Punk Rock Cycling

NEW WEBSITE

2010-01-03T15:20:00.000-08:00

So we've decided to go the route of social media. If you'd like to stay up on all things PRC we'd like to invite you to join us on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, or whatever social media system we may end up using (who knows, maybe Friendster will make a comeback).

This blogspot address will soon reflect this so if you've booked mark this site we'd like you to also add PUNK ROCK CYCLING or MOST BAD ASS WOMEN EVER.

Thanks. We'll chat soon!

We're PUBLISHED

2009-12-21T21:18:00.000-08:00

That's right. 515 Magazine, a Des Moines rag published by Drake University seniors in the magazine journalism program, had Punk Rock Cycling featured on the cover of their Fall 09 issue. The cover blurb says we're the fastest punks in town. (But I'm sure that they meant we're the HOTTEST and the fastest punks in town!) And there is a 5-page spread to back it up.

So if you see a 515 laying around (you'll recognize it by the high heels and legs with fishnets...no that isn't anyone on our team) pick one up and read all about us!

NOTE: There have been some significant changes to our team since the publication of this magazine. But we still hope you enjoy the article.

COMMENTS

2009-12-18T07:57:00.000-08:00

Hey all you Punk Rock Cycling fans. As you can see, we have a new system to post comments. We are very sorry for all the comments that you’ve left that are now MIA. We’re not quite sure how this new program will work for us, but we really hope it’s more user-friendly.

See something on our site that you think is wicked cool or absolutely awful? Leave us a comment. And then let us know what you think of the new program. Please be aware that once you post your comment, one of our team members will moderate your comment and post if it’s appropriate (a.k.a. relating to the post, our team, our rides, cycling in general). That being said, your comment might not make it to the site immediately or at all.

The PRC chicks appreciate you visiting PunkRockCycling.com, caring about our team, and spreading the Big Biking Love! Come back soon!

Bad Santa Alley Cat Race This Friday!!!!

2009-12-16T20:43:00.000-08:00

The first annual Bad Santa Alley Cat Race is THIS Friday...that's Dec. 18th. This Alley Cat Race will benefit the Toy's for Tot's program in Des Moines through KCCI Channel 8. The race is simple: Racers will be given 10 check points throughout the downtown area. Once all check points have been hit you'll race back to Zimms for the finish. The top 3 will be given something special at the house party 1/2 a block away from Zimms. A free keg of beer, and local band Brother Trucker will be playing. See the facebook page for details, but basically show up at Zimms by 5:00 on Friday with your bike! See you then.

Megan's Favorite Trainer Tunes

2009-12-15T13:38:00.000-08:00

Little Miss Megan is brand-spankin’ new to PRC but not a complete newbie when it comes to racing—this will be her second year in the loop. We think she fell in love with us when she attended our Race Like a Girl Series last fall. How could she not want to be on our amazing team after that?! And we’re so glad to have her!

In honor of Specialized Women’s Facebook Contest, we asked Megan: “Hey Megan, what are your top 10 favorite songs to train to during these dreaded winter months?” And here it is, Megs’ top 10 trainer tunes:

1. Renegades of Funk - Rage Against the Machine
2. Microphone Fiend - Rage Against the Machine
3. Ch-Check It Out - Beastie Boys
4. Remember the Name - Fort Minor
5. Love me or Hate me - Lady Sovereign
6. Helena - My Chemical Romance
7. Dirty Harry - Gorillaz
8. Distance - Cake (I like to listen to this while I warm up.)
9. Give It Up to Me - Shakira
10. Stronger - Kanye West

Katie!!!

2009-12-14T20:43:00.000-08:00

New PRC member, Katie Fistler, and her husband, Ben, rock the rollers. For those of you who do not know Katie, she is 29 years old and is a teacher up in Mason City. She has been riding bikes for about 2 years and has done triathlons and cross races. She has a couple cats, a dog, and a husband. We aren't sure what Ben does other than ride his fixie on rollers, but he seems like a nice enough guy and comes out to the races, so we approve. Katie is an exceptionally strong rider and will race the road bike and cross bike next year. Keep up the work Katie!

PRC Girls Can Party!

2009-12-13T13:46:00.000-08:00

The ladies of PRC hosted a party last week at Rasmussen's Bike Shop, and, as you can see, a good time was had by all. Thanks to everyone who braved the aftermath of #IowaDeathStorm09 to join us for some food, drink, and fun. In this picture, Julie Hugo, Kelli Huerter, Sara Broek, and Maria Ruhtenberg are clearly excited about the team.

And, in other PRC news, Maria Ruhtenberg submitted the winning tweet to @SpecializedWMN about why she rides (to inspire more women to ride) and won a pair of BG Pro RBX shorts! Stay tuned for a review of these shorts! Maria was vey excited as she has never won anything since she was 9 and won some cupcakes only to have some thugs break the window out of the car and steal them. Thanks Specialized!

Introducing PRC's 2010 Roster!!!!

2009-12-09T18:23:00.000-08:00

We are proud to introduce our roster for 2010! Punk Rock Cycling will be bigger than ever for our 3rd year as Iowa's only all female bike racing team. We are so excited as we begin looking forward to all the things we will be doing next year. We will be racing road bikes, mountain bikes, cross bikes, and time trial bikes. We will be hosting weekly road rides, weekly mountain bike rides and will continue our monthly Race Like a Girl series. Just wait to see what else we have in store!

Most of our team from last year is returning (we all miss Emily terribly since she moved to California), and we have added a number of very talented athletes.

Here is our 2010 team:

Heather Myer Davis is back for her second year racing with PRC. She will be racing her road bike again in 2010 and may throw in a few triathlons. Welcome back Heather!

Keely Shannon is also back for her second year with PRC. Keely has been racing for years and we have been so fortunate to have her racing with us. Keely will race her road bike and will throw herself full force into mountain bike racing for the 2010 season.

New PRC member, Lisa Vetterlein, has been racing cyclo-cross with us this year with us and very well. Lisa is also a very experienced bike racer, who took a couple of years off to take care of her precious little boy. We could not be more excited to have Lisa on our team. Welcome Lisa!

Kelli Huerter (previoulsy Mente), who is one of the founding members of PRC and one of our leaders last year, is back for 2010. Kelli was married this fall. Congrats Kelli and Terry! We hope next year is just as successful as the last 2 have been.

Another founding member, Maria Ruhtenberg, is also back for 2010. She will be the director of the team too! Maria will race the road bike, but will also explore her new found love of mountain biking!

Our newest member, Megan Kelly, raced road bikes this year for another local team, and we are so excited that she will be racing for us next year. Megan is very excited about racing the road bike in 2010!

Sara Broek had such a successful racing season this year, we are privileged to have her back. Sara's first year of racing was this year, and wow is she a natural! We can't wait to see what she will do next year.

Lynn Swinger is brand new to racing, but not brand new to the bike. She has a background in triathlons, and is a very solid rider. Welcome to racing Lynn, we know you are going to LOVE it!

Lisa Beaty is also new to racing. She has been a casual road bike rider for a number of years, and has now decided she will delve into racing. We can't wait to see what she can do. Welcome to PRC!

Kristen Burgess is also new to the team, and new to racing (but with a triathlon backgroun). We found her at the cross races this fall and put a jersey on her. She has had a great cross season and plans on racing road bikes next year. Look for Kristen to upgrade by Memorial Day!

Alison Doyle is also back for her second year with PRC. Ali is one of the strongest riders we have seen. We are thankful she is riding with us. And she is studying to be a yoga instructor, so we think she will be unstoppable next year!

Although this will be Keri Blake's second year on our team, this will really be her first full season of racing (last year she had the very important task of becoming a mom which sidelined her most of the year). Keri teaches spin, is very fit, and will rock the road scene in 2010.

PRC also welcomes new member Julie Hugo. Julie has had some race experience, included Jingle Cross Rock this year, where she raced for PRC and did great! Julie has been a bike enthusiast her whole life so we think she is the perfect addition to our team.

We found Katie Fistler at the cross races too. She has a triathlon background, is a swim coach, and decided to try her hand at cross racing. She was an instant success and we couldn't wait to get a PRC jersey on her. She raced for us for most of this cross season, and think she will be scary fast on the road.

So there you have it! Fourteen strong, athletic, competitive, and motivated women who are going to crush it next year in all biking disciplines. Welcome to everyone. We are going to have a great year!

Snow is in the Forecast

2009-12-06T13:26:00.000-08:00

Since Des Moines is under a winter weather advisory and snow is expected tonight, PRC realizes its time for some indoor training rides. We held our first group trainer ride this morning. Thanks to Jen and Ed Veak for use of their space. Teammates Maria, Heather, Lisa B, Megan, and Sara were joined by our team manager Bob. Jen rode with us, as did Rassy team member Brad. We had a good time and the two hour ride went by like that. The only thing that was missing was DQ's famous post-ride smoothie....

