through hard times, but are people really going to resort to petty theft to solve their problems? Or are these thefts coming from obesseive fans? Who knows. What I do know is that it is a darn shame that our heros of cycling are having to watch their backs and their possessions and that these types of crimes overshadow all of the good that bicycle racing can be about.

On a happy note, however, I have found my new favorite blog to follow. I love both cycling and photography myself and I have discovered photgrapher, Ken Conley. He has taken some of my favorite images from the Tour of California and I am already subscribing to his blog. He is also generous with the usage of his images royalty free. So, Team Potter here will be sharing some of his amazing work with you all on this blog. Please be sure to check out his work at his website and his cycling photoblog, Spare Cycles.

Photo by Ken Conley

I'm also keeping my eye out for GeoBike to see the latest route for Ragbrai. I haven't seen anything yet, but when I do, I will be sure to post it here.

NEWS: Ragbrai XXXVVII Route Announced!

2009-01-29T14:51:00.007-06:00

Alright cyclists, it is official. The Des Moines register has announced the 2009 Ragbrai route

This year the grand caravan of cyclists will pedal through the following overnight towns: Council Bluffs, Red Oak, Greenfield, Indianola, Charlton, Ottumwa, Mt. Pleasant, and Burlington, Iowa.

This is the 6th shortest route of 442.3 miles! Woah- but hold up, short doesn't equal easy. This year's route also has 22,806 feet of climb, the 10th most climb ever. Whew! The ride this year is from July 19-25th.

You can register for the ride here.
It isn't quite ready yet, but keep checking for elevations and route info at Geobike.

Will Team Potter be on the road this year? It's looking likely. We will keep you posted. In the mean time, sign up and get on the trainer and whip up some miles to add to Bike Journal.

Images courtesy of the Des Moines Register and Ragbrai.org

December 2008 FMR

2009-01-01T09:56:00.004-06:00

This year our annuual Christmas lights ride was combined with the Full Moon Ride. It was a fairly warm Saturday evening, and we had a great group of about 15 riders. We rode around Bowman Woods in CR to check out the lights. We then stopped at Java Creek Cafe, and had some warm soup and drinks. Great group and fun ride.

Team Potter will get more active now that our room addition is done. I have a wonderful new Kitchen and Great room. It is beautiful and a joy to be in.

Happy New Year to All

Midwest Tandem Rally

2008-09-04T17:24:00.004-05:00

We had a wonderful time at the MWTR in Springfield Ill on Labor Day weekend. Each day there was a mass start in downtown Springfield with police escorts out of town. The weather was perfect, the folks friendly and we met a nice new couple named Don and Linda from Omaha. It was there first rally. We had nice comments about the Black Pearl, and her great classic lines. The Capt and PBC had a great time. Next year it is in Rochester Mn. Oley and Lina will be there.

Overnight adventure to Waterloo.

2008-08-18T06:51:00.002-05:00

The Capt and PBC on our first trip with new cyclocross bikes to Waterloo, spending the night in a hotel and returning on Sunday. We had a great time, with a few detours, We did trail and road riding on the same trip. Good thing for cyclocross bikes, they pretty much can ride anywhere.

Black Pearl out for a Sunday Spin

2008-07-27T20:23:00.004-05:00

The Capt and PBC back on the Black Pearl!

It was Sunday morning and we had not ridden the tandem since July 4th. It was decided to dust her off and go for a ride.

We headed north to Alburnett, we cruised right up there with a tailwind, and tunes of course with the "Itunes".

We stopped at our favorite little convience store for some quick refreshments, then headed back toward home.

This time we had a slight headwind, but still a beautiful morning for a ride.

We returned home with about 23 miles, and a really nice way to spend the morning.

It was a nice time, and good to be back on the BLACK PEARL.

Till next time!

PBC

Team Potter comes home to ride.

2008-07-13T19:21:00.006-05:00

Team Potter the Illinois Division came back to Iowa this weekend. Maximus brought his new wheels, and we rode from Potterville to Alburnett. It was a beautiful cool summer evening. We had a great time with relatively flat riding.

When we returned home we cooked dinner on the grill, had a little wine, and dinner on the deck. It was a perfect evening, no humidity, cool and great company.

Thank you to Penutty and Maximus for making a wonderful weekend.

TEAM POTTER ROCKS!!!!

Team Potter: Illinois Division Rides!

2008-07-11T23:39:00.003-05:00

Well here we are, Team Potter: Illinois Division! We've been hitting pavement hard since Maximus' new road bike. We racked up 80 miles of flat Illinois terrain in two weeks. We're ramping up for some fitness while the summer is still hot and late evenings still have light. Thursday night we hit the tarmac for a speedy ride from Morton to Groveland and back. It was a calm evening and the traffic was minimal. One of us was moving much quicker than the other, but we managed to keep up the pace and make it back to the car just as the glorious sunset had its final hurrah. It feels good to hear those whirrs and clicks that only a bicycle can sing.

Tailwinds!

