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We're right in the throes of PACTOUR's 4th annual 'ride to lunch and ice cream' Wisconsin Camp.
WISCONSIN CAMP + ROUNDAMANURE 2006 PHOTO GALLERY
CAREER SURFERS of the Bike Friday website will be very familiar with the Lon Haldeman/Susan Notorangelo 'Fab Two'. As owners of PACTOUR, a 20-year strong bike touring company geared for the exceptional cyclist (= big daily mileage), they run the annual Bike Friday Desert Camp for snowbirds who prefer to get fit rather than flabby over winter.
For four years now they've been offering a summer training camp right in their own cornfield, so to speak - their Wisconsin Cycling Camp. Quite a few southerners fly north to this camp to escape the heat. 'Came here for some cool weather - it's 100 degrees in New Orleans,' said one rider.
Based in the modest town of Beloit, Wisconsin, this week-long camp attracts around 40 riders, with daily routes of 60-100+ miles, visiting at least two ice cream shops per day. Ice cream, snacks, lunch, and accommodation in the no-frills Econo Lodge all included in the tour price. Also included is the famous PACTOUR goodie bag offered with all their tours: a one of a kind camp jersey, cycling books/DVDs, nice tags for your bag, bike and helmet, laminated maps and route sheets and other treats. Makes you feel like a kid at Disneyland (about 20 years ago, when it was Walt rather than a committee and they gave stuff away for free).
I happened to be homestaying with the Haldemans on my transcontinental telecommute and was invited to partake. I'll never refuse an opportunity to film and write about people having fun on bicycles, no matter what wheel size!
Just look at this butt-wafer, will you? Standard issue for a true hammerhead. It was actually quite springy and begged to be tushed ...
True to PACTOUR form, this camp attracts a good proportion of 'hammerheads' - people who like to go fast and far. For some, it's the only chance they'll have to ride long and hard without having to cram it in before or after work.
However, Lon finds it increasingly necessary to warn all his groups that if they ride too fast, they'll beat the sag wagon, some restaurants won't be open and they'll even get to the hotel when no-one has the light on for them. We can't blame his disciples ... he's a Race Across America Legend, as is Susan. Everyone wants to be like them. The only tour where he dispenses with this spiel is the PACTOUR Elite Transcontinental Tour, cross country in 17 days, 175-210 miles per day, no stopping to smell the smoking rubber ... hello, are you still with me?
On day 1, I suggested something rather innovative for PACTOUR - get everyone to stand up and break the ice by revealing a bit about themselves. I was fully expecting some sciintillating admissions ('I am the Guinness Book of Records naked world juggling accordian playing unicyclist' etc). Instead, there was a certain homogeniety in the answers: 'This is my nth PACTOUR, and I just wanna get some miles in.' PACTOUR Training Camp Amen!
2005 4-person RAAM finisher E Taveirne brought a swag of bikes to ride including his Friday Pocket Rocket. Here he is fielding the perennial 'but don't you have to pedal more?' FAQ.
Bike Friday Club of Wisconsin. 'Is this a Bike Friday convention?' someone remarked as folks took turns to ride the Fridays in the parking lot. In fact, Wisconsin Camp 2006 was actually the kick off event for the Bike Friday Club of Wisconsin. Lon, Susan, and neighboring PACTOUR crew Roger and Debby Henning are all members of the fold, and Debby actually managed her first ever century on her new Pocket Crusoe Petite during this camp. Way to go!
E. Taveirne, who did 4-person RAAM in 2005, turned up with several bikes to ride, one of them his Bike Friday Pocket Rocket. PACTOUR crew member Roger Henning mentioned that he was 'faster on that thing than his fancy TREK Y-foil'. Just one of the many golden moments that dismantle the perception that small wheels are slow ... yes, it's not about the bike.
Nightly seminars. PACTOUR training camps feature a nightly program of speakers and entertainment. I showed the Route66 DVD hot-off-the-burner, and some folks were impressed enough to buy a copy, and even sign up for a Bike Friday catalog - their Serottas, Litespeeds and Sevens notwithstanding.
The week's featured experts were John Hughes, Managing Director of the UMCA (Ultra Marathon Cycling Association), and Terry Zmrhal, a PBP (Paris-Brest-Paris) veteran and experienced randonneur (long distance cyclist) from Seattle.