After the trainer ride, Maria, Bob, and Lisa headed down to the center trails for PRC's regular weekly dirt ride. There were a few people out there even though it was pretty chilly. Lisa was bummed to find out she had left her shoes at the workout studio, so she couldn't ride (boo). We were also joined by Sheri, who is just getting into the racing thing and we LOVE it that she is showing up to the rides. Steve, Doug, Rich, Nate, and Sterling were also out riding with us. Thanks everyone!

PRC has some funny friends

2009-12-04T16:01:00.001-08:00

The links below have nothing to do with Cam getting his fnger stuck in a beer bottle, but are almost as funny:

Tuesday Gravel
Group Ride
Pete and Tiger

Credits: Photo stolen from Jed Gammell, Animation by Kris Kunze and Pig

Sunday Mountain Bike Rides Return!

2009-12-03T04:55:00.000-08:00

After taking a few weeks off so PRC could take full advantage of Cranksgiving and Jingle Cross, our Sunday Mountain Bike Ride is back on! (like Donkey Kong as the Jingle announcer would say). Anyway, we will see you at high noon on Sunday at the Ashworth Pool parking lot for a few hours of fun in the dirt!

Cranksgiving Has Come and Gone

2009-12-02T13:24:00.000-08:00

But the pictures still remain! Steve Fry, of Fryguyimages, posted his amazing pics from the event on our Flickr page. Check ‘em out and let us know what you think!

Cranksgiving 09 Images

PRC wants to thank all those who joined us for the fun!

To see more of Steve’s stunning work, check out fryguyimages.com

PRC Results from Jingle Cross

2009-12-01T08:17:00.000-08:00

Here are the results from the ladies this weekend at Jingle Cross:

Friday:
Women cat 4--Julie Hugo, 6th place
Women cat 2/3--Katie Fistler, 6th place

Saturday:
Women cat 2/3--Katie Fistler, 9th place
Women Masters: Maria Ruhtenberg, 11th place

Sunday: Rest/Heckling Day

Complete results here!

Jingle Cross Rocked!

2009-11-30T18:33:00.000-08:00

What is Jingle Cross all about to the women of PRC?

Jingle cross means the sound of all the fans heckling the racers ringing their cowbells and even one little guy pounding the drum as the racers climbed the mud slide. It means the sweet smell of mud caked all over our bodies and bikes, the taste of mud and easy cheese in between our teeth. It means all this was well worth the suffering. I mean, who needs Gu when you have Easy Cheese or even sausage hand outs?

This is my first season of cyclocross and I could not have enjoyed it more. Great people accompanied by great fun. Being this is my first ‘cross season, conversations revolved around the epic “Jingle Cross Rock” in Iowa City. The stories racers were telling were amazing and the only thing I could think of is, “Where do I sign up?” I signed up for the races on Friday night and Saturday morning, really not knowing what I was getting myself into until we arrived at the Johnson County Fairground and there in front of me stood Mt. Krumpit. My jaw dropped. I get to climb this?

The atmosphere at the Jingle Cross could not have been better. Most cyclocross races I have raced have had the best fans. Not to mention all the beer, food, and human suffering. Jingle Cross was no different and actually more fun than anyone should have on a weekend in November.

In the equation of mud, slop, and soupy water there were three PRC women representing at Jingle Cross this year: Julie Hugo, Maria Ruhtenberg, and myself. Julie raced Friday night in the women’s Cat. 4 race and looked very strong throughout the entire race. No matter how muddy it was or the amount of suffering her body was taking she was always wearing a smile. Julie pretty much mastered the pin wheel section of the race. Also, Julie has a pretty rad RV which was the central party stop for all. Thanks again Julie!

Maria took Friday off to heckle the racers and was preparing for Saturday’s Master’s race. Saturday morning Maria took off with the Master’s women’s race and looked strong riding, massacring the soupy mud but eventually the mud stopped her in her tracks. She had a pretty sweet warrior wound on her lip that made her look pretty bad ass. She finished all smiles…and a bit of blood. Way to go Maria!

Myself, I was loving every bit of it. I felt like I was 12 again (not so much the days after, though). It was the most fun I have had racing! I raced Friday night and Saturday morning with the women’s Cat. 2/3s and was able to hang in there. I really wasn’t prepared to run up Mt. Krumpit in ankle deep mud-slop or riding down Mt. Krumpit fish tailing the entire way down, not being able to clip in because of all the mud and grass caught in my shoes and pedals, but somehow in the midst of this madness it was all worth it.

I could not stay for day 3 of Jingle Cross, but rumor has it that the women took on the men in the single speed category in bikinis. Way to go bikini women! I have met some really great people through the course of my first ‘cross season and Jingle Cross was the best way to end the season. I can’t wait for next cross season!

-Katie Fistler

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-25T21:14:00.001-08:00

Hope you all have a great Thanksgiving. We will see you at Jingle Cross!

That's a Lot of Food!

2009-11-24T13:07:00.000-08:00

The total amount of food we donated to the food pantry at Cranksgiving was 2337 pounds (2011 items) Great job everyone.

And Congratulations to Julie Hugo, who was the overall winner this year and will get a brand new tattoo from Yankee Doodle Dandy Tattoo. Send pics when its done Julie!

Cranks a Lot!

2009-11-23T10:52:00.000-08:00

We would like to thank everyone that came out and all those who sponsored Cranksgiving 09 yesterday. Whether you participated, stopped by, drank, leg-wrestled, or just hung out—PRC had a wonderful time with all of you. See you at Cranksgiving 10!

-photo courtesy of Fry Guy Images via Facebook

Cranksgiving 2009 a Huge Hit!

2009-11-23T10:27:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone who came out to Cranksgiving yesterday. We had a great turnout with 91 participants. We amassed a lot of food for the DMARC Food Pantry. Thanks to Rasmussen Bike Shop and Mars Cafe for making it happen. Thanks also to T-shirt Graphix and Yankee Doodle DandyTattoo for making our particpants look great and hooking up the winner with a tattoo. Thanks to all of the businesses who donated generously to this event. They are listed here.

Hy-Vee employee Grant deliver a ton of food!

Food donated by Scheels--$250 worth!

Please stay tuned for more pics and stories from the day...and believe me, there were some STORIES!

Bring On the Prizes!

2009-11-20T14:11:00.000-08:00

If you don't come to Cranksgiving on Sunday, you are going to be missing out!! You'll have the chance to win a t-shirt from SMASH (which will have a new name by Sunday), a prize from Jett & Monkey's, a Chrome bag, a tattoo, a whole lot more, and this saweet print from DUFFY!

November 22
1 p.m.
Mars Cafe on University
Be there or be square

Win a Tattoo at Cranksgiving!

2009-11-19T14:41:00.000-08:00

Punk Rock Cycling and Yankee Doodle Dandy Tattoo is proud to once again offer a $100 tattoo gift certificate for the FASTEST Cranksgiving participant. Come to Mars Cafe on Sunday (registration at noon, race at 1) for our annual alleycat race to raise food and other needed items for DMARC Food Pantry. Details here!

PRC is Into Kristen

2009-11-18T20:28:00.001-08:00

Check out the article in Juice featuring PRC's own Kristen Burgess. Nice work!

http://dmjuice.desmoinesregister.com/article/20091118/JUICE03/911180326/-1/NLETTER02?source=nletter-youngreader

Jingle Cross, Jingle Cross, Jingle Cross Rock

2009-11-18T10:39:00.000-08:00

If you’re not at Grandma’s house over Thanksgiving weekend, make your way to Iowa City for the Jingle Cross Rock races. Events are being held on the evening of Friday, Nov. 27 through Sunday Nov. 29 at the Johnson County Fairgrounds in Iowa City, Iowa.

To get you newbie chicks out to the event, 30th Century Bicycle is giving away a Masi Cross frame in random drawing for entrants in Women's Beginner race!!! (But if you win, you must give your bike to Sara. HA just kidding. But really, she wants to win it so if you’re not going to the races send your “win-the-bike” vibes her way!)

BRING ON THE MUD!!

The website: www.jinglecrossrock.com

What'd You Say, Girl?

2009-11-16T14:57:00.000-08:00

What’s that you say, Lassie? You Want Me to Go to Cranksgiving? Of course you want me to go. The Punk Rock Cycling girls are giving away a prize from the new dog shop in the East Village, Jett & Monkey’s Dog Shoppe.

I saw the cute fuzzy green toy they're giving away—that would be perfect for you, Girl. And I know you’d love those yummy dog treats that Jett & Monkey’s put in there, as well! I’m going to go to Cranksgiving on November 22, at 1 p.m. (Mars Café on University) and try to win you that prize!

What’s that, Lassie? You don’t care about the prize? You just want to make sure I get the food and products sent to DMARC to help those in need this holiday. You’re such a good girl, Lassie.

Happy Birthday Ali!