Tour DAY France 2008

2008-07-07T19:33:00.004-05:00

Well cycling fans, the 2008 Tour is already under way. As I am writing this, we have already completed three stages and with today's breakaway surviving, we have a new young American rider sitting in the third place spot. Click here to read more about Will Frischkorn of Team Garmin-Chipotle's amazing early breakaway that rocked the peloton and shook up what otherwise should have been a boring flat stage resulting in glory for the sprinters. To learn more about Team Garmin-Chipotle click here. Team Potter is geared up for this year's tour with plenty of cold beverage ready and our DVR's and Tivo's set to record. We won't be missing any of the action and neither should you. The GC is up for grabs...will your favorite win?

You can still sign up for your own fantasy cycling team before Stage 5 starts and you can always play along with Saab's "Fly to the Finish" Sweepstakes for awesome prizes.

The Black Pearl!

2008-07-02T20:36:00.003-05:00

The Capt and PBC out for a Sunday Spin on the Black Pearl Tandem. Notice the Cemetery in the background? Those that know the Capt will think that a fitting background!

Gladiator's wear sandals

2008-07-01T21:20:00.001-05:00

Nice cycle Maximus.....Nice sandals....very cool.....no socks... :)

Beware of sumburn toes....... :)

Capt Bob

Maximus' New Giant

2008-07-01T21:03:00.002-05:00

Whoo-hoo! Team Potter loves it when a new cyclist and bike join the Team Potter family. While Maximus was already an honorary member of Team Potter, he is now official with a shiny new set of wheels. Did I mention an all-carbon set of wheels?
The maiden voyage was a 13 mile trip on the Fondulac trail to Morton and back.
Kudos to Maximus!

Upcoming Rides

2008-07-01T17:17:00.003-05:00

Just a reminder that July 4th is the annual "Ely Fireman's Breakfast" ride. July 5 &

6 will be the "Holy Toledo" ride, also know as the 'Relatively Flat' ride....through the rolling Iowa countryside.

More on these rides later. Maybe even a photo or two.

Capt Bob

Proctor Cycling Classic

2008-07-01T13:16:00.003-05:00

Sunday was a great day to get out the camera and take some pictures of this year's Proctor Cycling Classic in downtown Peoria, IL. These are some shots from the men's Pro 1/2 event.

New Team Potter!!

2008-07-01T10:54:00.005-05:00

Welcome to the new Team Potter Cycling page. We've decided to go all Blog for 2008 and beyond. We think this will give us all the best access to posting pictures, ride reports, and updates on what the team is up to. We hope all you loved about Team Potter before, you will still be able to find here.

2007-07-08T12:21:00.001-05:00

Bring back the drought?

45 days of rain. Sheesh. At first it was great b/c we've had a drought here in Texas for about 2 years now, but it's ruining my training. And my bike. And a new pair of shorts, come to think of it, due to a slick-road-induced crash. I finally got a day of sun yesterday, so I went out of a ride, but when I stepped out today for what I hoped would finally be two days of riding back-to-back...it was raining. Now, really it was just sprinkling, but I finally have my bike running smoothly again and I don't want to risk the rain getting worse and messing up my bike right before I have to ship it up to Iowa for RAGBRAI. So, please, please, rain rain go away. Come again another day.

Later...

Childhood rhymes must actually work, b/c I got to ride 28 miles right before dark.

The Italy Ride as reported by Sandra

2007-06-17T13:01:00.000-05:00

(GingerClip, Penutty, and Sandra)

I am so glad GingerClip and Penutty decided to perservere this weekend.

The drive down to Italy (Texas) almost derailed my intent-to-ride. 6:05 am: The rain poured so hard I barely saw two feet ahead. I called Nicki and Michelle, letting them know I was on my way. Shockingly, Nicki says "we never even loaded the car..." I thought, well, I am on my own, I may as well drive down and pick up my packet (because I wanted the T-shirt!)

Approx. 7:30 am: As I was walking toward the Exit door, with all intent to drive home right then, GingerClip and her sister walk in! I say, "I am not riding today, but I'll wait with you while you pick up your packets."

7:45 am: GingerClip, Penutty and I decide to wait it out a bit since we are energized now because we got cool shirts this year, small brownie cliffbars, fresh plums and I was able to snag TWO water bottles.

7:55 am: While sitting in GingerClip's car the rain stops... YAY

8:15 am: The ride begins.

9:45 am: The rain starts again, pouring down --- again, my thoughts are "i'll SAG out now" I am soaked, my socks, my clothes, my sunglasses --- I can't see!

10 ish am: We are at the second reststop and GingerClip and her sister and I discuss going the shorter route now because we are soaked and chilly.

10:30 am: rain stops! YAY

Through the end of the ride, the weather was PERFECT for riding so we decided to ride out our original plan and we finished the 50 mile route (I clocked 52 miles).

