Week Wrap Up (8/30 – 9/6)

Trent is getting us ready for the off season. This past Friday night he organized a happy hour at Plymouth Bar.  Know how you recognize a spidermonkey not wearing a helmet or team kit?  They have a 312 in hand and a smile on their face….and they might introduce themselves saying “Hey, I’m the new girl on a blue Orbea.”  We hope you will join us for many of the off season events we have planned.

Several new Spidermonkeys joined us this past Saturday for their first group ride to Highland Park.  Welcome and congrats to Liz, Matt and Michelle!  What do you get when 30 spidermonkeys ride together to HP? FUN!!!!  

Labor day 3 day weekend, 3 bike rides = 200 miles ridden by Geoff P. On the way home from Saturdays ride, we had the pleasure of riding with some of the Half Acre team.  Joe (spidermonkey of the week) was overheard discussing the type of hopps and alchohol content in 312 with some of them.  Congrats to Ken and Geoff S for tackling the 2010 Gateway Cup. “Today I somehow became a climber” said Ken.  Must have been the spidermonkey skinsuit!!!!

Spidermonkey of the week:

Joe Hausfeld

Having finished a moderately successful career as a track & field sprinter at Loyola University Chicago (go Ramblers!), I began the 21st century by tackling the three-headed monster that is triathlon.  Naturally, I found cycling to be a very solitary endeavor.  After several triathlons, I disliked the cycling leg and focused mainly on swimming and running, and while I improved significantly, it's a well-known fact that most triathlons are made or broken on the bike leg.

While I continued with triathlons, I also incorporated biking into my everyday routine - biking to work, the grocery store, bars, etc.  I would challenge myself to fill my Timbuk2 bag to bursting.  I really began to view cycling as a lifestyle and was drawn to its alt-culture, as well.  Biking was still, however, a deeply personal and private part of my life, one lacking camaraderie.

At this time, my mom was laid up with a broken femur in the south of Florida.  She, an avid recreational cyclist, but unable to ride due to recovery from the aforementioned injury,  became addicted to the Tour de France broadcasts.  I began to pay attention to them, as well, and we would talk about the stages over lengthy phone calls.  I started to know names of riders and to understand the strategies behind the actions of the peloton.  Maybe this spandex stuff was for me after all.

In late winter 2008, I walked home one morning and passed my favorite bike shop, Roscoe Village Bikes.  A group of riders were congregated and I approached them:

Me:  You guys on a group ride?

All:  Yep.

Me:  What do I need to get involved?

Nate Iden: A bike, duh...

Me:  Um, ok, thanks...

Late that Summer, I showed up one Saturday morning for a Spidermonkey ride in my bike messenger capris - a day that will live in infamy.  Dean knows he wants a pair...

While I'll never be at the head of the pack, I've no problem lugging my, as Dean puts it, "210 lbs of awesomeness!" along on the rides, bringing up the back in my "club-cut" jersey.  Spidermonkey Cycling has been a true highlight for me.  The friendship and fellowship I've experienced these 3 years makes being the Lanterne Rouge a position of honor.