2009-11-13T08:43:00.000-08:00

PRC sends out big biking love to the birthday girl. We hope your Friday the 13th birthday brings lots of laughs and, of course, a bike ride!

PRC News

2009-11-11T14:33:00.001-08:00

Congrats are in Order:

Rider of the Year awards were announced this week, and we are super excited that Kelli won 1st place in Rider of the Year competition for women cat 1/2/3 and Sara came in 3rd in the cat 4 competition. Congrats on having such a great year ladies! I know next year will be just as good if not better!

Racing News:
Its another busy weekend coming up for off-road racing. The State Cross Championship is Satruday in Lions Park in Altoona. PRC will be racing and hopes to see you there! The Dirty Duathlon is Sunday down at Greewood Park. It is a challenging course and will be fun to watch if you can't participate.

Cranksgiving:
CRANKSGIVING IS COMING UP SOON! November 22nd, 1pm at Mars Cafe! The event has its very own blog.....check it out. You can win lots and lots of cool stuff (including this Langster!) and support a great cause. There are lots of hungry people out there (especially this year) so come out and feed those in need and have a great time in the process.

More Racing News:
By the way, in case you haven't heard, the 2010 road racing calendar is out....check it out here.

Sunday Mountain Bike Rides

2009-11-05T15:31:00.000-08:00

Since it gets dark now at like 3:00, we have moved our women's mountain bike ride to Sundays at noon, beginning this weekend. Meet at Asworth Pool. It will be a beautiful day! See you there

Practical Piece of Modern Art

2009-11-05T08:52:00.000-08:00

Last summer Lance Armstrong and Nike presented the STAGES art exhibition in Paris. The exhibition brought together over twenty world-renowned artists who donated pieces inspired by Lance, and his LIVESTRONG fight against cancer. Last week the STAGES show opened a three-week stay at the Deitch Projects gallery in New York.

The favorite piece of the evening was Tom Sachs’ object-art piece “Lance’s Tequila Bike For Girls.” It looks like it’s just another piece of art that has a bike frame included. However, the bike comes fully equipped with everything needed for a round of shooters—from the limes, to the knife, to the salt shaker and shot glasses. At the show, Sachs and Armstrong demonstrated the amazingness what was “Lance’s Tequila Bike for Girls” by slicing the limes and handing out shots from the motorized tequila pump. Now that’s a practical piece of modern art. Does PRC need one of these? Heck yes. Hey, Lance & Tom, now could you work on one that has everything you need for a good glass of wine?

Sara's Punk Periodical

2009-11-03T11:47:00.000-08:00

I did it. My first cross race. I can’t say that it was easy. Nor can I say that I was fast. But man, was it fun! You can see by the picture here that there was a HUGE puddle of mud—it was more like a lake of mud. You can also tell by my facial expression that this was one of my favorite parts. (If only there was a font for sarcasm.)

Unfortunately, I didn’t learn until afterward that I should never decline a Jell-O shot or a beer hand-up, even if it’s Hamm’s and even if I can't breathe. Sorry to all of you I declined. It could have been a lot more fun if I had taken them, but then I probably would have gotten last place. And in my book, if you don’t get DFL or DNF, you’re a winner! I really wanted to be a winner on Saturday!

I admire all of you who can hop off the road and on to the dirt. I’ll get there some day. If you have a good bike for me, I’ll get there a little faster! ;)

Congrats to all of you who did Sunday’s race. It was fun to watch you! Even more fun to be able to still walk Sunday night.

Spooky Cross!

2009-10-28T11:05:00.000-07:00

The Central Iowa Cyclocross Series Powered by Scheels wraps up this weekend with two days of fantastic racing at Spooky Cross. The races take place at Living History Farms on Saturday and Sunday. The courses will be fun but challenging. There will be food and beverages. Bring your cross bike or your mountain bike, or borrow a cross bike or a mountain bike and come join the fun. This is also a very spectator friendly atmosphere, so bring your friends and family. See the race flyer here. You can also check out more information on other cross races here.

Free Pies!

2009-10-27T07:06:00.000-07:00

Much to Maria’s chagrin, this tantalizing little catch phrase on the race flyer was not referring to apple, cherry, peach or lemon meringue. Upon arrival at the rain-soaked Central Iowa fairgrounds in Marshalltown, it became quite clear that the only free pies to be had were the not-so-tasty version left behind by rather large mooing farm creatures on a tricky section of the Cattle Cross race course. The sight of mud/cow pie covered bikes and riders was enough to convince a few riders to leave the their kits in the car, but several still went out and braved the slippery course. The women’s race started at 6pm under a bit of cloud cover and spitting rain. Luckily the two previous races had helped pack down some of the muddy areas for the ladies, making it easier to ride through the cattle corral instead of running through the muck or going down altogether. The silty sandy dirt in the cattle barn made things interesting, with most of the ladies choosing to dismount and run it instead of riding through. The far section of the course took us through a grassy area with some muddy sections, winding back and forth back to the start/finish line. With a few laps to go, things started to a bit dicey as the sun went down and the fairground lights came on. A few lights didn’t work and it was pretty dark on one section of the course, but all in all it was pretty cool to race under the lights. PRC’s newest member, Katie Fisher, blasted her way through the course for 1^st place in the Cat 4 race and Kristen followed up with a sprint to the finish for 4^th place. Maria continued to search the fairground for apple pie.

Mountain Biking News

2009-10-25T18:58:00.001-07:00

A BIG thanks goes out to Cam Kirkpatrick and Julie Vardaman for organizing the Rassy's Women's Mountian Bike Clinic Sunday. Thirty women showed up for better than 3 hours of playing in the dirt. We all learned a ton and had a great time.

Please join us for a little MORE mountain biking Monday evening at 5:30. We will meet at Ashworth Pool and will ride hillside (denman's will be too muddy). Since we are running low on daylight, Maria will arrive at 5:00 to get a lap or two in and then swing by the parking lot at 5:30. So...come at 5 or at 5:30.

Also, because of the lack of daylight situation, we will begin riding on Sundays at noon beginning November 8th! Hope to see you out there!

Reminder! Women's Mountain Bike Clinic!

2009-10-24T11:17:00.000-07:00

Sunday at 1:00 at Greenwood Park (45th Street south of Grand). Flyer here. See YOU there!

Kelli Is One Tough Cookie

2009-10-22T10:16:00.000-07:00

KELLI IS FAMOUS!!! She was mentioned in the DSM Register yesterday in this uber cool article about how cross racing is on the rise—and man is it tough!

The Mention: “Kelli Mente, 29, another road racer, said it's tough because there's no coasting after tough stretches and there's a lot more tire resistance through sand and grass. But the falls are softer, the angry motorists fewer and she likes the late-season workout.”

They may have used your former surname, but you were still well spoken, Kelli! We’re proud to have our rock star PRC chick in the news!!

Good luck to everyone racing any cross events this weekend.

To get the full article: ‘It hurts bad’

Lots of Choices this Weekend

2009-10-21T07:51:00.000-07:00

It will be busy this weekend with lots of biking choices. The Dirty Duathlon is Saturday morning/afternoon, the Cattle Cross race is Saturday evening in Marshalltown, and the Women's Mountain Bike Clinic is on Sunday. Let's hope the weather holds for the Dirty Du and the Mountain Bike Clinic. Cross race is on regardless! Hope to see you all out there.

Mark Your Calendars! CRANKSGIVING 2009

2009-10-20T08:36:00.000-07:00

Family, Friends, and Fellow Bikers: Punk Rock Cycling wants YOU to participate in this year’s CRANKSGIVING! Here are the details:

Date: Sunday, November 22

What Time: The event starts at 1 p.m.

Where: We’ll start from Mars Café on University Avenue in the Drake Hood

What You Do: It’ll be the same format as the previous years event. Participants will arrive and register at Mars Café. All will be given a list of items to be purchased from stores in the area. Then the race to buy the items and bring them back to Mars will begin!

Why: You will be supporting your community with the items you purchase and the fun you have at this event! All of the products you buy will be donated to DMARC and registration will support Punk Rock Cycling

Another Reason to Come Play: YOU CAN WIN PRIZES like the Seattle Langster from Rasmussen Bike Shop that you see above and so much more!

Mountain Bike Monday/PRC Rocks Altoona Cross

2009-10-19T08:26:00.000-07:00

It's Monday, and that means Mountain Biking! Come out and enjoy the nice weather and some dirt. We start at 5:30...and be prompt cuz its' getting dark EARLY! Meet at Ashworth Pool.

PRC would like to thank ALL9Yards for putting on a fun cross weekend in Altoona. Saturday's race had some difficult hills, but was a very fun course. PRC results for Saturday:

Women's Open
Lisa Vetterlein, 2nd
Women's Cat 4
Kristen Burgess, 3rd
Maria Ruhtenberg, 5th

Sunday's race course was a bit flatter, but still challenging because of the winds. PRC Results:
Women's Open:
Lisa Vetterlein. 2nd
Women's Ct 4:
Kristen Burgess, 3rd
Maria Ruhtenberg, 6th

Congrats ladies!

