Super Squadra

A nice weekend for team Super Squadra

Function 1- Team strategy talk at SIX on Thursday night.

Function 2- Our team had it’s first official function, a low- key mini camp to celebrate the arrival of our initial round of clothing. We started off on Saturday AM with a ride from Jonestown out 1431 to Cow Creek, Round Mountain, Nameless, and back with some sprinting drills. I would like to tap Steven Wheeler and Alan Ting as co-champions of the workout. From there, we planned on sailing on Lake Travis, but with the weather so sour all week, we decided not to take the chance. Too bad, the weather would have been perfect for the water but it was equally nice to torture men, women, and children while paint balling. For 5hr. After downing some Chuy’s and sleeping deep, we reassembled for the Austin Flyers ride Sunday morning. Ian was a casualty of “the trenches” from the previous day and cut off after a mini photo shoot. Wheeler had a spoke fall out of his Ksyrium wheel about 10min into the ride, which was about 30sec away from my house, and we were all a bit sore from the previous day. We grabbed a wheel from Casa Strong- Wenger, and then proceeded in a tight, fast 2x 2 rotation for a 4hr ride that seemed way harder than it should have thanks to 12yr old boys teaching us valuable lessons 16hr earlier, with guns.

Day one of the Bicycle Sport Shop presented by Girling Healthcare team camp involved a 50-mile ride with multiple lead out practices followed by a four hour bonding session at Texas Paintball in Jonestown, on the north side of Lake Travis.

We finished our ride with bananas for all.

Then got our guns.

Enlisted a troop of child soldiers.

Took some head shots.

Ian suffered a hematoma to his thigh when he dove into a bunker while dodging heavy fire and landed on a large (gigantic, really) rock.

On Sunday we gathered for an semi-epic ride, departing from Bicycle Sport Shop (Austin’s finest).

Practicing team energy drink hand offs.

Steven, our route guide Pat and I headed out this past Saturday for a ride I had always imagined but never acted upon. Our goal was to arrive at Bastrop State Park and ride clear through to Buescher State Park on the other end in Smithville. Pat mapped the route and actually did the ride with a small group of visitors and friends the Sunday prior so for Steven and him it was old hat already. The first time though they turned around shortly after entering the park, hardly tapping its full potential. We made it to downtown Bastrop in just over 2 hrs and immediately entered the park where they ask you stop and secure a permit. Or if there’s no one there you sheepishly continue on your way. Immediately it’s like a different region of the country as pine trees line the narrow, smooth serpentine roads. You can see the reddish clay soil peculiar to the earth of Georgia or the Carolinas. The roads track up and down most of the way and there’s even a small pond that you ride past and above on a ridge. I think it’s about 13-14 miles from gate to gate. On this day we didn’t venture much further than Buescher once we arrived with a nice headwind awaiting our return leg. There are other roads that branch off and rejoin the main Park Rd 1C but we chose not to take any. Despite this, taking Park Rd 1C out and back was great as the terrain rolls enough that you don’t really feel you’re on the same road. We took 969 all the way back until we split off towards Decker Lake. By this time the wind was pretty wound up and though 5 hrs blazed by, the final 45 minutes really dragged. I am pretty sure someone cursed me for half-wheeling at the end there. So, definitely a central texas classic ride.

Tale of the tape: 5:45 hr 109 mi 225w

Today I decided to hit up the playground. No, not the kind of playground in your local park or school but the one where your climbing and descending up the biggest and baddest hills in Austin. I’m not really sure where the nickname for this ride came from but it definitely fits.

The Playground consists of the following hills which are located in the same vicinity of central west Austin. They are in no particular order: Far West, Ladera Norte, Beauford, Jester, Courtyard and City Park.

All of these hills range in length and gradient but most of them only take 3 minutes to five minutes in length depending on how hard you decide to attack them. As for me, I was on the high side of those numbers as my first trip to the playground in the new season was a hard and difficult one. I think that’s why many Austin riders go to the Playground. Everyone is looking to test their ability to suffer and see where their fitness lies. So, if you someone all decked out in BSS/Girling gear please say hello and if you want to be really nice offer me a push.

For all you Mopac ped bridge daredevils, there’s a bigger, badder challenge that awaits you. From an earlier post by Ian after he fixed the link up. Here

I believe I speak collectively for the team when I a say, “Bring on 08!” With a full winters worth of respite I anxiously await a hopefully fruitful 08. The month of January presents itself with multiple first. A training camp in the near future will allow me to familiarize myself with my teammates for the coming years, along with a first January that has finals after Christmas break. Needless to say, I can’t wait to brush away the books and get the racing legs turning…and a new team bike

In the next few days, Super Squadra team members will receive their gear to use for the 2008 season. Check back in a few days for a full report and some pictures. The biggest treat though is that Ian is returning to Austin in a few short days. Just when when we are about to lose our honorary team member to his full time traveling/racing gig, a fully-fledged member takes his place. Things are looking good for January (not to mention the 75 degree days).

This morning the Austin-based Super Squadra riders attended the “Around the City” ride which left from Bicycle Sport Shop at 9:30.  Despite chilly temperatures the ride was very well attended.  There were two ride options, a shorter ride that foregos the dam loop and the full loop which we followed.  The ride was pretty incident-free except for the nail that found its way into Steven’s wheel.  The group was courteous enough to stop and wait a handful of miles later.  The route highlights many of the better roads to the West, North and East of town.  The ride totaled about 4 hours so there was plenty of time left to take in an afternoon of pigskin.