God Bless Ya'll,
Sandra

Metric: Impossible II

2007-04-28T22:22:00.000-05:00

My second attempt to complete a metric, and my last chance to ride a metric prior to the MS150. I was starting to get a little nervous that I wasn't going to be able to finish the 75 per day of the MS150. And then Dawn's trainer told her (so she told me) that we really shouldn't ride 62 miles the weekend before the MS150; instead we should do a nice medium distance ride. So we did the 40. It was fabulous! The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and I was asmilin'! Before we headed out I was a little concerned about all the hills I had heard about. But let me tell you, they were great! I mean some of them were a real pain to get up, but the downhills made it all worth while. It was 40 miles of exhilerating ups and downs. YOU HAVE TO DO THIS RIDE NEXT YEAR. Plus, you get 2 free beers at German Fest when the ride is over. Whoo hoo!!!

Lancaster: Land of the SAG

2007-04-14T17:25:00.000-05:00

The Greater Dallas Bicyclists hold an annual rally in Lancaster, TX where they give out socks instead of T-shirts. Socks!! How fabulous. Clearly I needed to attend this ride. Ok, now I have my socks. I will never do this ride again. I read the reviews on Bicycle Stuff from last year that talked about the wind and cold. I thought, eh, some years are like that. It goes through the Bluebonnet Trail, for goodness sake, it's gonna KICK ASS! And it did, but sadly, the ass that was kicked was my own.

I was supposed to do my first metric on this ride, and I was a little nervous because I was riding solo, having been abandoned not only by Marco Polo (yep Marc - if you fail to come up with a nickname, one is assigned to you. Thanks, Penutty!), but also by all The Lesbians. Harumph. But I kept myself psyched up. After all, I have done 52 by myself and that was fine. And I started feeling even better about it when I got to the starting line and they had people grouped not only by distance, but also by speed. (FYI - I was in the casual 62 miler group. casual = 16 mph or less. Where is the lazy 62 miler group. B/c lazy = 14 mph or less. hehe) But seriously, I thought this was perfect because surely there would be people to ride with in the group. uh oh...there are only about 15 people in this group. Where are all the people??? Crap! I wonder if I have enough clothing on...it's cold. Maybe I have too much on...maybe it will warm up. Oh, we're starting. Go casual 62 2milers! We ROCK!

Mind you, it's freezing. It's about 40 degrees, which is practically arctic winter in Texas. My clothes are not made for anything below 50 degrees with no wind and lots of sunshine. Please see the sunny day here:

Doesn't that look like a wonderful day for a bike ride?? You know you wish you were there. If I felt like making the picture superbig, you could see the really excited look on my face ad then you would wish you had been there even more! But I digress.

Despite the cold, the ride really wasn't that bad to start with. I was cruising along at a really good speed. This should have been a warning sign to me...wind at your back. But nope, I was too busy congratulating myself that despite the cold, despite my aloneness, I was going to ROCK and KICK ASS all over this metric. uh huh. Yep. I'm stupid.

We went through the Bluebonnet Trail, which was just amazing with bluebonnets all over the freaking place. I mean it was a kodak moment after a kodak moment everywhere you looked. Except, I don't have any pics. LOL. I was too busy being impressed with myself. (That's a Potter trait, by the way. So I come by it honestly, at least. Even Baad Kitty has absorbed it after being a Potter for so long.)

At mile 20 I stop for the rest stop and my herd of people were all kinda chatting and bitching about the cold and then I was trying to decide if I wanted to do the 40 instead of the 62, b/c it was getting colder and colder rather than warming up. And NO ONE in my herd was doing the 62. Somewhere I lost the other tiny number of people in my starting group. They all either were too slow or too fast or they decided to do teh 40 (mostly that one). I didn't want to get out there completely alone I was thinking. And then someone pointed out that we had been riding with the wind at our back and it was straight into the wind from this point on. Good grief. Decision made. 40 it was! Or so I thought...

The wind kicked up and the tempertature dropped. The wind was so bad that I was struggling to go 6 mph on the flats, in my absolute lowest gear. People were getting picked up by SAG right and left. Most of the SAG vehicles were completely full. I briefly considered stopping one, but really, I was only 8 miles from teh finish at this point. What's 8 miles? That's nothing. But then I started doing the math. If I am only going 6 mph and I am suffering every second of it, that means I've got almost another hour and a half of misery. Then I saw one stop to pick up a rider about 100 yards ahead of me. I kicked my speed up as hard as I could (7.5 mph, thank you very much) and chased down that SAG. Pride gone. It froze 10 miles back. Embarassment gone. It got blown away. They loaded 4 of us and our bikes into the back of a small pickup truck and hauled us in. It was so bad that people were asking for SAG with less than 5 miles to go. I have never seen that before. The SAG told us that the winds were 30 mph steady, with gusts up to 38. Yikes!

So that's how my first metric turned into my first SAG. Well, at least it was a first. That's something, right?

Oh yeah - while I might not have kicked ass or rocked, the socks from GDB sure do!

Soggy Trails to You...

2007-03-24T19:34:00.000-05:00

I was down in Houston again, to ride in back-to-back rallies with Marc. However we decided to forgo the Saturday rally and just go for spin on the trail that he usually rides on. It was a good decision b/c we soon realized that the 7 am start time for the rally was 1/2 hour before sunrise. hmmm....interesting choice by the ride coordinator.

