As the days grow shorter and the weather becomes less bike friendly, many road riders in and around Eau Claire switch to riding the terrific mountain bike trails at Lowes Creek and Northwest Parks.  Off road riding is slower and the trees help block the wind, so the cooler air has less of an impact, making the rides more comfortable.
We have another option, though: Cyclocross!  Cyclocross is a mixture of road and off road riding that also includes barriers and other obstacles, which can not be ridden, so the bike must be carried or pushed.  I know what you are thinking, but it is actually a very fun way for riders to maintain fitness later in the year and continue to enjoy the camaraderie of other riders.  Cyclocross races are shorter than the races that occur earlier in the year, lasting anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes.  The best part about cyclocross races is the festival atmosphere that goes with them.  Given all of these benefits, cyclocross has seen a dramatic increase in popularity over the last few years.
The Chippewa Valley Cycling Club has put on a fun, fairly informal race the last two Octobers and EC Velo did an underground 3 race series this fall dubbed GhettoCross.  Overdrive Cycling decided to take advantage of this wave of popularity by teaming up with Yankee Jack's at Princeton Valley, Point Beer and Lee Beverages to put on a cyclocross race the Sunday of Thanksgiving Weekend, with the goal of raising money for the Feed My People Food Bank.  Brian Carpenter came forward with a $1000 donation to get things off the ground and Overdrive Cycling agreed to take on the costs of promoting and putting on the race.  Under the direction of Matt Tietz, Bob Schwartz, Andrew Gierke and Chris Magyar the group developed a course that minimized impact to the golf course while still providing an interesting and fun 1.25 mile route that took advantage of the terrain and features of the area including running the Foot Sucking Sand trap, riding the pine tree Tunnel of Doom and jumping over the Ditch of Death.  To add to the festivities, Melissa and Logan Tietz even decorated one of the pine trees in the field.
Attendance is always the biggest concern for any race, and weather has a big impact, so hosting a race at the end of November brings with it significant risk.  Fortunately, weather Sunday was perfect for cyclocross, cloudy with north west winds and temperatures in the mid 30's.  To add to the draw, Yankee Jacks served creamed turkey over biscuits to all of the racers and Point Beer and Lee Beverage donated a commemorative mug filled with the racers favorite beverage. Everyone was happy with 43 racers, including very fast people from the Twin Cities, Madison and Ashland. With the finish right in front of Yankee Jack’s, fans on the deck and in the dining room had a terrific view of nearly the entire course. Three races were held, a 30 minute race for Beginner Men, Beginner Women and Juniors, a 45 minute for Men, Elite Women, Single Speed and a 60 minute race for Elite Men.  All of the races were hotly contested and pretty much everyone stayed around for the drawing of the door prizes donated by Eau Claire Bike and Sport and Spring Street Sports of Chippewa Falls. A big thanks to all of the volunteers, including Linda Slowiak, Ann Franke, Chris Magyar, Andrew Gierke, Sam Hughes, Tristan Bentzler, Matt Tietz, Bob Schwartz, Jeff Sorenson and Jim Blodgett.

September might be the best month for cycling in Wisconsin. It's still warm, but the humidity of July and August is gone and after 6 months of riding, fitness levels are probably as good as they are going to get. I also know that the number of biking days is limited, so every September ride needs to be savored. Most importantly, September is the month that Overdrive Cycling puts on its two biggest events: the Eau Claire Century and the Cleghorn Harvest Fest Bike Race.

