A True Cycling Phenomenon
Every once in a while I come across something truly novel that makes me stop and take pause. That’s a good thing, because I, like many of us these days, I don’t do that enough. It also takes something fairly special in the cycling and endurance training world to make me do that. The reason being, that there is a lot of “the same old thing” going around and it’s nice to see something that stands out, goes against the grain or innovates.
Well, the cycling phenomenon that I am speaking about called the WBL (Winter Bike League), located in Athens, GA does all of the above. The WBL is a group ride that happens every weekend between the first weekend in December through some time in February, depending on how the grandmaster and fictional character (aka Briggs Carney), decides to play it. But before you say “so what?” let me explain why I find this ride, and this conecpt in particular, to be so novel.
For one, it has always amazed me that the local group rides in most towns continue to be races all year round, regardless of what time of the year it is. I would think that people would get tired of the same old thing, weekend after weekend, or would get burned out by going hard all of the time, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. So, in most towns around the country, unless you want to hammer like you’re in a race, then group rides cease to be an option for those who follow some semblance of a periodized training plan or who just want a break from bleeding from the eye balls and competing for a little while.
However, that’s the beauty of the WBL. Not only does it provide all of the great things inherent with group rides such as getting practice riding in a group, spending time with friends, getting some race simulation training and good old fashioned fun, but it actually follows the progression of an off-season training program. It does this by starting the rides off in December slower and shorter and gradually increasing the intensity and the duration of the rides throughout the off-season. In the beginning, they are mostly leisurely paced, two-abreast, endurance pace lines that cruise for about 3 hours and gradually, the pace picks up along with the volume, ending at around 120+ miles and full on race intensity for a good portion of the last few rides.
Now here’s where it gets really interesting. The WBL is organized by a long time local cyclist and supporter of cycling, cyclists and the rights of both. (Their name will remain anonymous to keep the story that much more interesting and the mystic of the ride alive and well). In their seeming infinite wisdom, the organizer and his supporters has done the following which has made this ride so popular over the years.
- The ride is a different route every week
- Riders ride 2 abreast unless it’s unsafe to do so and some rides are even sagged
- Route maps & details are constantly updated to the “zealots” who attend
- There is a web site and a mailing list for the ride where stories are posted about each ride and where smack is talked in volumes before, during and after each ride
- There are various “sprint zones” on each ride where riders battle it out for 1st, 2nd & 3rd in the various categories (you can’t attack outside of a sprint zone and the zones are usually anywhere from 3-10 miles)
- Points are tracked on the site throughout the series and there are jerseys for the leaders in each category and prizes for each zone and the overall win each week
- The ride is sponsored by local businesses who put up money and prizes for primes, winning rides and placing throughout the series which provides the support to make this event happen each week and provides a marketing vehicle for local businesses and sponsors
And this isn’t even the half of it. What once began as a way for friends to get together and get in a fun ride on Saturdays during the winter, has evolved into a major cycling phenomenon in the SE. Riders come from states and hours away just to attend this weekly happening and many treat it as one of their major goals for the year, especially once the pace starts picking up.
It’s not unusual to see over 120 riders on these rides which include local professional and amateur team members riding side by side with beginners to racing. And it’s become a favorite stop off for visiting top cyclists from around the country and the world. It’s very typical to see the jerseys of the Jittery Joe’s, Aaron’s Furnishings, Myogenesis, Health Net, Colavita Cooking Light, Nerac, US National Team and many more in the Peloton each weekend along with such big names as Tina Pic, Nathan O’ Neil, Trent Wilson and many more.
It’s funny that I am writing about it now that I live over 3,000 miles away in probably the most cycling friendly and prolific cycling scenes in the country in Portland, OR. And unfortunately, I didn’t take advantage of these rides the way I would have like to have during the year that I lived in Athens, GA. But I still get the e-mail updates from the fearless leader himself and keep tabs on what’s going on down there, because what they have put together is not only an incredibly fun, work of art in my opinion, but it is truly an example of what can be done with a little initiative, a sprinkling of creativity and a bit of hard work.
It’s certainly one of the best things I have seen done on the local and grass roots level for cycling and should ultimately become a model to be copied around the country to help bring fractioned team rides and individuals together to share the very sport they love in a way that is not only a lot of fun, but that is beneficial to their training in the winter as well.
Hmmmmmmmmmm? Maybe there’s an idea for the folks in Portland? Interested? Boy I hope so! Interested parties, check out what they’ve done at http://winterbikeleague.com/jml/. Find out what it’s all about. Read the zany ride reports. Join their mailing list. Then kick the idea around the list serves and send me any questions or inspiring words at info@endurofit.com. I think it would be a really good thing for our area and I couldn’t think of a more enthusiastic cycling crowd I the world more capable of making it happen.
JS
For those not familiar with this event, it is a 535 mile race across the varying landscapes of western and central Oregon. It starts out in Portland and encircles Mt. Hood by winding through the arid landscapes of the central Oregon desert by way of many 10-30 mile climbs that cumulatively acquire over 40,000 vertical ft of climbing. OUCH!
And no, this isn’t done over the course of 3-7 days, it’s done straight through. Whether you’re an individual doing it solo or a 4 person relay team, the race is done right through the day and night on into the next without resting. It started at 7 am on Saturday morning and we finished at 12 noon the next day.
I have to say that this was one of the neatest things I have been a part of to date. The scenery alone was incredible as we traversed through some of the most beautiful spots in Oregon in the morning and evening hours to boot. The team work, effort and great attitudes by the ladies and of the support staff were inspiring to say the least. 
Some seriously laughswere had by all. When you stay up all night, all sorts of “odd” and hilarious things happen. We’ll just leave it at that to protect the innocent and the embarrassed! 