Anyway, we headed off to the George Bush Trail. About 4 miles down the trail we came to a portion where the trail was completed covered with dead branches and other rotten wood that had been washed up during a flood. It made this fabulous popping sound as you rode over it.

Then the trail started getting narrower and narrower as it was encroached on by the flood water. Being the brave (or foolish, take your pick) souls that we are, we pressed on. It wasn't too bad. We could see the dry spot up ahead as well as other riders that had ridden through the water. We got through without even getting my feet wet.

And then we reached another underwater section. This time my shoes got water in them from the splash of the tires. No big deal, right? So we pressed on. It became a mission, an adventure. By the time we got to the third underwater section, the water came up past my knees. That's past my knees while riding, not while standing. I think there were places where the water came up to the bottom of my seat. We were soaked through and through. It was hilarious.

After we got through all the water we had a great ride. Plus I got the pleasure of watching all of Marc's Chamois Butt'R oop out through the back of his wet short. Uh huh. That's right. Sexy. Oh and on the way back we saw huge leeches swimming in the water that we were getting ready to ride back through. Scary. About 10 miles later Marc had a irritation in his shorts and we had to do a quick leech check. Eeeeewwww. Luckily no leeches were discovered.

There was a price to pay for our water adventure, though. My bike had a ton of water drain out of it, both bikes has to have bathes and lube jobs, and as I type this, Marc is taking his tires off b/c both wheels have water in them. Oh - did I mention that this was all done on our road bikes. And Marc's is only a week old.

Team Potter Weight Loss Challenge Week 5

2007-02-09T21:43:00.000-06:00

Super Bowl did me in, I guess.

Penutty_________ 1.6 pound lost
GingerClip_______ 0 pounds lost

I think it's time for monthly updates rather than weekly.

Team Potter Weight Loss Challenge Week 4

2007-02-02T20:10:00.000-06:00

One month down!!! Six more to go. Here are the current stats:

GingerClip_______ 3.0 pounds lost
Penutty_________ 1.0 pound lost

In response to a question, these totals are for each week individually. It is not a running total. For January, I lost 13.5 pounds and Penutty lost 10 pounds. Go us!

I am happy to report that I won the January mini challenge! I didn't cheat on my diet at all. I think that has got to be a lifetime record for me. I'm a little scared of the February mini challenge: most time on the trainer. I have suspicion that Penutty is going to kick my butt. I am going to try to give her a run for her money.

Team Potter Weight Loss Challenge Week 3

2007-01-26T14:00:00.000-06:00

Three weeks down, and we're still going strong. I had a rough week with lots of traveling and getting majorly sick, so no exercising (unless blowing your nose counts). Losses for the week:

Penutty_________ 3.0 pounds lost
GingerClip_______ 1.0 pound lost

Team Potter Weight Loss Challenge Week 2

2007-01-20T18:24:00.000-06:00

There were some tough battles this week: birthday lunches to attend and traveling for work. We're both still on track! Losses for the week:

GingerClip_______ 5.0 pounds lost
Penutty_________ 1.0 pound lost

An Ode to My Cycleops

2007-01-16T15:09:00.000-06:00

You sit silently in the corner dark,
a chastisement of Time’s march on,
that the calendar does one less day mark,
‘til the RAGBRAI journey comes to town.
You trap tight my metal steed,
and repress her firey glory,
no matter how she meets the deed,
a stalemate is her story.
Are you friend or are you foe?
The answer is one I seek to know.

To appease your rage, I daily try,
as steed and I together struggle,
Watching the old Tour go by,
which presents its own trouble.
The historic visions climb and race
much faster than we and yet still
I stationary give good chase,
to the point of a house-bound spill.
Turning visionary corners while in one place
ensures the floor meets my face.

The mighty lions seek to tame you,
and rescue me from your grip
but cannot determine where to maim you,
and run in fear from my salty drip.
Even though we fight and bicker
me with a #@%& and you with a whir,
I know that you will make me quicker,
until RAGBRAI when I am just a blur.
Though I’ll hate you thru Winter’s end
I’ll evermore call you friend.

Team Potter Weight Loss Challenge Week 1

2007-01-12T16:11:00.000-06:00

It's actually been 10 days since we started, but Penutty and I decided to make Friday mornings the official weigh in day. So our Week 1 / 10 day loss is....drumroll please...

Penutty_________5.0 pounds lost
GingerClip_______4.5 pounds lost

Penutty is following the Weight Watchers points system and I am counting calories. We are both working out regularly. As for me, 1/2 hour of Carribean Workout or In Shape With Sharon Mann from the Tivo, push-ups, and my AbSlide (oh yeah! Informercial purchase from 1998) every morning. Plus I am trying to ride my trainer in the evenings. Can I say how much I hate getting up while it is still dark to go do aerobics in the living room. Blech! But then I also hate getting on the trainer at night. Penutty has been better about getting on the trainer, I think. But then, I think I have been more consistent in overall workouts. I'd have to doublecheck with her to be sure about that though.

I think we both deserve kudos b/c so far neither one of us has cheated on our diets. Not once! Go us!!

