10 July 2012

Trent & Gary Wilmarth were interviewed on WICS ABC 20 today.  Click the link below to see the interview if you missed on the news today!

7-10-2012 WICS ABC 20 Interview

07 July 2012

A Good Saturday

Holy cow!  So let me start with a bit of background chat before I tell you about todays ride...

Long day of activity on the lake on Friday and then at the "nth hour", Ken says, "Want to go listen to a Blues Band?"  So sure, why not, right?  Does it really matter that I had a training ride scheduled for 0730 the next day?  Nah!  Ha!

We go to Shorty Pants on mm21 (might be guessing at exactly where it is...ha) to listen to "Doghouse Daddy's".  Long story short, we got home a bit late and 0630 alarm went off very early!  HA!

So the ride was great.  Dan, owner of "Oz Cycles and Kayaks" (you have to check this place out if you make it to Lake Ozarks) and Dave were at the shop ready to go.  We knew we would push for about an hour...and push we did!  Woo-hoo!  Riding a mountain bike with 2.1 knobbies is always a good time when everyone else is on a road bike!  Man, what a quick and hard work-out!  Thanks Dan and Dave for the hour plus of push!  My computer showed over 20 miles and just over a 20 mph average! Yes!!!  Seriously everyone, if you get down this way, you must stop by Oz Cycles and Kayaks!  Dan and crew are awesome and it doesn't seem to matter one bit whether you are a local/regular because they treat everyone very well!  Thanks Dan and Team!  Much appreciated and see you at the OGRE!!!!

So tomorrow we head back to Chatham.  Had a great time at Jandy and Ken's place!  Good training, good lake time, good eats, and lots of laughs!  Gotta love it!  Next month we will be in Colorado for final prep for Leadville!  Woo-hoo! 

Hmm, speaking of Leadville...not getting much in "shout-outs"!  What's up everyone?  Any challenges or words of encouragement?  Let me hear you...

Stay tuned.  I have a calendar of events to share in the near future.  Looks like we will expand beyond Leadville and take on a 56 miler, a 150 miler, another 100 miler, and possibly a 200 miler!  What do you have to say about that?  How about a contribution to Kailey's Krew if I finish one...and more if I finish all?  Stay tuned...

Saddle Up, Dig Deep, Ride Hard!

TNT OUT-

06 July 2012

One Month to Go!

Good morning everyone!  I hope this finds everyone doing well and enjoying the warm summer.  Warm would be an understatement for us in Central Illinois, though.

So, with just over a month to go, training has progressed well.  Actually at Lake of the Ozarks getting some hill-training in this weekend.  Spun for 20+ miles yesterday with lots of climbing and quick descents.  Today's plan is for 36 off-road miles on some single-track trails.  Temp is only supposed to hit 105 degrees down here today but I'll be in some shaded areas so I am sure it will be more like 100 degrees!  Ha!

And then tomorrow morning I will link up with a group of "Roadies" at Oz Cycles in Lake Ozark for a fun and quick ride...at least we will get out before the heat of the day moves in on us.

The 2012 R&M/Kailey's Krew - Pedal of Hope jerseys are being produced now.  California based company, Jakroo, is taking care of business for us this year.  The jerseys will be available for sale at R&M Cyclery or by sending me a note, starting on or about July 29th.  You'll want to be sure to get your 2012 jersey as they look pretty impressive!

As we made plans for this years Leadville Trail 100 in Colorado, we set our contribution goal at $20K as there were 3 of us racing on the team.  Although our goal will not change and we have a long ways to go to raise funds for "Kailey's Krew", our "team" has dwindled a bit.  Just in the last month, Neil and Alec had to assess their current training level and their available time to continue to train and prepare for Leadville.  With work-related challenges, they both made the decision that this would not be the year they would try to race the LT 100 mountain bike race.  Although it is a bummer that neither will participate in the race this year, I am impressed with the assessment and support their decision to opt out for this year.  The LT 100 is a very difficult and challenging course and for us flat-landers, the altitude will sap the energy from you if you are not ready.  You can get hurt or others around you could get hurt.  So, my hat is off to Neil and Alec and as we add more races to our agenda, hopefully we can bring them on-board to participate.

So, let's get the show on the road, shall we?  Who will challenge me to finish faster than last year?  Who will raise the bar and help Pedal of Hope make a bigger contribution to Kailey's Krew than in 2011?  In 2011 I finished in just over 11 hours...is under 9 hours possible for my old butt?  Hmm, let me here you!!!  Until my next post...

Saddle Up, Dig Deep, and Ride Hard!

TNT OUT-