Women's Mountain Bike Clinc

2009-10-16T11:44:00.000-07:00

Rassmussen Bike Shop and CITA are putting on its 3rd Annual Women's Mountain Bike Clinic on October 25th at 1:00 p.m. Meet at Greenword Park for top notch instruction from the best mountain bikers in Central Iowa. This is a beginner course for women, so come our and learn some valuable mountain biking skills. See the flyer for more details

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SARA!!

2009-10-15T13:29:00.000-07:00

PRC wants to wish our girly girl Sara a very happy birthday! Sara had a great first year of racing and can't wait for an even better one next year. We love you Sara! Don't do anything we wouldn't do as you celebrate!

Maria Says...

2009-10-14T12:04:00.000-07:00

COME RIDE GRAVEL WITH ME TONIGHT!!

When: 5:30 p.m.
Leaving From: Rasmussen's Bike Shop
Riding: Gravel
Bring Your: LIGHTS!!
Hosted By: The Beautiful Ladies of PRC

Jason goes to Radio Shack and Nick goes to Colavita

2009-10-12T13:32:00.000-07:00

Rumor has it that Iowa's own Jason McCartney will be riding with the new Radio Shack team in 2010! Congrats Jason! The only downside is that they will make him give up his Specialized for a Trek....And congrats to our good friend Nick Frey for signing with Colavita for 2010. We are looking forward to following both of you next year!

Mountain Bike Monday!

2009-10-11T15:33:00.000-07:00

Join us on Monday for our weekly mountain bike ride. 5:30 meeting at Ashworth Pool. Hope it doesn't rain. IF it does rain, then we may do gravel. Watch our website for updates! We are showing up with fat tires and if the trails are too wet we will find some gravel to get the blood pumping a little.

Bike Shorts and Pacelines

2009-10-10T13:35:00.000-07:00

For those of you who are new to spandex and group riding, you need to check out Keely's blog.

Women on Bikes!

2009-10-05T21:14:00.000-07:00

Check this out

BTW, pic is there just to get women's attention. It worked, right?

PRC Gets Dirty

2009-10-05T09:59:00.000-07:00

PRC took part in the Dirty Wooden Shoe Cross Race down in Pella over the weekend. It was a perfect cross day with a little rain, a little wind, and a little sun. The course was technical, a little slippery, a little muddy, and very challenging. PRC welcomed Lisa Vetterlein to our ranks this cross season, and she had a very impressive race. She had a big lead on Robin Williams (Mercy/Specialized) early, but Robin battled back for the win in the category 1/2/3 race. Lisa took second and look great in that PRC jersey (even if it clashes with the Kinda shorts). Our other new teammate, Kristen, also raced hard with a very impressive showing and finished 3rd in the Cat 4 race. Maria also raced, and, because someone has to, came in last. She had a frustrating race with a fall, a wrong turn, and too many beer handups....Results here

Remember, mountain biking tonight, Renegade tomorrow, and gravel on Wednesday. Lots more opportunities to get dirty with us!

Ride with PRC this Week!

2009-10-04T19:06:00.000-07:00

First, join us on Monday at 5:30 at Ashworth Pool for a little single track action. The dirty duathlon is coming up (Oct. 24th), so this is a good time to start practicing.

Then, join PRC at Renegade Cross practice on Tuesday. Go to www.bikeiowa.com/cross for details.

On Wednesday we are planning on riding some gravel. We will start at Rassmussen's Bike Shop at 5:30. Bring lights. Beer gathering at Pal Joeys following the ride.

Hope to see you out there this week. The forecast looks perfect for fall riding!

Congrats Kelli & Terry

2009-10-01T13:01:00.000-07:00

Sorry, gents. You heard it right. One of our own got hitched last month! And as you can see, she looked GORGEOUS!! Kelli will always be a Mente at heart but will now be going by the name of Kelli Huerter. Big congratulations to Kelli and Terry on their nups. PRC wishes you two nothing but the best—a long and happy future together!

Sara's Punk Periodical

2009-09-30T08:28:00.000-07:00

Now that the Des Moines weather is getting colder, I’ve jumped off the road racing circuit and my riding has consisted of leisurely pedaling to and from work. Now that I live in the East Village, it’s not a long jaunt to my lovely cube at Meredith but you know what would be nice? Having this schnazzy cup holder on my handlebars to hold my coffee from the Village Bean. Just a reminder, my birthday is coming up...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HEATHER!!!

2009-09-17T20:15:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Heather!
Thanks for everything that you do! We hope you have an amazing day!!

The Inside Scoop From PRC

2009-09-14T06:44:00.000-07:00

So... we here the rumors are flying so we want to get an answer out.

Will PRC be a team next year?!?

YES, we still love our bikes and YES, we all want to be teammates again and YES, PRC will be back for more next year!

And we plan to continue our Wednesday night ride and we plan to host our 'Race Like A Girl' races at Union Park. We might try new social media next year though... stay tuned for further details!

Big Congrats To Maria!

2009-09-10T06:16:00.001-07:00

Maria just got the upgrade to be a Category 3 racer! This is definitely well deserved as Maria has had great success and puts so much effort and time into the bike.

Congrats Maria and special thanks for all that you do for our team!

Gravel Tonight - Do It!

2009-09-09T05:54:00.000-07:00

A group gravel ride will be biking west from West Des Moines at 5 pm tonight. Bring your mountain or cross bike. Leave from Bike World West Bike Shop located at 5970 Ashworth Rd.

Hope to see you there!

A Posting from Renegade Cross

2009-09-08T11:16:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder that tonight is New Belgium RENEGADE CYCLOCROSS #1. Get yourself down to UNION PARK where 'racing' starts at 5:30(ish) and will last for 45 minutes or so.

Below are the small details:
*Race LOCATION will change each week, and will be posted each monday at www.bikeiowa.com/cross. Tell your friends!
*So we're all clear....this is NOT a 'superPRO' showdown. If you're looking for some uber-serious UCI cross race you'll be disappointed.
*What this IS is a 'bike practice' for all skill levels. First-timers can come for experience and tips. Beginners can come to gain fitness and hone their technique. Fast guys can come get a good, honest to goodness cross workout each week.
*Most importantly, this is FUN. Keep that in mind, and pass it on!

Hope to see you all tonight and each Tuesday through October!!

Happy, Happy 40th!!

2009-09-04T06:40:00.001-07:00

Today is our big sponsor, J Elder's Birthday! And... not just any birthday, it happens to be 40 years ago that J was born!!

J, thanks for taking such great care of us! We hope that you have a wonderful and relaxing long weekend!! We really appreciate all you do for us!

Kelli's Race Report

2009-09-02T11:20:00.001-07:00

The East Village Criterium on Sunday was a great race for many reasons – awesome location, challenging course, great payouts, very organized, view of entire course, loud speakers throughout, great competition, many spectators, Iowa Cup double point finale and you certainly can’t beat a local race with minimal travel. Thanks to all that organized and helped us make this race happen!

For the women’s Cat 1/2/3 race, Keely, myself and 5 other women took to the start line. Just as expected, the race was a challenging “time trial” from the start line. Sydney Brown started the charge will all of us following. The race quickly wound down to 4 of us - Sydney, Robin Williams, Jane Riessen (it was great to have her back in DSM) and myself. Pretty much the entire course is either downhill or uphill with little in between so it got quite tiring for the 45 minute race. About ¾ of the way through, I got lazy, tired and got gapped so I worked very hard to finally catch back on. My legs were screaming! Shortly after I was on, there was a charge up the big hill by Sydney that broke the race down to Sydney, Jane and myself but on the last lap, I found myself a ½ block back from the two of them and trying to catch back on but never did. Sydney won the race, followed by Jane and then myself. Congrats to all - we had a strong and determined group!

This “Iowa” victory for me gave myself the Cat 1/2/3 Iowa Cup 1st place prize along with our Punk Rock Cycling team winning the Cat 1/2/3 traveling trophy with a 1 point win over the Mercy Specialized team for the 2009 year. Pretty cool for PRC! Thanks to All9Yards for their continued Iowa Cup sponsorship. - it certainly makes the season interesting.

It's sad to see the end of a successful road season but stay tuned for photos from the race!

Sara's Weekend Race Report

2009-09-02T11:17:00.001-07:00

Big Creek Road Race and East Village Crit

What a great way to end the season. These two races were a ton of fun and full of support for the world of women cyclists. On Saturday, the Big Creek Road Race, put on by the women of All9Yards, had big fields and great weather. We had 7 women for the women’s open race and there were more for the women’s beginners. During the open, we stuck together until I crashed on lap 6 of 8. I wasn’t riding very smart and snagged a wheel as we were going uphill and I was grabbing for a waterbottle… The crash wasn’t such a bad thing, though. I may have cracked my helmet, but I was able to get right back up, no damage was done to my bike, face, or bones. And my head…well, I think we might all agree that was a little off before! Hehe. AND because I finished the race dead last, I won an hour massage to take care of all my aches and pains. I now LOVE races that are put on by other women. They know what it takes to get girls out of bed and go for a 48 mile ride.