The Eau Claire Century is held the day before Labor Day and actually starts in Cleghorn for logistical reasons. It's the brainchild of Linda Slowiak and Jerry Christensen. In 2010, Linda and Jerry decided to put on an event for recreational riders to raise money and awareness of the Feed My People Food Bank. They teamed up with the Cleghorn Lions Club, whose members cook the riders a grilled chicken dinner after the ride. This year the Century raised $2500 for Feed My People.
Centuries are more loosely structured than other types of cycling events. In the case of the Eau Claire Century, riders have a choice between 4 loops of 25 miles, 45 miles, 65 miles and 100 miles. Food stops are placed every 15 to 20 miles. Great Harvest Bread Company and Festival Foods donated snacks for all of the stops, except the one in Foster. The Foster Cheese Haus graciously opened their restaurant and store to the riders, providing food and facilities to everyone on the 45, 65 and 100 mile loops. Centuries attract an eclectic group of cyclists, from very fit racers looking to complete the course as fast as they can to casual riders with their grandchildren. With that in mind, the loops are set up so that riders can start on one and then depending on how they are feeling, can change their minds and go longer or shorter. The longest two routes encompass all of southern Eau Claire County as well as northern Buffalo and Trempealeu counties, passing through Mondovi, Eleva, Foster, Augusta, Fall Creek, Brackett and Allen. All of the routes take in the beautiful rolling hills on the wonderful, low traffic, winding, paved roads that west central Wisconsin is known for. Weather always plays an important role in any outdoor event, but century riders tend to be especially hardy. Even though we had scattered showers through out the day, 105 riders turned up to participate.

The second weekend of September is always the Cleghorn Harvest Fest. This 3 day event is a fund raiser for the Cleghorn School Park. In addition to the Softball Tournament, car show, craft fair and dance, the Harvest Fest Bike Race is held on Sunday. This race started in 2006 as a way to raise awareness of the Cleghorn Harvest Fest and to help fund the construction of the Cleghorn School Park. It is held on a 21 mile loop over the challenging, but very scenic terrain south of Cleghorn. This is the last race in the WiSport Racing Series racing season and is frequently the deciding factor in many of the year-long competitions. The race is actually 2 races: a two lap, 42 mile race that tends to be contested by some of the fastest racers in the upper midwest, including ex-pros and national champions and a one lap, 21 mile race that has become much more competitive since it was introduced in 2007, but is still the race of choice for people wanting to give racing a try. The races are, of course, not just about being first. For many entrants, completing one lap is a significant accomplishment. Because the race is associated with the festival, it presents an opportunity for racers to bring along friends and family as they have many things to keep them busy while the racers are on the course. This gives the racers an opportunity to share their passion, which often encourages their family and friends to give it a try. In fact, we often see whole families enter the short race. This has helped the race grow each year, from 70 entrants in 2006 to 144 this year.
Instead of using off the shelf awards for the winners, the first place trophies are designed and produced by the 1st Start Specialty Products class at Memorial High School. While these awards are highly coveted, most racers stay for the spectacular door prizes, which are donated by Eau Claire Bike and Sport and RoadID. Of course, the grilled chicken and homemade pie and ice cream are a pretty strong draw, also.

June might be Dairy Month in Wisconsin, but in Eau Claire, July is for the Firecracker! For the last 6 years, Lowes Creek Park has been home to the Chippewa Valley Firecracker mountain bike race (http://www.wors.org/schedule/firecracker) put on by the Chippewa Off Road Bike Association (CORBA: http://www.ChippewaOffRoad.org). 

Summer finally showed up in June, just in time for two great sporting events: the Eau Claire Triathlon and the fifth stage of the Nature Valley Grand Prix in Menomonie.

Not everything I do outside involves a bike. The day before Mother's Day, the weather gave us a reprieve, with a sunny and warm afternoon and a light breeze. My son decided he had too much undamaged skin and wanted to spend a couple hours falling off of his skateboard.

The third Monday in April I had to be in Menomonie at 5:30pm for a meeting.  We have not had great weather this spring and it was supposed to be cool and windy, but with no rain, so I decided that rather than fight the wind on the road, I would squeeze in a mountain bike ride at the new Northwest Park. 

We had a great winter this year for snow shoeing and skiing, but by the second weekend of March, I had had enough snow sports and wanted to get my bike outside.

Eau Claire is a bikers' paradise not only for the great roads and trails throughout the area, but also for the excellent parks in the area that let us stay in shape during the winter while giving us a break from pedaling.  .