Grocery Shopping Observations

2007-01-06T16:18:00.000-06:00

My mom gave me a set of "grocery bag" panniers for Christmas and today I used them for the very first time. I loaded them with my wallet, my canvas grocery bags, and my bike lock and then headed on down the road.

The first thing I noticed is that the extra width meant I had to be extra-careful when swinging my leg over to get on the bike.

The second thing I noticed is that my heels tapped the panniers with every rotation unless I pointed my toes in an uncomfortable way.

The third thing I noticed was that my seat was waaaaaay to low. Again.

The fourth thing I noticed is that the bike rack positioning made it almost impossible to release the quick-release on my seat post.

The fifth thing I noticed that my seat was now too high, making the aforementioned pointy toe pedals the ONLY option.

The sixth thing I noticed was that 3 months of only riding my bike every once in a while had made me totally out of shape.

The seventh thing I noticed is that crossing the busy street to get to the store wasn’t too bad.

The eighth thing I noticed is that the only place to lock up the bike was on a handicap parking sign. That can’t be good.

The ninth thing I noticed is that two pannier and two canvas grocery bags fill an entire small push cart.

The tenth thing I noticed is that you shouldn’t select bread first when placing items in panniers.

The eleventh thing I noticed is that there isn’t room for the bulk purchase of fruit.

The twelfth thing I noticed is that there is no room to buy unplanned items just because they are on sale.

The thirteenth thing I noticed is that there is only room for one roll of paper-towels and that isn’t even going to fit in the panniers, but is going to have to be strapped to the rack.

The fourteenth thing I noticed is THANK GOD I DIDN’T NEED ANY SODA.

The fifteenth thing I noticed is that people should only be checkers at a grocery store if they can actually identify the fruits and vegetables without having to ask what each and everyone is.

The sixteenth thing I noticed is that the canvas bags are not appropriate for the panniers because they are too soft sided and that I would have to re-bad everything in two paper bags.

The seventeenth thing I noticed is that I am VERY good at space management (I could pack an elephant into a snuff box!).

The eighteenth thing I noticed is that I wasn’t the only person on a bike at the Tom Thumb.

The nineteenth thing I noticed is that you have to put the paper towels and canvas bags and bike lock on the rack BEFORE you put the panniers back on. Duh.

The twentieth thing I noticed is that the kickstand will not support the Giant after it has been loaded down with groceries.

The twenty-first thing I noticed is how cute and urban it looks to have lettuce and bread sticking out of my grocery bags. Just like a movie. sigh.

The twenty-second thing I noticed is that the bike weighs a ton after buying groceries and likes to fall over. A lot.

The twenty-third thing I noticed is that the panniers don’t get any skinnier after groceries have been added and I still have to be extra-careful when swinging my leg over.

The twenty-fourth thing I noticed is that all the bumps on the road made me glad I hadn’t bought any eggs and surprised that I still had my bread.

The twenty-fifth thing I noticed is that it is very satisfying to ride my bike to the grocery store rather than taking a car.

Shop on!

Expanding Horizons

2006-12-29T19:30:00.000-06:00

I know what you have been thinking about Team Potter - it's a one trick team. But that is just not the case. While biking may have us in the grips of an obsession, we do have other interests too. I traveled to Peoria yesterday for the Team Potter Winter Meeting, sponsered by the Illinois Division. Since Capt. Bob and Baad Kitty are still in Iowa until Saturday, and Maximus was off to Chicago for a basketball game, Penutty and I went out on our own to have a little fun. We headed off to Bloomington to the Upper Limits Rock Climbing Gym. It was awesome. It's located in an old grain silo, so there are a ton of different routes that will take you 65 feet up!

This was my first attempt at rock climbing and Penutty's second, so we took a class and then stuck with the easier climbs. I don't know what it would possibly be used for other than climbing, but let me just tell you that if you need a figure eight knot tied, I am your girl! I've got that baby down. Now the rest of the process, I don't know...

I've got a lot of weight to carry up a wall, and biking certainly hasn't done anything for my upper-body strength (ah, how I miss the days when I played lacrosse and had the most amazing arms...) so I was prepared to go nowhere fast. Actually, I think we did quite well. Penutty hit the top of two different climbs and I got really close a couple of times. We quit after two hours of climbing so that we wouldn't be too sore the next day. Even so, picking up a fork hurts a little.

I will definitely try to find a place in Dallas where I can try this again, especially since it seems like it would be a good upper body counterbalance to the lower body intensive cycling. Who knows, maybe after the holidays I'll even manage to lose enough weight that it won't seem like I'm carrying an extra person up the wall.

Thanks, Penutty, for explanding Team Potter's horizons. Now...climb on!!

If you want to check out Upper Limits, visit the website www.upperlimits.com

Tour De Lights

2006-12-20T17:36:00.000-06:00

ON December 9, 2006 , Nine brave souls headed out from Mr. Beans in Marion, Ia for the 11th annual Tour De Lights. The crew was led by none other the Capt Bob and the Baad Kitty. We did not have Rudolph to guide our way but we had Hokey Spokes in front and back, to help us find our way. We stopped by several houses and sang Christmas carols, we found all the greatest Christmas lights in town. The tour took us out to Hunters Ridge and back, approx 15 miles total. We finished back at Mr Beans for dinner, drinks and Cheer. We had a great time, and are looking forward to the 12th annual Tour De Lights. Come join us next time.