And because I just moved down to the East Village, the EVC on Sunday was a blast. I was able to sleep in, ride my bike to the race, ride as best I could up that dang hill, hang out, watch the fourth corner and celebrate with my teammates when the event was all said and done; all without leaving my neighborhood! The women’s cat 4 race was a great one. Rebecca sped off the front as she crossed the start line and never looked back. We all chased her down but I couldn’t catch her. I wound up with a strong fifth and third in the Iowa Cup. Not a bad way to finish my first season.

Gravel Ride Tonight

2009-09-02T06:32:00.001-07:00

Last week was our last Papa John Ride of the season but the weather is still nice and we still have daylight so why not ride gravel?

A group gravel ride will be biking west from West Des Moines at 5:30pm. Bring your mountain or cross bike. Leave from Bike World West Bike Shop located at 5970 Ashworth Rd.

(And Greg, we promise we're not cheating on you, just cutting down on the amount of town traffic to start our ride!)

Hope to see you there!

Interesting In Cyclocross?

2009-09-01T12:10:00.001-07:00

If so, tonight is your night! A few guys from DMOS will be holding a Cyclocross clinic for beginners at Cottonwood Park near Saylorville Lake, tonight, September 1st, at 5:30 pm.

They are planning to practice dismounting and mounting your bike at speed as well as running over barriers with your bike. Spend the first 45 minutes going over and practicing barriers and then you can line up for a 30-45 minute mock race.

This entire clinic and race will be geared towards those who are new to and interested in trying out Cyclocross.

Any bike will work for this clinic! Show up and learn! Tell your friends.

Grab Your Mtn Bike & Join Us Tonight

2009-08-31T14:07:00.001-07:00

Sounds like the trails are in great shape so grab your mountain bike and head over to the Ashworth parking lot for mountain biking at 5:30pm TONIGHT.

We hope to see you there!

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!

2009-08-31T07:58:00.000-07:00

What a great race put on yesterday at the base of the capitol. Can't beat the location, the crowd or the number of racers. Although PRC did their hand helping put on the this event, wow, we really need to put a shout out to all the race sponsors, volunteers, Rasmuseen Bike Shop but especially to 3 guys: Brent Mitchell (you've probably never heard the name, how about 'Pig'?), Kris Kunze and Randy Catron.

They were all very professional, organized and WONDERFUL to work with! So many had a hand in this event, along with our own Maria, Sara and Kelli but that was small potatoes compared to the work done by Pig, Kris and Randy.

Race reports and pictures to come from PRC but we just wanted to get this thank you out here to the guys for ALL of the help! What a successful day and we really appreciate your help, guidance and efforts with this race.

P.S. What is the date for next year's race? This is a start to a great tradition in the East Village!

'Race Like A Girl' Tonight Is Cancelled!

2009-08-27T06:47:00.001-07:00

Sorry Kids.. :( We kept trusting the weatherman all day and thinking it was really going to stop.

Unfortunately, it's still misting, cold and miserable in Des Moines and therefore we've decided to cancel our last 'Race Like A Girl' event for this evening.

Big bummer!

Papa John Ride CANCELLED

2009-08-26T08:15:00.001-07:00

**** UPDATE *****

Boo... it's raining in Des Moines and appears it will be for quite some time based on the radar. PRC has decided to cancel the ride. :(

Join us tonight for the last 'formal' Papa John ride of the '09 season. We'll meet in the lot west of Rasmussen's at 5:30pm and will head south of town.

Bring your friends and hope you can be there!

'Race Like A Girl' THIS THURSDAY NIGHT!

2009-08-25T14:59:00.000-07:00

Punk Rock Cycling's final 'RACE LIKE A GIRL powered by Elder Corp' , of the year is coming up and we’re going out with a bang! Join the punkalicious PRC chicks this Thursday, August 27th at Union Park in Des Moines. Registration opens at 4:45 p.m. and the races will begin at 5:30 p.m.

Because this is the last RLAG of the year, it’s the perfect chance for beginners to come out and try their hand at racing on the road. It’s also a great opportunity for veteran racers to get in a good warm up before the Big Creek Road Race and the East Village Crit that weekend.

We will have the traditional men's A and B category races, women's races and a kid’s race. A 'no-crash' course will happen at 4:45 for all the newbies interested in learning more about how to excel in the sport cycling.

This month we are looking forward to seeing the Rasmussen’s Death Squad, All9Yards men and women, DMOS, and all other Iowa cycling teams showing up! Bring the whole family to watch, drink beer (or soda), and have a blast!

Remember that all kid racers will win cookies from Baby Boomers! PRC will also be giving out lots of fun prizes for the adults, too! Every race winner will get a free smoothie from FUEL JUICE BAR in West Glen Town Center. YUMMY!!!

Hope to see you Thursday, August 27th at Union Park!

One Weekend... With Two Great Races!

2009-08-24T11:41:00.000-07:00

Don't miss it - there are two great races around Des Moines this weekend!

Saturday is the Big Creek Road Race, hosted by the All9Yards women's team.
Sounds like they have a wonderful race planned.
Click HERE for full details:

Also, this Sunday is the East Village Criterium, which PRC is helping host. Great sponsorship and venue planned.
Click HERE for full details:

Don't put that road bike away yet! Should be 2 fun days of bike racing!!

It's Mountain Bike Monday!

2009-08-24T09:19:00.000-07:00

We hear the center trails are in perfect condition! Hope everyone can make it at 5:30 tonight for some mountain biking. Meet us at Ashworth Pool.

Hope to see you then!

PRC Wins Elkhart TT and Altoona Crit Series

2009-08-21T09:44:00.000-07:00

Thursday night was the awards ceremony for the Elkhart TT Series (combination of 5 time trial results from April through August) where 4 PRC women placed. Kelli and Keely went 1, 2 in the women's open category with Alison Doyle taking 2nd place in the women's category 4 and Heather Myer-Davis taking 2nd place in the women's no aero category. Full Elkhart results can be found HERE.

Also, Kelli won first place at the Altoona criterium series hosted by All9Yards. Full Altoona results can be found HERE.

Congrats to all and special thanks to the men from All9Yards for doing a great job of providing us local race opportunities!

Girls Can Ride Fast Boy, Too

2009-08-21T09:01:00.000-07:00

Have you ever heard of Fast Boy Cycles ?

This crazy dude, Ezra, is teaching cancer to cry through his funky blog that shares his world, his love for biking, and his battle with cancer. The site also shows you the custom built bikes he’s created. Ezra is a pretty punk cat, which is why we wanted to share.

And we know that cross season is quickly approaching. Maybe you would want Ezra to build you once of his fixed gear psycho-cross bikes, huh?

Come One, Come All!

2009-08-20T11:58:00.000-07:00

It's time! Punk Rock Cycling, Rasmussen and the DMOS race teams are teaming up to bring a great race to the East Village, Des Moines. The East Village Criterium will take place on Sunday, August 30th (next weekend!). We have a great course and venue, right outside the state capitol. Hope you can race!

Online registration is now available. Click HERE to register!

Join Us For The Papa John Ride TONIGHT

2009-08-19T10:17:00.000-07:00

Unless a thunderstorm hits, we're still planning on the Wednesday night Papa John ride. Hope you can join us tonight.

Meet at the lot west of Rasmussen Bike Shop for a 5:30pm ride. Bring your friends!

Next Thursday - RACE LIKE A GIRL

2009-08-18T08:27:00.000-07:00

Punk Rock Cycling's final RACE LIKE A GIRL powered by Elder Corp , of the year is coming up and we’re going out with a bang! Join the punkalicious PRC chicks on Thursday, August 27th at Union Park in Des Moines. Registration opens at 4:45 p.m. and the races will begin at 5:30 p.m.

Because this is the last RLAG of the year, it’s the perfect chance for beginners to come out and try their hand at racing on the road. It’s also a great opportunity for veteran racers to get in a good warm up before the Big Creek Road Race and the East Village Crit that weekend. We will have the traditional men's A and B category races, women's races and a kid’s race.

A 'no-crash' course will happen at 4:45 for all the newbies interested in learning more about how to excel in the sport cycling.

This month we are looking forward to seeing the Rasmussen’s Death Squad, All9Yards men and women, DMOS, and all other Iowa cycling teams showing up! Bring the whole family to watch, drink beer (or soda), and have a blast! Remember that all kid racers will win cookies from Baby Boomers! PRC will also be giving out lots of fun prizes for the adults, too! Every race winner will get a free smoothie from FUEL JUICE BAR in West Glen Town Center. YUMMY!!!

