Another eventful few days on the admin side of things!

At this point, I've worked extensively with the folks at Canari for the clothing order. There's been some ups and downs with things. There was a miscommunication throughout everything, and the only youth size clothing they offer is a short sleeve jersey. Lesson learned, and I have another company that we can use for next year that offers a FULL LINE of youth clothing that we can choose from. I will have all of the sizing information, pictures, and order form for the clothing at Friday's practice. Also, if any of the kids need new bike shorts (I know Corbin does), we can get them through Garneau for about $30 each.

I have placed the order with Hammer Nutrition, and it's on the way. Getting it this early assures that we will have everything ready to go by the time we start riding outdoors. They're also sending a free banner with their logo!

We've started the communication process for volunteering at 2 local events this year, the Harpers Ferry Half Marathon and Freedom's Run.  We've talked with Matt Knott (from River Riders), now I'm just waiting on a return email from Dr. C.

Now, for some interesting news regarding the use of prescribed medications during USAC permitted events. As of January 1, 2011, the US Anti-Doping Agency (click here) has deemed that athletes no longer need a "therapeutic use exemption" (or TUE) for the use of albuterol, salmeterol, and glucocorticosteroids (with the exemption of systemic), which are asthma meds. Anything else that an athlete takes on a regular basis should be run through the search engine on the USADA website to see if they are prohibited or regulated.

Can't wait to see everybody on Friday for practice!

Bryan

First Practice!

Well, I would say that our first team practice was a success! We had 6 members in attendance. We did a quick warm up, then worked on some strength training, and ended with some aerobic work on the trainers. I can't wait to practice with everybody again next week.

In the mean time, for the team: Remember to do 2 additional trainer workouts each week, spinning for a minimum of 30 minutes at an easy resistance. Big guys, try to do 45 mins. Remember to make complete circles with your pedal strokes, and keep a nice rhythm with your legs. Try to remember how 90 rpm felt, and continue that.

I'll share some pictures when I get them.

Bryan

Tonight is our first practice!

Practice is on for tonight at 7p. We'll have a brief stretching/warm up period, then go in to some strengthening exercises, and then on to some aerobic time on the trainers. We're going to have a good time! I'll have the camera ready to get some pictures of our first team.

Just a reminder: We're meeting at my house, if you need directions, let me know.

Don't forget: Water bottle, towel, snack for afterwards Also, if you're bringing a trainer, don't forget your trainer skewer for the rear wheel. Not all skewers are compatible with trainers. If members haven't had a chance yet, review the flavor options for Hammer Nutrition's Hammer Gels and Recoverite. I'll be placing the order tomorrow. If you can, please bring completed paperwork (membership application and release form) along with the team dues.

The jersey design is still in the final stages. We've had some hang-ups on the artwork, but we should be good to go by early next week. *Maybe* we'll get to order by next week's practice.

Bryan

Information For This Week

Just letting everybody know what's going on with practice this week:
Practice will be at my house, at 7p. (contact me for directions) Try to arrive as early as possible, so we can get the trainers set up and start working out (if you want to get here a little bit prior to 7, I'm ok with that). We'll probably go for about 1-1.5 hrs, by the time we're finished. Most of our workouts will stay aerobic, concentrating on correct form and dynamics. We will be on our bikes for the majority of our time, and we will incorporate some leg strengthening and core exercises as well. Please email me back to let me know if you're coming, so I can plan accordingly. Address and directions are below.
Bring: Bike, trainer (if you don't have one, let me know and we'll try to get an extra one here), water bottle, towel, snack for afterward.

Canari says that our graphic files are good, and they're working on finalizing the design. There's a chance that they'll be ready for order this week, I'll keep you informed.

Go to Hammer Nutrition's website (or click here) and look at the flavors for their Hammer Gels and Recoverite drinks. I'll get everyone's preferences on Friday, and place the order with them immediately after.

Also, this week is the start of the Tour Down Under. It's Lance Armstrong's last international race, and is going to be awesome for the team sprinters. Mark Cavendish, Andre Greipel, Robbie McEwan, Robbie Hunter, Thor Hushovd are just a few of the big name sprinters that are there...the sprint for the line is going to be nuts!!! Coverage is on the Versus channel at 6p most evenings this week.

Bryan

Good Article

The link below is to an article that I came across today. Dr. Aldo Sassi (famous Italian cycling coach and physiologist) talks about not only how he works with juniors, but also the role of the junior athletes themselves. He reinforces some basic points that are already widely known, but it's a good little read.

http://www.athleticamps.com/cycling/coaching/id0052/

We've Had Our First Meeting!!!

Welcome to the official blog of the newly formed Eastern Panhandle Junior Bikeracers: Team Integrity!! We are a youth/junior competitive cycling team/club in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. Thanks to those that attended our first meeting last night. Below is a copy of the email that I sent afterwards. Please notice the calendar at the bottom of the page. I'll be working on that over the next few days, and it should serve as a good resource to keep an eye on our schedule of practices, races, and community events. Thanks again, for taking the time to check us out. Feel free to subscribe to our blog, the more, the merrier!

-Bryan

We had a GREAT first meeting! It was great to see that you all are just as enthusiastic as I am about the junior's program. Thanks to those who could make it. If you didn't make it out, just let me know if you're still interested and would like to keep receiving emails. To bring everyone up to speed:
- Team dues for the first year will be $50/athlete. Our season will go from now until around the end of August.
- Our first practice will be Friday, January 21 at 7:00p. I will let you know where we'll meet, no later than Tuesday. We will be training indoors for a few weeks until it starts to warm up enough outside. It looks like we've got enough trainers for everybody. If you don't have them already, start thinking about shoes and pedals. Shoes can be found at J&R Superstore online. **Since our practice area is not set in stone yet, I'm open to ideas. If anybody has any suggestions, let me know, otherwise, we'll meet at my house**
- I'll keep you informed with the status of the jerseys/kits. Hopefully they'll be ready to print within the next week.
- Although I'm waiting for the official word, it looks like our first event will be on March 20, in Richmond.
- The "field trips" we talked about were Philadelphia (for the pro road race) and DC (museums, monuments, and Hains Point). The third one (that I couldn't think of at the moment), is to Trexlertown, PA to ride on the velodrome. Also, I will get in touch with Panhandle Pedalers to talk to them about Summit Point.
- We talked about some community projects. We can talk about them more at practices, as those dates get closer.
-You can purchase your USAC license at any time (age 10 and up), it's good for the entire year. Just go to USACycling.org, then go to "Why Join?" on the left menu, and follow the rest of the icons.
-If you get a chance, stop in and thank one of our sponsors, Eastern Panhandle Bicycle Co. in Martinsburg. We're happy to have them as a sponsor. Also, I know there were some questions about obtaining or upgrading a bike or two...it would be worth the time to ask Brian what current pricing is on whichever bike you have in mind. His prices are always below MSRP.