Upcoming Holidays

2006-12-13T09:48:00.000-06:00

Team Potter will be joining the Illinois Division for the holidays. Will we manage to brave the snow? There are serious doubts that I have the chops to cut it in the winter since I think anything below 60 is cold. Plus I don't have anything warmer than leggings and a windbreaker. You just don't need anything more in Dallas. Since we will all be together there is sure to be lots of laughs and lots of wine, but it just won't be the same without lots of riding too. Maybe I'll just have to suck it up and go for a short ride to say we did it. Bring on the snow and RIDE ON!!!

Team Potter after nearly a year.

2006-11-17T18:59:00.000-06:00

Just a quick review of Team Potters, increase in members and the website. It has been a really fun year for team potter,it started as two and has grown to five members. We have had quite a few rides togethers, which is impressive since we are in three different states. We have had several fun days and rides in Iowa, which four members present, Baad Kitty and Penutty have ridden in Illinois and then we all went to Dallas for the Denton Power Rally in Denton TX. We have had a lot of fun. Both the Capt and Baad Kitty are happy to have to the added members and memories of our rides together. We enjoy our group(team potter)rides. Thank you Gingerclip and Penutty and I know we will get Maximus for a few rides next year. Stay tuned everyone for more Team Potter fun!!

Blood, Sweat, and Tears: the Denton Power Rally

2006-10-14T22:15:00.000-05:00

October, 14, 2006

Denton, TX

Distance: 32 miles

(Riders: Baad Kitty, GingerClip, Marc, Penutty, and Capt Bob)

Blood on the Highway

Everyone remembers the lovely, precautionary tale Blood on the Highway that we were required to watch in Driver’s Ed? (Don’t pretend that you didn’t see it. They have been playing that some movie for 60 years now, so if you’re alive and you drive, then you’ve seen it.) Well, it was just like that but with fewer cars, more bikes, and less blood. (I see you rolling your eyes, thinking to yourself that this sounds nothing like Blood on the Highway. Well, remember that I have a film degree, so I can explain the multitude of similarities, but that might get a little boring unless you have movie snacks. Maybe some popcorn with butter and raisonettes thrown in for good measure? No? I can wait while you run to the kitchen. No takers? Okay, then. Back to the ride review.) The zombies knocked the cyclist down, ripped him off his bike, and then began chewing on the leg stump that was still clipped into the cleat, while the legless cyclist tried to drag himself to safety. (Oops. Sorry. You know, my main analytical paper in film school was about slasher films, so I think I got a little sidetracked. Sorry.) I guess I promised you blood, so I better get to it.

First there was attempted blood, then there was stranger blood, and finally (gasp) there was Potter blood!

Attempted Blood

Penutty, Capt Bob, and Marc had long since left me in the dust, leaving only Baad Kitty to keep me company (thanks, Baad Kitty). All of a sudden there was the long, loud sound of a car horn. I moved father over to the right and some jackass in a sedan comes pulling up beside me, only about 18 inches away despite the fact that there was no one on the other side of the road and he had plenty of room to go around me. So flicked him off and he reciprocated. It is the universal sign language after all. And then as he pulled in front of us, it became clear that he was purposely getting a close to all the riders as possible, all the while blasting away on his horn. Baad Kitty stood up on her pedal, ready to take action, blasted off, yelling “Somebody needs to get that bastard!!” All she needed was a cape. She was ready to take him on. As Marc later pointed out, the driver had committed assault with a deadly weapon, and even though I gave my contact info to the ride director to give to the cops (she already had his license plate number) I have not been contacted. I guess no one cares that he basically tried to run 100 people off the road.

Stranger Blood

As we pulled into the first rest stop there was a cyclist being loaded into an ambulance. Apparently, he was hit by a car as he was trying to get off the road and into the rest stop. I don’t have any gory details, but if you are into that sort of thing, just scroll back up and read about zombies.

Potter Blood

As we were approaching the second rest stop, the Potter clan was all riding together again (I guess maybe they all love me after all). The rest stop was on the opposite side of the road and there was oncoming traffic, so we all yelled out “slowing” then “stopping” and “turning” all the while also giving hand signals. Now I know you think that was overkill, but true be told it did me no good. Next thing I know I hear someone behind coming up fast and cursing, then I am flying and sliding across the pavement and into the ditch. Some idiot was riding with her iPod on and her head tucked, so she couldn’t see or hear anything, including me and all the rest of Team Potter. Luckily, my bike was fine and all I had was some very minor road rash and some bruises. So much for the blood, huh? It wasn’t much, but it was there.

(Capt Bob, Penutty, Baad Kitty, Marc, and the chick who ran me over)

Sweatin’ to the Oldies

I’ve got nothing for this topic. The weather was overcast and not hot at all. I mean even though it is Texas we do a have few days here and there that are less than 100 degrees. But since I wanted to talk about blood and tears, I couldn’t very well leave sweat out, now could I?