Hope to see you Thursday, August 27th at Union Park!

Mountain Bike Monday

2009-08-17T08:15:00.001-07:00

It's Monday which means you should bring your mountain or cross bike and meet at the parking lot near Ashworth Pool. We'll most likely be riding gravel as the trails are probably too wet from the recent rain.

We hope you can join us!!

The Emily Collection

2009-08-13T06:50:00.000-07:00

Take a run through the years with PRC's Emily.Maybe play this song while you're looking through it.
We love you Em! We'll miss you so much!

Sayonara!

2009-08-13T06:33:00.001-07:00

The time has come to say good-bye…for the time being at least. As many of you know, Nathan and I are off to San Luis Obispo, California this Friday. Why you ask? Well, I hear the economy out there is booming and unemployment levels are the lowest in the nation. Just kidding! Actually I am headed graduate school and Nathan is pursuing opportunities to grow his business in the heart of diabetes research. San Luis Obispo..aka SLO..is about nine miles inland, settled directly between San Fran and LA. I will also mention that it is home to Team Colombia-HTC. Ya, that’s right, you know you love George Hincapie.

I do plan to be involved in the cycling community out there…after all, I’m not sure it is even possible to avoid it with all the great riding. However, I am sad to leave the wonderful friends I have made here in Des Moines. The cycling community has introduced me to some of the most independent, strong, respectable, and adventurous women in Midwest. I admire each and every one of you. Believe it or not, as role models in the community, we have all made a difference. Thank you for welcoming me to be a part of that.

I’m really bummed that I am missing cross season, but super pumped that I am going to learn how to surf! (I just need to get over my fear of sharks) I’m also really bummed that I am going to miss the Dirty Du, but excited to explore all the new trails that will be in my backyard.

I’ll keep in touch. We’ll back over Christmas. And, who knows, maybe back in Des Moines next summer. I hope some of you can come to visit while we are there! Just make sure you bring your bike. :)

- Emily

Happy, Happy Birthday Emily!

2009-08-12T07:09:00.000-07:00

Emily, we hope that you have a great birthday and we hope that you have a great going away party tonight! You will really be missed although we all wish you all the best in California!

You've been such a great team player and always dive in to help whenever needed. We love how adventurous you are and how you are ALWAYS willing to try something new between road racing, triathlons, cross racing, mountain biking and even cross country/skate skiing. Very cool and you will be missed by many!!

Happy, Happy Birthday Emily!!

*** And just a reminder to all, tonight we have our Wednesday night Papa John ride which leaves from the parking lot west of Rasmussen Bike Shop at 5:30pm. We hope you can join us for the ride! Following the ride, join us at Star Bar around 7:30pm for Emily's birthday party/going away party before her and Nathan move to California. We hope you can stop by, say goodbye and give them your best tonight!

Maria’s Weekend Race Reports

2009-08-11T06:30:00.000-07:00

It was a weekend of firsts for me. As many of you know, I have not done any racing since my crash in Muscatine in May. I doubted that I would ever line up again. I thought…well, I’ll just go back to triathlons because they are safe (except that drowning part). Still, I have been trying to make it to as many races as possible to support the team, volunteer, and keep involved with the sport and the people. When I headed out to Grinnell Saturday afternoon for the Grinnell Twilight Crit, my plan was to just cheer on my teammates. I brought my bike and kit just in case. The field was small, the payouts were deep, the course was flat, wide and safe. This was a perfect opportunity for my first race sans spleen. Joining me at the line was my teammate Emily, Becky Fletcher from DMOS, Dana Loo, a junior from DMOS, and Kathleen Porter from Bike Tech. The course was in downtown Grinnell, with nice wide streets and 6 turns. It was hot and humid with a very strong south wind. We hung together for the most part during the first half of the race. Emily and I attacked a couple of times, but were quickly caught by Kathleen and Becky. The pace was pretty high throughout most of the first part of the race. At one point Emily attacked and I could tell Kathleen and Becky had to work hard to catch her while I sat on the back. That was my opportunity to go, so I attacked and I got a gap. I was able to hold the gap through to the end for my first win. Emily got away from Kathleen and Becky in attempt to bridge up and finished in second place. It was a fun race. Hats off to Dana (12 years old I think?) for getting out there and mixing it up with the women! The Women’s Cat 1/2/3 field was small--only three, which is too bad because the payout were huge and deep. Keely rode strong and came in a close second.

Next up was Sunday’s mountain bike race. Following my accident, I was inexplicably encouraged to take up mountain biking. As it turns out, 2 days prior my accident I had bought a brand new Specialized D4W mountain bike—entry level, but a nice bike. So, on our regular Monday Night Women’s Mountain Bike Ride (which takes place every Monday at 5:30 starting at Ashworth Pool), some of the women decided we would try the mountain bike race at Lake Ahquabi. We were told it was beginner friendly because it is not a technical course, but that it was challenging because of the hills. So I decided to test out this mountain bike racing thing and signed up for my first mountain bike race. It was hot. Rain threatened but never arrived. The course was mostly double tack. The beginner’s race was one lap around the lake, which was about 7 miles. I had pre-ridden the course of Friday and had to stop at one point to keep from dying. It is a very hilly course. I am not much of a climber on any kind of bike (hence the success of the flat course described above). The race had a mass start, which made me a little nervous because I did not want to slow anyone up. I started in the back and managed to pass a couple of people during the race, but mostly rode alone—which was fine with me! I ended up finishing 3rd in the beginning women category and came away with a good bottle of wine. Keely raced the sport division, and got second place. The organizers did a fabulous job, but seriously, that finishing hill is just plain mean! It made me feel a little bit better that I wasn’t the only one who collapsed in exhaustion at the finish line (never mind that I did one lap to their 3 or 5…wow!). I learned that mountain bike racing is a lot harder than road racing—at least it is for me.

Emily's Send Off Is This Wednesday

2009-08-10T07:23:00.001-07:00

Just a reminder that Emily's birthday celebration and her send off before moving to California is this Wednesday evening at Star Bar, following our PRC Wednesday Papa John Ride.

If you're not able to make the ride but are interested in stopping by to say good bye to Emily and Nathan, join us at Star Bar around 7:30 on Wednesday.

Emily is really going to be missed!

Bike Petition FOR Bikes

2009-08-07T10:39:00.000-07:00

Hey bike fans! As many of you have probably heard, there is an anti-bike petition going around to ban bicycles from Iowa roads. Boo.

There is also another petition that has been started in support of bikes.

Please check out THIS LINK, sign the petition and help spread the bike love! Thanks All!

We're Sad... Emily Moves Next Week

2009-08-06T06:48:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, our friend and teammate Emily is moving to California to pursue her master's degree at Cal Poly. Although this is a beautiful part of the country and a great opportunity, we're really going to miss her. Emily's last night in Des Moines is next Wednesday, August 12th and better yet, that is Emily's birthday so double reason to celebrate!

Following our team Papa John ride Wednesday at 5:30, please join us at Star Bar around 7:30 to give Nathan and Emily a proper send off. Even if you can't make the ride, please stop by Star Bar and give your best to them before their move.

We hope to see you there!

Papa John Ride TONIGHT

2009-08-05T08:18:00.000-07:00

Join us tonight for our Wednesday Papa John Ride leaving from Rasmussen Bike Shop at 5:30pm.

Bring a friend and we hope to see you tonight!

Iowa State Championship Road Race

2009-08-03T10:12:00.000-07:00

Sara's Race Report

Saturday was a no good, very bad day for me. I ended up dropping out of the road race in West Branch with what I would guess to be about 5-10 miles left. I couldn’t finish. I couldn’t believe I was pulling myself off the course—with help from Tim and Pete. (Thanks for the lift guys; you were my saviors.) I was devastated that I felt how I did, embarrassed for the race mistakes & DNF, pissed that my derailleur wasn’t working, and just plain angry that I didn’t have it in me.

But it helped me learn a good lesson—training, nutrition, hydration and confidence are key. I feel like the end of the season is nearing and I can eat more of what I want, slack on the 8+ glasses of water a day, and skip the long weekend rides when we don’t have a race. Well, we have an entire month left!! And I definitely felt all the damage I’ve been doing to myself these last couple weeks with my crash and RAGBRAI and attempting to overcompensate for the lost training this past week. To make everything worse, I had talked myself out of feeling good and feeling like I could finish. I knew before I started the race that the bike wasn’t shifting, I was upset about some personal stuff, and I was convinced that I would feel awful because of what I’d been eating. Well, all of that “I think I can’t” attitude took its toll that morning. DNF ensued.

All I can do now is take all of those lessons to heart and jump back on that bike and ride. I’ll see you all at the Altoona All 9 Yards race series this Thursday!

space

Emily's Race Report

Last year when I did this race, I didn’t bother to ask any questions about the course. So needless to say, I had no idea there were going to be so many hills. This year, I had no excuse because I knew exactly what I was in for. Seriously, they need to give King of Mountain points for this race.

