Mid-Summer Updates
August demonstrates excellent form in a raucous game of MTB ring toss.
Just like that, we’re in our last week of practice for July and looking toward our final month of summer!
We have been having a blast getting to know our riders (especially in our small “home groups”) during each practice, and have enjoyed watching them build their skills, gain confidence, learn/improve upon their riding, and have fun! We’ve also been enjoying getting to know one another as a coaching team - we have an incredible group of new volunteers this year who are taking on the challenge of our biggest team ever with aplomb. (We’re always looking for volunteers and it’s never to late to sign up - contact a director if you want to ride along!)
Here are a few brief updates for families as we enter our second month of the season. Read on!
Tomorrow: Join in on our informal team outdoor gear sale!
WHAT: Sale or swap of gently used outdoor and bike-related gear
WHERE: Blackhawk Ski Club West Chalet
WHEN: 5:45-7:30 (we will leave items in the chalet until the end of practice, so folks who can’t make it right away can come and peruse)
DETAILS: Bring cash or check; we will keep it as simple as possible - see the swap procedures here (these will be posted Wednesday as well). If you have Venmo or PayPal, you can specify that for payment.
We will dedicate the first 20-30 minutes of practice to the gear sale - families can peruse (with their riders) the available items, and chat with other families. After that, riders and coaches will begin practice between 6:20-6:30. Families are welcome to continue to shop/swap during practice. After practice, families must retrieve unsold items from the chalet before 7:45 p.m. or they will be donated/given away.
Not sure if you should bring an item? We’re happy to entertain the sale of all outdoor related stuff, obviously bikes/bike stuff makes sense. I know riders are looking for everything from apparel to parts to complete bikes! A few families may be looking to pass on uniforms or kits that their riders have outgrown. It probably goes without saying, but please don’t bring smelly, dirty, or unusable gear. Additionally, for safety purposes we don’t condone the sale/swap of used helmets. We’re running this on the honors system (so you don’t have to stick around and monitor your stuff all night) so please respect the procedures and rules!
*We could use a volunteer or two to hang out in the West Chalet during practice to keep an eye on things and answer any straggler questions! Contact Em at via email and let her know if you can assist!
Final Apparel Update
We will be passing out our practice shirts (tech tees with team logos) this week WEDNESDAY in conjunction with the gear swap. If you aren’t at Wednesday’s practice, we will continue to bring unclaimed shirts to practices for the next couple of weeks.
Orders for team kit have passed, thank you for your attention to the deadline, and for ordering! We look forward to the kit delivery in early September,
Remember that our casual apparel and gear is still available on SquadLocker.
Brandon shreds at Kettle Moraine during our 2020 Adventure Ride.
August Adventuring
August is the month of Adventure rides for our team, and it also means that our calendar changes a bit! It is important to check the team calendar before you head to practice each week, as many of our practices/rides will be at different locations than normal!
Highlights for August include…
Weeknight Adventure Ride at Sauk (NEXT THURSDAY!)
Thursday, August 5: Meet at 700 VFW Drive in Sauk and be ready to ride at 6 p.m.; we will ride the Dam Trails in small groups until 8 p.m. (pickup in same location)Team Trail Corps & Stewardship Week
August 10 & 12: We are working with Capital Off-Road Pathfinders trail stewards to coordinate projects for our riders as part of NICA’s Trail Corps program! Each team (Mount Horeb, Blackhawk, and Waunakee) will be going to a separate location during this week to give back to the trails we love. Waunakee will head to Driftless Downs in Cross Plains on Tuesday, 8/10 (in lieu of practice). On Thursday, 8/12 Mount Horeb will work with trail stewards at Blue Mound State Park, and Blackhawk riders will work on a project at…you guessed it, Blackhawk!
Please note calendar for details.Badger Prairie Ride
Tuesday, August 10: Meet at Badger Prairie to check out the cyclocross trails and learn about a different biking discipline. We’ll also check out the new singletrack being built in this Verona-area park!
*NOTE: Waunakee riders will be doing Trail Corps projects in Cross Plains on this day to accommodate the schedule of the trail managers.Kettle Moraine Weekend Adventure
Sunday August 22: We will ride some of Wisconsin's best singletrack trails, located in the southern unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest! We won't touch the same trail twice - there are so many miles to explore. We will host a variety of rides (different paces, lengths, etc.) so there's something for every rider. Bring a picnic lunch to enjoy with the team mid-ride, and then loop back out to the trails before you head home for the afternoon. Parents are welcome to bring their bikes and ride separately.Wisconsin NICA Adventure Weekend
TENTATIVE: August 28 & 29: We’re waiting on details from the WI league - as soon as we know more, we will send an update!
Race Info & Logistics
Director Dirk sent an email last week with some thoughts on race logistics (lodging/camping, scheduling, and registration) - we’re starting to compile a RACING FAQ’s page here. We also hope to host a couple of informal Q&A’s for parents before or after upcoming practices, that way families have the opportunity to ask directors/coaches questions that still remain. The Wisconsin league will continue to send updates via email, and there is also information on their website as well as their Facebook page.
Thanks for reading! We try to keep our news updates brief and to the point - but there’s always a lot of info to communicate. We hope this format is a helpful and succinct way to get families the information they need for their athletes!
As a second-year coach and director, I want to thank everyone who is participating this year as either a rider, parent, or volunteer - we more than doubled the size of our team from last year, so we’ve been learning and growing a lot this season! We love the shared enthusiasm for getting #morekidsonbikes.
As always, reach out to us with any questions!
Em
…and the Driftless Director Team
Dirk Horne (all teams)
Scott Lindsey (Blackhawk)
John Cramer & Em Meier (Waunakee)