Tears on My Pillow

About 5 miles into the ride, I made a comment to Baad Kitty that I felt like I was going to cry. Now this has happened before, but I never actually cried. Well 20 miles later, the floodgates opened and I started bawling. We had just gone up an incline (I won’t call it a hill, b/c Capt Bob will no doubt correct me and tell me that there are no hills except the hills on RAGBRAI XXXIV), and I was breathing hard. At first I thought I was wheezing and then I realized I was sobbing. Yep sobbing like a little girl. Then I started crying my eyes out. Penutty checked on me and Capt Bob checked on me. I think Capt Bob might have been a little weirded out by the whole thing, but Penutty seemed to take it in stride. It was pretty funny actually, riding down the side of the road, bawling for no reason. Then 2 minutes later it stopped and then 10 minutes after that it started again. Odd, but there you have it.

Epilogue: Let the spinning wheel spin

Overall this was a good ride and I will be back next year, but there are some kinks that need to be worked out. The registration was easy, the goody bag was great, the rest stops were well stocked with food and friendly people, plus there was food before and after the ride. The route was fine except for one section of horrible road, but that was manageable and short. Mostly the 32 mile route was on country roads or was on larger roads with huge, smooth shoulders. The route was fairly flat. The rest stops need to be moved so that they are all on the right side of the road rather than the left. My accident wasn't the ride organizers' fault, but could have been prevented by better rest stop placement. Can't say that I enjoyed being thrown onto the pavement and sliding into the ditch, and that is why even when it is difficult to find space on the right side of the road it is worth the effort. If they get the rest stop placement worked out, it will be a little gem of a ride. Unfortunately, this year was a little dangerous.

(GingerClip, Baad Kitty, Capt Bob, Penutty, and Marc after the ride)

For the first time, the Iowa Division and the Illinois Division of Team Potter got to experience the wonders of a Texas Rally. Bad roads! Blazing heat (more on that in the sweat section of this review)! 500+ riders at a small rally! Free T-shirts! Free food! Free water bottles! I’ve said it before and I will say it again: I like free!!! And I think that is common to all the Potters. Where will we strike again? No knows for certain, but I can guarantee that there will be bikes, booze, and raucousness!

Ride on!

See other reviews: http://www.bicycle-stuff.com/reviews/10_october/Denton_power_rally.htm

It’s the Vibrating Rabbit: The Jackrabbit Stampede

2006-09-09T22:16:00.000-05:00

September 9, 2006

Forney, TX
Riders: GingerClip Distance: 38 miles

Everything started out with such promise. Parking was a snap – with only about 200 or so riders there was plenty of space in the high school parking lot. There wasn’t a line for registration, and the T-shirt was cute, even if it was white. There were some little touches that really take a ride up a notch: there was great music being piped into the parking lot, a raffle for a free Cannondale, a Specialized truck offering tune ups, and prize money for the first rider in each distance. I was ready to be wowed. Unfortunately, that’s where it ended.

(Jen, Donna, Dawn, GingerClip)

The instant we hit the start line it was chip/seal, chip/seal, chip/seal. And not the old, worn-down, smooth chip/seal of Texas backroads long forgotten by TxDOT. Oh no, it was bone-jarring, check-all-the-screws-on-your-bike-after-the-ride, someone-in-the-city-had-extra-money-to-spend-so-they-redid-the-roads-every-six-months kind of chip/seal. Let’s just say that if you could position yourself on the seat just right you might be able to give yourself a little O. That’s one way to get the miles to fly by! If that had happened I might have been a little more forgiving for the awful roads. Instead I was left with itchy arms and legs from the vibration. Not nearly as pleasant a sensation.

Then there was the traffic. Roadkill really isn’t a good look for me, but the ride organizers seemed determined. We road on rural highways with cars zipping past us at 60 mph. At one time, a car passed me (thankfully not at 60 mph) with only about 8 inches to spare. That was a little tense. Just a little. After that we road on the access road. Oh joy.

The traffic and the roads were such and shame, because it was a great ride. The hills were perfect, the weather was perfect, the distance was perfect, and, honestly, the rest of the rally was perfect. We were greeted by the fabulous music when we returned 2 miles short of the promised 40 miles. Hey what a nice surprise to think you have 2 more miles to go, but instead there’s the finish line and people are trying to give you free hotdogs. What’s not to love about that?!?! I love finishing early! I love hotdogs!! And I definitely love FREE!!!!

While we were hanging out in the parking lot, drinking our post-ride beers, and eating our free hotdogs, we met Ginny, the Speedy Midget. Okay, maybe not really a midget, but I’m guessing she was less than 4’8”. (Baad Kitty would look like an Amazon next to her.) And she was hanging with the BIG BOYS. She flew past us on the ride and she was riding the 100k!! She was in the middle of a pack of men that were racing. Needless to say she won the prize for the first woman to finish the 100k. Apparently she’s a professional road and mountain bike racer. It was really quite fascinating.

