Jay T's Big Saturday Workout and I Mean Big! 8-2-03

The Big Saturday Workout was the Firehouse 50 Bike Race in Grandview,
Wisconsin. Located way up in the northern reaches and Big Woods of
Wisconsin, the 50 mile race draws over 1,000 road bicyclists each
year. The race choices include the Fantasy 50 which is a 30 mile race,
the 50 mile individual or two or four man time trial and the big 50
mile road race. I chose the 50 mile individual time trial. The reason
I chose that event was the bike I rode is a little too squirrely
(short top tube)in my opinion for road racing. Plus, the packs in the
big race have up to 70 people making them a little too scary for a 45
year-old guy. Okay, JW from Milwaukee, don't give me too much cr@p for
my time. Remember, I was on a regular road bike with clip on aero bars
competing against guys with tricked-up time trial bikes with disc and
tri-spoke wheels. That being said, I finished in 2:23 for 50 miles on
a fairly hilly course. I averaged 21 miles per hour. The guy who won
was timed in 2:01. Instead of building road bikes, maybe I should
build a time trial bike...

Other skiers competing included Tom and Lee Bengel who raced the
Fantasy 50. Lee was 5th overall and Tom was around 9th. Mike Lyner did
the time trial and rode a 2:08 (hot time trial bike), Dan Meyer rode
the time trial in 2:14 (tri spoke wheels), Neil Soltis was around 2:18
in the time trial on a 650c, disc wheel, bar end shifter time trial
bike. Mike Colaizy, on a time trial bike, was about 7 minutes behind
me one week after starting training again following a broken shoulder
and broken ribs. Tom Meyer was 6 minutes behind me. Tom Krenz was on a
four man team as was John Fitzgerald.

In the big 50 mile pack race, Freddy and Dan Kueffer finished in the
first pack. Lori Belz and her brother Rob were in the third pack.
Jerry Engen was in the fourth pack and crashed right at the finish
line. He's in the Ashland Hospital going into surgery as I type this.
He broke his hip (below the joint) and had a hairline fracture in his
left arm. Big Jer said he's done with the Firehouse 50. Oh yeah, Mike
Lundeen finished in the first pack too. He's only 21 but is a hammer
on the bike.

Jay Tegeder
"On the podium if the right people don't show up!" JT

Okay, JW from Milwaukee, don't give me too much cr@p for
my time. Remember, I was on a regular road bike with clip on aero bars
competing against guys with tricked-up time trial bikes with disc and
tri-spoke wheels. That being said, I finished in 2:23 for 50 miles on
a fairly hilly course. I averaged 21 miles per hour.

That sounds like a pretty respectable time. I'm all for doing TT's with a
straight road bike and letting it all boil down to fitness rather than the
wallet ... kinda like going solo off the front of a raging peloton.

Bravo !

John Wilke (jw)
Milwaukee

Jay, Sounds like you had a good time. You definitely would have beat
me. I had to opt out of the Firehouse 50 this year, as a result of
our church needing workers at our Sweet Corn booth at the Washington
County Fair. I think next year I will try the Time Trial instead of
the pack race after hearing about big Jer. This may slow him down a
little so that I can beat him this winter. In all seriousness, due
you have any updates on Jer.

You also, stated your biking season is over, does this mean, you are
not doing the Chequamegon Fat Tire Race this year.