Do you like long, hilly summer rides? Then join the Windy City Cycling Club for the Dairyland Dare!
This ride, through the rolling hills of southwest Wisconsin is a wonderful challenge and focus point for training. And if you're into biking jerseys these are the BEST!!
The ride leader has done this ride numerous times before, and this year is no different! The ride starts with us strapping timing chips to our ankles, and then heading out over the starting line whenever we're ready. Though there are timers involved, this is about endurance and not speed. So you need to pace yourself. Smirk at the first handful of speed demons out of the gate, because you'll be passing them when they're stopped, red-faced and sweaty, at the side of the road. Oh yes, there will be hills! Huffing and puffing steep short ascents, and liberating technical downhills where you can reach over 40mph if that's within your comfort zone.
The ride leader is planning on doing the 200K, but you are welcome to ride the length of route that is comfortable for you, so this won't be a peloton or group ride. We'll all do our individual best, or at least survive, and then meet at the finish and catch our breath together over food and a beverage of choice!
The ride leader is planning to get to the ride site a day early and drive the full route by car, if possible. If you want, we can possibly drive the route together. Being familiar with the route's hills and turns is helpful for your psychological preparation. The location for this ride is not close to Chicago so you may want to take at least a half-day off Friday from work in order to drive/ride up and still wake up well-rested at the event site the morning of the ride.
Some other recommended preparation would be hill and/or interval training, and coming to the event with a fast, skinny-tired, light bike. Also, a triple crankset on your bike may make the difference between spinning up hills and standing on your pedals while lurching upwards. Good brakes are also a must for those steep descents. Don't leave out nutrition either! We can plan on meeting for breakfast or coffee the morning of the ride, but dinner and breakfast need to be carefully considered for endurance events -- so know what foods work for you, and plan on having those.
Registering on the WCCC site is not required, but will help us coordinate meetups, carpooling, communication with emergency contacts if anything goes wrong, and more. However, you must register for the ride at the sponsors' website, use the link provided.
There's a prorated early bird savings, so register NOW!!