At the start, Sara, Ana, and I were joined by a great turnout of Cat 4 women. We pretty much all stayed together for the first lap and then Sandy from Team Skin decided she was bored and started to put the hurt on J We lost some girls with her attacks, leaving myself, Ana, Kat, Dee, and one other girl fighting to close the gap. I managed to blow my doors off trying to close the gap when I pulled through, so I was left with only enough gas to hold on as Kat finally closed in…and then I was done. At that point I started going backwards, sadly watching the rest of the girls race away into the distance. The headwind was torturous riding solo. I was finally caught by the next group with about a ½ mile left, I jumped on, but with nothing in me to take them on to the finish. As I tried to sprint, my body went into this weird convulsive, shaking, lightheaded, shutdown mode, so I just did what I could to cross the line and then plop down in the ditch.

Overall, it was good race. Sara wasn’t feeling too great, but she held on strong for as long as she could. Ana fought hard to defend her title, but it just wasn’t in her cards for this year. Regardless, PRC raced strong and should all be happy with their performance.

Congrats to Dee for taking the win!

Kelli's Race Report

Only 4 women took to the line for the start of the women's 1/2/3, 81 mile state road race on Saturday. Another small turnout with 2 women from Mercy, 1 from Planet Bike and then myself.

*** Hint - we need some of the strong Category 4 riders across the state to upgrade after their required 10 mass starts and give beginning women some confidence to help build the sport. Plus we seldom have enough women enter so you’re often guaranteed payout money in the 1/2/3 race!

I predicted with the hills, wind and small but strong group, that we'd ride much of the race together until the final lap or so. And yes, the first lap was pretty uneventful. Kim and Robin worked closely together and then a couple attacks from Julie of Planet Bike that we pulled back in.

The second lap got a bit more interesting. We dropped Robin after a mechanical issue on a hill and then not much later, I made a stupid rookie mistake. While in the back of the draft line, I looked behind me and caught the back wheel of Kim Eppen when she moved over from an upcoming curve. Boom... I'm down and skidding across the pavement. Stupid mistake, my fault and glad that I didn't affect Kim's race as she stayed vertical. Road rash, blood and pain down the right side of my body but I got back up, determined to finish and spent the next 41 miles riding solo, never to catch Kim and Julie again. I actually never even saw another biker the last lap (with the exception of a DMOS guy being loaded into an ambulance - hope he's ok). It was a long last lap and I was tired, weak but super relieved to see the finish line.

And actually, my prediction of us riding together was completely incorrect. I later learned that Kim attacked Julie and they both rode alone with Julie unable to catch back on, while I was completely alone and then Robin further behind me alone. It was a long race.

Took 3rd place, received a chunk of change and left some skin on the concrete. Just like last year, I was quickly reminded that concrete always wins. Dang.

Big thanks to Terry, Wendy and Molly for the feed zone handups. And special thanks to the Tipton Ambulance crew for cleaning me up after the race. Nothing like a little hometown love as I had my high school history teacher and old coach cleaning me up. :)

Results From Last Night's RLAG #4

2009-07-31T09:12:00.000-07:00

A big thank you from PRC to all of you who came out to Race Like A Girl #4 last night. Whether you raced, volunteered or just hung out and cheered, your presence was appreciated!

Also, big thanks to Elder Corp, Baby Boomers and all of our RLAG sponsors. Your prizes are always a hit and we really appreciate the cookies for the kids races too! Thank you much.

The results from last night are listed below. If you notice any errors, please contact us at punk@punkrockcycling. (We did the best we could, but some of the larger fields and “creative” number pinning made things a tad more challenging.)

Speaking of race numbers, bike thanks to Chad and All-9-Yds for lending us a few. We’ve already placed an order to ensure we’ll have enough for next month. Thanks again!

Men’s A Race #1: Scratch (15 laps)
1. Jared Osterlich
2. Jon Meyer
3. Jed Gammel

Men’s B Race #1: Scratch (10 laps)
1. Mike Blahut
2. Nathan Hicks
3. Steve Doughty

Women’s Race #1: Scratch (8 laps)
1. Sara Broek
2. Emily Schaapveld
3. Maria Ruhtenberg

Men’s A Race #2: Granny Gear (2 laps)
1. Nathan Bartels
2. Matt Gumm
3. Jed Gammel

Men’s B Race #2: Granny Gear (1 lap)
1. Kyle McKimpson
2. Jeff Osborn
3. Dave Hammer

Women’s Race #2: Granny Gear (1 lap)
1. Emily Schaapveld
2. Jane Collignon
3. Becky Fletcher

Kid’s Race: Under 8 (1 lap)
1. Grady Robinson
2. Noah Gumm
3. Sam Gumm

Kid’s Race : Over 8 (2 laps)
1. Preston Doerrfeld
2. Lance Maharry
3. Emily Smith

Men’s A Race #3; Missin’ Out
1. Lane Anderson
2. Jared Osterlich
3. Jed Gammel

Men’s B Race #3: Missin’ Out
1. Mike Blahut
2. Herb Hollwager
3. Ryan Williams

Women’ Race #3: Missin’ Out
1. Maria Ruhtenberg
2. Emily Schaapveld
3. Becky Fletcher

Finale Race: Rabbit Chase
Rabbit Jeff Osborn was able to stay off the field and recoup his entry fee! Nice work, Jeff!

Iowa State Championship Road Race

2009-07-31T05:46:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, the women of PRC will be racing in the Iowa State Championship Road Race, starting in West Branch, Iowa. The women's Category 1/2/3 race will be heading out for 81 miles starting at 10:20, followed by the women's Category 4 race at 10:40, racing 54 miles. Click HERE for the race flier.

If you're in the area, head over to race or watch. Should be a great day!!

'Race Like A Girl' Is Tonight!

2009-07-30T05:43:00.000-07:00

Punk Rock Cycling's RACE LIKE A GIRL, powered by Elder Corp, is TONIGHT!! Come to Union Park in Des Moines for registration at 4:45 and racing at 5:30.

Our event is perfect for competitive racers as well as beginners. We'll have the traditional men's A and B category races, women's races and a kids race (with cookies from Baby Boomers for all kids who race!)

We hope to see you tonight at Union Park!

Join Us Tonight

2009-07-29T05:52:00.001-07:00

It's Wednesday and therefore another beautiful night for the Papa John Ride. Join us in the parking lot just west of Rasmussen Bike Shop where we'll head south of town for either a 24 or 31 mile loop. Your choice!

Bring a friend and we hope to see you there!

Sara’s Punk Periodical

2009-07-28T05:54:00.000-07:00

I’m HEALING!

I was visiting family in good ol’ Atlantic, Iowa this past weekend after RAGBRAI. We were sitting around the kitchen, swapping stories, and laughing at my crazy 2-year-old cousin when my Grandpa turns to me and says, “Sara, do you have small pox? Why do you have pink spots all over your arms? You should have been vaccinated for that.” My response: “No, Gramps. No small pox. Remember. I crashed my bike.” And then I whipped out my knees to show him the bigger and deeper scrapes that have just started to scab. (Yes, I know I shouldn’t pick—but I do anyway.)

So things are on the up-and-up with the whole thing: My tush is no longer purple and that weird healing-yellowish color; I can bend my knees to a 90 degree angle; my handlebars are new and different (I thought blue would be a good choice for bar tape. I was wrong—please don’t remind me of this); and my elbows, shoulder, and wrists are healing nicely (and they’re pink, which apparently makes me look sick. Awesome.) Unfortunately, my tummy has expanded from having an entire week of being exercise-free and then RAGBRAI. Hmm.

So to get back in shape, I’m looking forward to dying on the TNWC starting from Grounds for Celebration, the Papa John PRC ride on Wednesday night starting from Rasmussen’s Bike Shop, and RACE LIKE A GIRL powered by Elder Corp. on Thursday at 5:30 at Union Park. We’ll see if I can bounce back by the state road race on August 1...

Also, I want to thank everyone for their help as I’ve been on the mend. Duffy, Dee, Erich, Cheryl, Teammates, Roomies, Co-workers, Rasmussen’s... You’ve all been wonderful. Thank you.

Yep, Yep Rice Cakes... Get 'Em Here!

2009-07-27T05:32:00.000-07:00

After PRC's been watching the Tour de France, we've decided we want to be faster, we want to be more like them so maybe we should even eat like them. This rice cake recipe we stole from Garmin-Slipstream definitely has our interest so we'd thought we'd share...

