Sean

By now many of you probably know that Sean Callahan passed away earlier this week. It is an upsetting time, and I would like to express the loss I feel -- you may contribute your feelings too if you wish. I first met Sean through my friends Kyle and Mike a few years ago at the 10th and Dunn house here in Bloomington. As I'm sure is the case with everyone else who knew Sean, the first thing I noticed was how kind he was. I have met few people in my life that are that nice to total strangers, and it was that kindness and outgoingness that impressed me most about him. I regret not keeping my friendship to Sean as close as i could have or should have when he left Bloomington to move to Chicago. Sean, I miss you and the sorrow I feel in your passing is more than what I can put into words.

BONUS !!!!

I never miss a chance to get a goofy picture of Shawn...dude just can't wear hats !

photos/results from wrap up of Le Tour de Franzia

After the sprint race, we had a mystery event -- Mountain Dew guzzle/trackstand competition !!! The object -- maintain a trackstand while gulping down a can of Mountain Dew... feet can't touch the ground till your Dew is DONE !!! Elgin won, and took home a snappy Tiger trophy for his efforts ! Good job, dood !!




Shawn taking a bite of glass to stay sharp !


Kevin got a cap and shirt from SURLY !! Lookin good !



Brian and Charlie staying warm with their SURLY hip flasks !


Jake got 3rd place overall time, getting some Cyclones and since he was already decked out in yellow...got the yellow cap from Panther by Hand !! :)


Shawn got 4th overall time, and got a pair of Pearl Izumi Cyclones and a Silca CO2 inflator

I clinched 1st overall time and 1st for climbing points !

Thank you to Seagull for the awesome custom bag, Outlier for being great and sending two of their waxed cotton caps, and Amy at Panther by Hand for making three custom winners caps !! And a special thanks to Jeanette Caproon for making the AWESOME patches for us !!!

last thing and then on we go

The final Tour stage is this Friday in Indy ! STAGE 5 is a sprint stage, and will determine the overall sprint points leader. Friday is also when prizes will be given out, so make sure you attend this race !!!!!!

In other news ...
I have already begun planning the SPRING TOUR !
It will be a two day tour covering roughly 100 miles. We will have a cookout during the race for spectators as well as group meals for the racers between events. There will also be a women's category for female competitors. It will be amazing ! So, mark your calendars ( the current dates are tentatively set for MAY 29th and 30th -- a Saturday and Sunday, respectively ). The dates are subject to change if a more convenient date for riders presents itself. The sponsor list is already looking good for this, so make sure to check back frequently for more information !

new things

I just rode around on my new PHIL WOOD bottom bracket installed by Rawny at Bikesmiths, and let me tell you -- the thing is a dreamboat !!! Phil makes some great products. I'm a happy camper for certain. Speaking of campers ... tomorrow is bike camp at Morgan Monroe. Some friends are packing up their packables/campables and setting out for a 14 mile bike ride to the campsite. It should be a pretty fun time.
Following the camp theme -- a week from today ( Friday the 13th) will be the final event for the Tour !!! It will be a match style sprint race in Indy ( like the opening event for the tour on sept 11th) and will determine the sprint winner of the Tour. The award ceremony will also take place after the sprint event as well as a mystery event with a couple mystery prizes ! So, make sure to come out to race and/or spectate and cheer your pals on ! Meet at Pan Am Plaza at 10PM to register ( 2 $ entry ). We will get the sprints started at 10:30PM

STAGE 4 results

STAGE 4
Jake - 15 minutes 58 seconds
Shawn - 15 minutes 59 seconds
Mark - 16 minutes 9 seconds
Charlie - 16 minutes 11 seconds
Richard - 16 minutes 21 seconds
Kevin - 18 minutes 30 seconds
Eric - 18 minutes 32 seconds

The course was 6 miles long, and (as you can see) everyone was riding pretty fast ! It had rained all day long, but stopped shortly before the race got underway. The rain and cold made it an interesting race though, and everyone said they had a great time! The first four to finish were granted a time bonus - first place received a 4 minute time subtraction, second place received 3 minutes, third received 2 minutes, fourth received 1 minute.

STAGE 4 was the final timed stage for the Tour, locking in the top four as follows :

OVERALL LEADERS

Richard - 1st - 3 hours 49 minutes 5 seconds
Mark - 2nd - 3 hours 54 minutes 37 seconds
Jake - 3rd - 4 hours 3 minutes 12 seconds
Shawn - 4th - 4 hours 5 minutes 5 seconds

Thank you to everyone for racing and to all that have supported BRA and the races we've put on in this Tour series !! The next stage ( STAGE 5) is a sprint race in Indianapolis on Friday, November 13th. The meet will be at Pan Am Plaza at 10 PM and we will get the sprints underway at 10:30 PM. There will be an awards ceremony afterward for the Tour leaders and also a mystery event with mystery prizes to be given out as a fun way to end the Tour ! An earlier post shows the sprints points breakdown for everyone, so make sure to check it out. We will see you the 13th !!!