Bixby Bicycles Oklahoma State Age Based Championship Race

You all won! When a team comes together and you win, its not just Stormy that won, its the team. I believe anyone of you could have won the race yesterday, it was Stormy's time, it was Ryan's time.  I cant tell you how proud I am of this team, and to be a part of it yesterday was awesome! Its not because you won, its because you worked as a team and won!

We started building the Bixby Bicycle Work...s team months ago. I know there has been a lot of frustration in previous races. Major learning curves and lots of training.  I watched the finish and as the Cat 5 group turned the corner, we expected three riders and a heads up sprint, but what I saw was fantastic, A solo rider wearing blue and yellow! What more could we ask for, as a coach and part of the team.  But there was more, what I heard after the race was even more exciting. The TEAM pulled it together, the TEAM had a plan, the TEAM put it in place.  With Ryan off the front, knowing he could pull off the finish - if he rode smart the rest covered and blocked. It took pressure off the group!  Look at the energy that was saved by not riding so hard. With Ryan off the front, you blasted your way to a top finish.

Stormy - 1st (what a way to go out), Ryan 2nd (great job staying out in front and taking pressure off the other teammates), Stephen 5th place, (what a finish, heard he was solo for a while), Brock 7th, Jason 15, Derrick 17, Matt 18th, Mike 20, Robin 21, Dan 23, Danny 25, Micah 26, Bob 27, Robert 32, Steve 33.

You did it team you did it!!! Thank you to Stephen who took control of the team meeting and to Joe for all his support.  Great job guys!!!

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The Oklahoma State Road Race (Age Based) is in the record books for 2014 as a major success.The event turned out spot on with only a few small issues. From what I heard from the riders, they had only good things to say. Course was fast and fun, clean bathrooms, started on time and lots of fun.  The race is small if you compare it to other larger events but still time consuming, lots of sleepless nights, lots of dollars spent, tons of volunteers and police.

As the promoter of this race, I want this event to be safe fun and exciting for all riders. The credit goes to all the volunteers, the Bixby Police Department, Tulsa County Police, Jack McNeal and his group of officials.I tried to offer a good prize list, with prices for Cat 5, Juniors and I wanted to separated the masters group. I also wanted to make sure registration went great, and  results and pay out was in a timely manner. Thanks to Jack McNeal and Heidi Hoop I believe we did just that.

I want to say THANK YOU to everyone that pitched in. It would not be possible without all the support and riders.  Thank you to the following: David D. Perry, my right hand man, Heidi Hoop, John Hoop, Dale Nicola, Gary Haddad, Joe Lederer, Tony Miller, Robert Founds, Stephen Phillips, and Cheryl, Steve Nave, Julie Wood Nave, Jeanean Diehl, Erin Tawney, and Collin, Jason Watts, Roger, Robin Ameen, Allison (Cindys Daughter), Bob Weaterhbie, Dan Henderson, Rich Dahlgren, Randy Shaw, Rivers Berndt for the great photos and so many more. If i missed you, it was not intentional.

I have to say Thank you to Cindy McNeill, my girlfriend. If you knew what she had to put up with the past few days, whew!

Please visit the SPONSORS, South Pointe Honda, Scott Hugh Shoemake, Grand Bank, David Perry Insurance Agency, Bixby Bicycles, Vittoria Tires, Tifosi Glasses, Louis Garneau Clothing, Cytomax nutrition products, J and B importers, Phil Johnson, The Pita Place for providing us a great wrap,

We added $1,000.00 to the prize list from last year and hope to make it better next year, if we earn the bid for 2015. Send me an email or private message on Facebook for any feedback that will help me improve the event for next year.

Thank you again for all your support, you made it possible!

Bicycling For Life: Mark Martin

At Bixby Bicycles we enjoy sharing pictures, articles and videos about bicycling.

Mark Martin is both funny and informative in this 12 minute video. 

To all you cyclist and friends of cyclist, it's entertainment with a positive message 

Enjoy, "Bicycling For Life"

To View on Tablet or Phone Click Here

Otherwise Click on the Arrow Below

To View on YouTube

http://youtu.be/4W-3Mnu3Ovo

THE BIKE SONG

This weeks blog offers something different. Bicycling is great exercise 

and lots of fun as seen in this really cool video. 

Starts off a little different, but hang in there, it will surprise you 

and inspire you to get on a bicycle. Enjoy!

RIDING ON SNOW AND ICE

There’s no need to leave the bike at home because of a bit of snow. Riding in snow is actually easy and a lot of fun. You might want winter tires, the type with metal studs that will bite and give grip through hard packed ice and snow. Don’t forget to let the air out of those tires. Use low pressure; riding them soft you’ll get more grip. Wide tires with widely separated knobs work best on snow – studded tires improve traction on ice.

You’re going to be anxious about the conditions, especially if it’s your first time. Relax your hands and arms and keep your weight back. Steer with your hips rather than your hands. If the snow is crusty, shift more weight to the front so you can stay on the crust without breaking through, if it’s mushy shift to the back for more traction. Make small directional changes with your whole body on the bike, don’t break hard, do your braking early and in a straight line; use the back brake to check the amount of adhesion you have.

Riding through the snow is slower and harder than you think. Focus on the trail. If you’re wallowing in the snow, let more air out of your tires. On completely snow covered roads let your tire pressure all the way down. Shift into a gear that lets you keep a comfortable cadence and allow the front wheel of the bike to go where it wants. Swap clipless pedals for flat pedals, wear warm winter boots and pedal smoothly. If your feet get cold or you’re experiencing poor circulation, get off and run with the bike. A bike isn’t a car yet some winterizing is needed. If you didn’t do it in the fall, now is the time to repack bearings with low temperature grease.

Always wear a helmet, especially in snow and ice, and don’t be embarrassed to bring out that Fat Bike for winter riding. Fat bikes are essentially mountain bikes with low-pressure motorcycle size tires that allow riders to pedal over compacted snow. And speaking of snow, it’s always a good idea to check the weather before taking to the road.

The right equipment is important, so is proper attire. Your physical condition and riding style will determine your needs. Bicycling generates a lot of heat. Clothing should be well insulated and should keep you warm. Dress in layers under your breathable windproof clothing - thermax, capilene, and polypro are said to be some of the best. Try bike pogies for your hands. They let you ride barehanded when you don’t need gloves and let you wear gloves when you need heavy mittens. They also improve your control of the bike.

Being seen is a must. Generator lights don’t work well in wet or snowy conditions. Systems that power both lights from the same battery can leave you invisible to drivers. However rear flashers are very reliable and can run for a year on 2 AA batteries. Clear white reflectors return twice as much light as amber ones and more than three times as much as red ones.

Stay safe, stay warm and enjoy the magic.