(Jen, Donna, GingerClip, and Dawn)

Well there you have it. Not a very funny or exhilarating ride review. But them’s the facts, ma’am. Obviously I won’t be riding this again next year.

Next week: The Cotton Patch Classic http://www.omnisys-inc.com/cottonpatch.htm

Tour de Paris Adventure

2006-07-15T14:44:00.000-05:00

RIDERS: GingerClip and the rest of the Gay By Association Crew

DISTANCE: 25 miles

Captain's Log, Star Date 07-15-2006. hmmmm. wait a minute. Capt Bob the Captain, so this must not be the Captain's Log, but what is it then? If he's the Captain, that makes Baad Kitty the First Mate. And Penutty is the baby of the family, so she must be the Cabin Boy, but what am I? Whatever...it's The Log.

This was my first Tour de Paris and it was a wild ride! I sat bolt upright in the marginally comfortable bed in the very smoky room at the Comfort Inn at 6:45 am. That was a full 10 minutes before the alarm went off, and let me tell you I do not usually wake up that early voluntarily! CRISIS!!!!! I realized that I forgot to pack my sports bra, and that could be a dangerous thing. I could give myself a concussion from a smack in the head with a boob if I hit a pothole! So I shuffled a bewildered Marc out the door and into WalMart. Now I would never voluntarily buy clothing at WalMart, especially underwear, but as The Gay noticed, this is not the first time that he and I have been in an out-of-town WalMart shopping for underwear for me. The Gay has suffered much in the name of our friendship, but at least he isn't usually forced to see my boobs like he is our other friends'. (Laurie! Melissa!) But The Gay wasn't the only one subjected to the spectacle of my boobs that morning. Every one in the WalMart parking lot was treated to a free peek while I changed. What a great start to the day...and it gets better...

Marc and I head over to the school parking lot, say hello the Lesbians that we are riding with and gear up. I pull away and head towards the starting line when I hear a "Hold on a second" from behind. So I tapped my brake to slow down a little. Mistake. CRASH!!!! My road bike is only one month old, so I just took it in to have everything tightened up that might have stretched out in the first month of use. This included the brakes, on which I also had the reach adjusted. So silly GingerClip meant to tap the brakes, but instead I sent my bike to an immediate halt and myself sliding across the parking lot pavement. All the bikers around made a mental note to avoid me at all costs during the ride. At this time I would like to say thank you to the wonderful organizers of the Tour de Paris for including in my goody bad a little first aid kit. Unfortunately, I was sweating so much that the band aid fell off the bloody hamburger mess that used to be my left knee and I had little bloody rivers of sweat dripping down my knee for the entire ride.

The ride was good. We had a mass start which I don't think I like as well as a staggered start b/c we were stuck in agroup of slow people for longer than I would have liked and that's saying something b/c I am no speed demon. We finally passed the slow heard and started racing towards the front of the group in search of the rest of our group, which I have dubbed Gay By Association, since I am the only straight person and I think everyone will assume I am gay since I am hanging out with The Gay and the lesbians. Despite our best efforts we didn't have any luck catching them. At the 10 mile rest stop we found out why - they were behind us trying to catch up! There was a guy playing the banjo at the rest stop so I, of course, loved it.

After we pulled out and were headed down the road I spotted a little black kitten that couldn't have been more than 4 months old hiding in the weeds on the side of the road. ATTACK!!!! As each rider passed him, he would jump out and attack their rear tire, and then race back into the weeks to stalk the next rider coming down the road. I wish I could have taken a picture of that, b/c it was hysterical. Another rest stop, this time with Boy Scouts playing horseshoes. But their moms were very enthusiastic, they had tons of food, and cold Gatorade. BRAIN FREEZE!!!! I drank 1½ bottles of Gatorade while we were still there b/c I was so friggin' hot already. Stupid Texas weather.

Okay, back on the road, and I feel what I think is a leaf hit my helmet. I reach up to pull it out of one my vents, b/c it felt like it was stuck there, but I couldn't feel anything. But as my hand covered the vent that felt like it had the leaf in it, I feel a buzzing. FREAK OUT!!!! I swear there was the hugest bug ever stuck in my helmet! Now, in my mind it had to be a big bee that was going to sting me if I didn't get it out immediately. I pulled my bike over and frantically began trying to undue the buckle on my chinstrap, which of course meant that it took twice as long as normal. Now, I didn't get a look at whatever it was the flew out of my helmet after I removed it, b/c it took a sharp left, but out of my peripheral vision it looked like a pterodactyl with a stinger. Honest to God.

Okay, today I battled WalMart, the pavement, a kitten, and a mutant insect, but I had one battle left - the Texas heat. By the time that we pulled into the finish line at 10am it was 101 outside. I think I must have sweated outabout 15 pounds of water. But that's okay b/c I quicky replenished it with a couple of beers with the Gay ByAssociation crew. So by my count, that’s Team Potter 4, Tour de Paris 1 (clearly the pavement won that fight).

GO TEAM POTTER, TEXAS DIVISION!!!!