John was one of the first Americans to do PBP (which he has done 5 times), Boston-Montreal-Boston (1200 km), RAAM Open West (now Furnace Creek 508 - that's 508 miles in 30 hours 54 minutes), and holds the record for Reno to Tucson (849 miles in 54 hours 17 minutes). Plus numerous other records. And RAAM of course. In the Oregon North South, he averaged 20.3 mph for 292 miles. Whew!
It's about capacity. John's opening lecture set the scene for the modern hammerhead: it isn't about miles, miracle energy drinks or legal testosterone but capacity.
Lon with John Hughes, ultra marathon cycling authority, getting some double chocolate chunk capacity at the Trail Ice Cream shop. www.ultracycling.com
What is capacity? Basically, says John, your state of well-being. If you feel any of the following: bad mood (noticeable by others) - mono-focus/preoccupation - generalized worry or anxiety - physical tension - overall and persistent fatigue - physical lurgies (sore throat, upset stomach) - poor sleep pattern - increased resting heart rate - and the real killer: your bike performance is falling off ... it means YOU'RE DOWN ON YOUR CAPACITY. Meaning: you'll find yourself struggling to keep up with riders you had no trouble passing before.
How to increase your capacity? First, don't decrease it, says John.
"Learn to say no. If you're feeling overwhelmed because of too many to do's, then hit the delete key on some of them. Second, do things to build capacity. Open your senses (birdwatch, listen to music, eat good food), take a nap, get a massage, meditate. Look at challenges as opportunities. Change something - what you do in your spare and unspare time. Slow your pace way down. Go comatose! Shut down the brain and let it recover." Read John's treatise on ultracycling.
Richard Schwinn, (yes, THE Schwinn), with a piece of 'art' - a $6000+ Waterford one-off
A visit to the Waterford bicycle factory. A highlight of the week was a 100 mile round trip to the Waterford bicycle factory. This is not the same company that makes fine chandeliers but they might as well ... 'You come to us when you want your dream bike,' said owner Richard Schwinn, of the famous Schwinn family. (As long as your dream doesn't include quick folding, although they can make an S&S coupler version). Tim Link at Bike Friday calls a Waterford bike 'romance'. The average Waterford owner spends around $4000 for a hand finished masterpiece, says Richard, although the company does make bikes for others, like cyclocross brand Gunnar, and recumbent and BMX frames. They're a small dedicated company doing what they do best just like Bike Friday. We like them. If we could afford one and if it folded all the better ...
Caring for your steed. Richard gave us a gem of a piece of information about looking after your bike, even if it lives by the sea. 'Yes steel rusts, but aluminium will corrode just like steel. Carbon also needs to be looked after. The trick is to wash your bike with water after you use it. Sweat, sports drinks, grit all eat into the surface. Wash it down, wax it with Canauba twice a year.'
The Fit Guy, Bob Olsen, with Lon (on a John Deere bicycle. It makes hay while the sun shines).
The Fit Guy, Bob Olsen. Bob Olsen, of Wheel Werks in Crystal Lake, Illinois, popped by to offer fit clinics. A 3-time RAAM mechanic for Lon Haldeman, he's done literally thousands of fits and is sought after by cyclists across the country. 'I was going to sell my bike and now I'm going to keep it - he's amazing!' said Anne Noone, a very strong rider who has raced for years. Bob sells and services Waterford, Gunnar, Co-Motion, Isaac Carbon and after we cornered him, Bike Friday! He can be contacted on 815-444-6897, wheelwerks at dls dot net.
Ice Cream galore. Wisconsin=dairy, and this ride is basically a chance to O.D. on local ice cream and treats. After all, if you're riding 60-100 miles per day you can afford a second scoop, right? The riding itself was flat and rolling, with one very hilly day, rewarded by a top notch eatery at the summit. If you look at a topo map of Wisconsin you'll see how hilly it gets as you go north.
The finale to the tour was an optional extra day to ride RoundaManure, a 20-40-60 fundraiser for the Sharon local community. Sharon is, of course, the Haldeman's hometown of around 1500 citizens. Lon generously paid the $20 admission to any Camp participant who wanted to do it. Could we stand anymore ice-cream, with a pig roast at the end of it?
Finally, when my 60 miles was done and dusted, a visit to the local Sharon model train store with James (from the UK) and Daniel, two of the camp riders, proved to be more fascinating than I'd ever anticipated ... ohmygahd, what is happening to me?
Copyright 2006 The Galfromdownunder
Lon tests out his new Air Glide for a scouting trip in Peru
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