Summer schedule for junior riders

As school ends and summer gets in a full swing, it seems like a good time to set a schedule for summer junior rides with the club. The goal this summer is to provide more regular opportunities for everyone to get out so we've switched around a few things and the following lets you know all of the options available for rides.

For junior-focused rides, Tuesday and Wednesday will be the main days. These rides will oriented toward helping juniors learn skills and getting the chance to ride with other juniors. There will be coaches and/or junior team mentors at these activities weekly to provide guidance.

* Tuesdays at 7:45 p.m. at Runway Plaza (http://bit.ly/aavcmap) will be the "B group" criterium practice following the full-speed criterium practice. Just like the full-speed criterium practice, the juniors, some women, and some other new riders will do a few short practice races to work on speed and group riding skills.

* Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. at Greenhills School (http://bit.ly/aavcmap) will be the junior practice. This will involve a combination of skills/ games and group ride; it will be similar to the Saturday rides we've done in the past.

For older juniors, including those ready to race in Cat. 4 or 5 fields, the following rides may interest you. These are faster, longer rides and require more bike handling skills, responsibility for oneself, speed, and endurance, so they will not be right for all riders. Some of these rides will have club coaches in attendance, others may not. Please ask if you have any questions about participating in these rides.

* Monday club rides (6:00 p.m., Wheeler Park, 20-30 miles) are great for learning group riding skills at a moderate pace (18-20 mph usually) and are appropriate for older juniors or those with good bike handling skills and decent speed.

* Tuesdays (6:30 p.m., Runway Plaza) are criterium practice, with the first hour+ being high speed practice races that will challenge the best rider's speed and group riding skills. We do 6 short practice races to provide multiple opportunities every evening. These are for riders with very good bike handling skills and speed.

* Thursday (6:00 p.m., Forsyth School, 40-60 miles) is a fast group ride that would be good for junior riders who are at the level of being ready to do some senior races (Cat. 5 or 4).

* Saturday and Sunday, 9:00 a.m., Wheeler Park -- long club rides for riders wanting to do more miles (often 50-70 miles, sometimes more).

Again, the Tuesday and Wednesday junior-focused events are best for young and new riders. If you have an interest or questions about any activities, please ask. We'll also have a handful of other junior team rides and activities during the summer, like trips to the velodrome, or a century ride.

If you have any questions about any of this, please let me know.

AAVC clothing design

We finalized the design with the artist at Hincapie Sportswear a few weeks ago, and the production version has now been approved. That's all to say, we finally know what our team kits will look like when they arrive in late April. Stay tuned for updates in mid-April as the shipping date approaches for details about when and how you'll be able to pick up clothing you ordered.

For now, have a gander at what the design will look like...

Women's track clinic

If you (or a woman you know) are interested in getting involved with track racing or developing your skills further, there will be a women’s track clinic early this season in Chicagoland. The announcement:

If you are woman interested in learning about track riding and racing please consider attending this clinic. If you know of a woman who might be interested in checking out track bike riding and racing, please let them know about this instructional event. This is a great way to get that roadie to check out the track and see what they are missing.

John Vittallo

Event: Women's Track Clinic 

"Track Cycling Instruction"

What: Sports Practice

Start Time: Sunday, April 18 at 8:00am

End Time: Sunday, April 18 at 12:00pm

Where: Ed Rudolph Velodrome

To see more details and RSVP, visit:

http://www.facebook.com/n/?event.php&eid=339529902306 (log in to Facebook required to view the event details)

26th Annual Ann Arbor Spring Training Series (STS)

Event details are now available for the Ann Arbor Spring Training Series. Check the event website for more information. We’ll also be looking for club members to assist before and during this series, so if you’d like to be involved, please contact Lucas at lucasjw@gmail.com.

Tailwind Cyclocross and Mountain Schedule for 2010

Robert Linden of Tailwind was at the MMBA Expo, and their 2010 cyclocross and mountain bike race schedule is looking good. Check out the schedule here.

MMBA Expo report

The Michigan Mountain Biking Association (MMBA) held their annual meeting and expo this past weekend in the Pavilion on the Michigan State campus. The expo was a chance to see some new items from bicycle manufacturers, find some great deals on clearance items from Michigan bike shops, participate in the swap meet, and find out about some new cycling-related vendors.

In addition, Joe Lekovish organized a great booth for MBRA, hosting four riders that call Michigan home: Frankie Andreu (former Euro-pro, current Kenda director sportif), Jake Rytlewski (Kenda), David Williams (Bissell), and Kacey Manderfield (LipSmacker). The event drew quite a crowd as all four were interviewed and shared their experiences racing and plans for the coming season. Kacey’s stories about the disco-party atmosphere of the 6-day races in Europe was especially fun to hear about. Additional details are posted on the MBRA forum.

While it was a mountain bike focused event, there was plenty for road and cyclocross riders to enjoy, too. Keep it in mind for next year!

Development camps for aspiring young riders

If you missed the note in USA Cycling's monthly newsletter (USA Cycling Communiqué), below is a copy of the note about the 2010 Regional Development Camps.

If you're between the ages of 14 and 22, be sure to check out USA Cycling's schedule of 2010 Regional Development Camps. The camps are held around the country to provide young riders with opportunities to develop skills while learning from some of the nation's top coaches. Discussions cover topics ranging from event preparation to becoming a healthier cyclist. Skills work includes cornering drills, paceline riding, and feedzone practice among others. Click here to read more and to see the full camp schedule.