Garmin-Slipstream Rice Cakes

By Dr. Allen Lim

1 cup sushi rice

3 eggs Bacon, Canadian bacon or ham

Balsamic Vinegar Soy Sauce

Other Ingredients as desired -- Parmesan cheese, salt, honey, fruit

Instructions:

Cook rice according to directions. Scramble eggs, fry bacon. Mix in large bowl with balsamic vinegar and soy sauce. Place in brownie pan or large pan and smash it all down (best technique is to put Saran Wrap over one pan and use another pan to squash it down). After rice is squashed, sprinkle sugar over top to create a glaze. Cut into small square portions and wrap tightly in aluminum foil.

Easy to open, easy to hold. Just ride and eat!

'Race Like A Girl' - NEXT THURSDAY!

2009-07-23T14:46:00.001-07:00

Punk Rock Cycling's RACE LIKE A GIRL, powered by Elder Corp, is coming up!! Come to Union Park in Des Moines on Thursday July 30, 2009. Registration opens at 4:45, racing begins at 5:30.

If you haven't raced this event, this is your month. It is perfect for beginner and veteran racers alike—so grab your non-racer, ragbrai biker friends and bring 'em out to experience what racing is all about. We, of course, will have the traditional men's A and B category races, women's races and a kids race.

This month we are looking forward to all central Iowa teams showing up and bringing your kids to race (cookies from Baby Boomers for all kid racers!) Yes, we want to see pink, green, black, orange, blue, yellow, red, everyone! Lots of fun prizes for the big kids, too.

Hope to see you Thursday at Union Park!

And We're Off.. Have A Great Week All!

2009-07-17T09:57:00.000-07:00

Although many of the PRC girls will be on RAGBRAI, we're still planning to host our Monday Mountain Bike Ride and our Wednesday Night Papa John Ride next week.

As always, bring your mountain bike and meet Emily at Ashworth Pool parking lot at 5:30pm. Trail riding if it's dry or else gravel if it's too wet. On Wednesday, bring your road bike and meet at Rasmussen Bike Shop at 5:30 for the weekly Papa John ride.

And if you're on RAGBRAI Wednesday, be sure to join PRC and check out one of our favorite bands, 'Crooked Mile'. They're playing in Milo starting at 11am at the Main Street Station (120 Main St, Milo).

Sara's Clear Lake Race Report

2009-07-17T09:54:00.000-07:00

PRC had a great time in Clear Lake this past weekend. Saturday was the big BBQ Crit down town by the lake. It was a beautiful day and the Cat 4 women went first, which was awesome for getting a good warm up in on the course. But starting at 1 p.m. was a new ordeal for Heather, Emily and Sara—usually we’ve finished the race, packed up the mommy van, and are relaxing by then.

We had a decent field with 8 or 9 girls. During the race, Sara and Emily stayed off the front with Cassandra from Team Skin. And they all worked together well. Dee from All 9 Yards slowly worked her way up to them. Sara took advantage of the sprinter’s hill and sped of the front to finish first and Em was right behind her to finish third. What a great race!

Keely and Kelli had a smaller field in the Cat 1/2/3 race. But the two of them hauled butt around the course and had a close finish. Keely had a great sprint and came in first place for the field sprint win. Big congrats to Keely!

The road race on Sunday started out well for the Cat 4s. The girls were riding pretty aggressively within the first 12 miles. Unfortunately, Sara caught Kim’s wheel on an attack and hit the pavement. Joann and Dee went tumbling down after. Poor Joann broke her collarbone, Dee had a minor scratch on her arm, and thankfully Sara left the scene with no broken bones and her face still intact. She only has some wicked scrapes. All over. Ouch. Sara’s bike is out of commission still, but the Rasmussen’s Bike Shop squad has been taking good care of her baby and getting it all fixed up for RAGBRAI!

Em and Heather stopped to make sure Sara was all good, and once they saw all body parts intact and no major injuries, they hopped back on and tried to catch the other riders. Ana, who rejoined the girls for the weekend, took first and Em couldn’t quite catch up and landed fourth and Heather took fifth.

Another small field for the Cat 1/2/3 road race Sunday kept the group together tight the entire race with Kelli and Keely taking third and fourth respectively in the final sprint.

It was a successful weekend of racing for PRC! Congrats to all!

Special Thanks From PRC

2009-07-16T09:43:00.000-07:00

Dear Steve & Cheryl Schurtz,

How do we begin to thank you for again hosting us for the Clear Lake race weekend? We love staying at the Outing Club and really appreciate your hospitality. The lake cottages are beautiful and we also appreciate your friends who let part of our team stay in their cottages. Thanks also for the delicious pre-race breakfast. You're lucky we ever leave!

Thanks again for a great weekend and congrats to the race committee for putting on a great weekend of racing! We truly appreciate it.

Sincerely,
The Women of Punk Rock Cycling

Sending Get Well Wishes To Joann

2009-07-16T09:41:00.001-07:00

There was an unfortunate crash in Sunday's Clear Lake Road Race, and we're sending get well wishes out to Joann Schmidt from All9Yards. Joann went down hard, was in quite a bit of pain and suffered road rash and a broken collar bone.

We are thinking of you, Joann, and praying for a speedy recovery for you!

Papa John Ride TONIGHT

2009-07-15T10:48:00.000-07:00

It's Wednesday... join us for our weekly Wednesday night ride from Rasmussen's at 5:30. Should be a great night for a ride!

We hope to see you there.

Don't Miss Emily's Garage Sale

2009-07-14T09:35:00.000-07:00

We are sad to post that our teammate Emily is moving to California this August, however we're quite happy and proud of her acceptance to a Cal-Poly grad program there. Very exciting!

With the move across the country, many sweet bike things must be sold so if you're in the market or even just enjoy shopping, check out Emily and Nathan's garage sale this Friday night. Please see details below.

What: Garage sale – all things bike related
When: FRIDAY, JULY 17 - ONE DAY ONLY!
Time: 5-8pmWhere: 422 E Locust Street– Old Panorama Casual Building (sign still in window)

You do not want to miss this one. Nathan and Emily are cleaning house, getting ready for their move to California, so now is your chance to get a great deal on all sorts of bike stuff… pedals, cleats, wheels, kits, clothing, saddles, stems, handlebars, sunglasses, helmets, bikes, trainers, and much, much, more!

RED HOT ITEMS:
2008 58 Specialized Langster Comp track frame and fork
2008 58 Specialized Tarmac SL S-Works complete road bike w/ full Dura Ace
2007 Transition Pro complete time trial bike w/ full Dura Ace
2008 Bare Knuckle track bike
2009 Orbea Ordu time trial bike
Schwinn home grown mountain bike - $300!
Cyclops Fluid 2 Trainer - Ridden less than 150 miles
Kreitler Challenger Rollers with fan

If you are interested in any of the items listed, but can’t make the sale, just shoot us an email.
Nathan – nbidlake@yahoo.com or Emily – schnem@hotmail.com

Tonight's Monday Mountain Bike Ride

2009-07-13T07:36:00.000-07:00

From Emily:

Trails are probably too wet tonight.. but we are going to ride gravel instead. Bring your mountain bike and meet us at Ashworth Pool at 5:30pm.

PRC Now Holds Elkhart TT Record

2009-07-10T11:29:00.000-07:00

Big news for the PRC team! Keely, Heather and Kelli all raced Elkhart TT last night and we're happy to report, PRC now holds the Elkhart TT women's course record.

That's RIGHT! Lisa Vetterlein, Team Kenda, set the women's course record several years ago of 16:56 and last night, Kelli finished in a time of 16:51. This is an average of 26.5mph over the 12K course. Big time congrats to Kelli for the killer time in windy conditions! Awesome!

Also for PRC, Keely finished second in the women's open category with a time of 18:54. Heather had a PR last night and won the women's Eddy Merkx category with a time of 20:29.

Congrats to the women of PRC! Click HERE for full Elkhart results.

And more racing this weekend. The PRC team is heading up to Clear Lake for the Bicycle, Blues & BBQ Festival. PRC will be racing the criterium on Saturday and then a 42 mile road race on Sunday morning.

Come over and compete or spectate if you're in the area. Weekend race details can be found HERE.

Our Your PRC T-Shirt TODAY!

2009-07-10T11:21:00.000-07:00

So you want to look as hot as the Punk Rock Cycling chicks? Well, it’s not easy, but you can get one step closer by wearing what we wear.

We’re selling Punk Rock Cycling t-shirts for men, women and children. All shirts are $15 and the proceeds go toward helping the women of Punk Rock Cycling continue their mission of beefing-up the women’s cycling community.

Here’s the stitch: All of the t-shirts that you see below will be sold through our Web site until July 31, 2009 and will be available to be picked up from Rasmussen’s Bike Shop at no charge or sent to you, which adds $3 shipping for 1 item and $5 shipping for two or more items, in mid-to-late August.

How To Order: And you’ll want to order! Send an email to punk@punkrockcycling.com that includes your name your address including your city, state and zip your phone number the shirts you want the sizes you want them in if you’ll be picking them up at Rassy’s or would like us to send them to you.

Sorry, we don’t do PayPal but we assure you that your information is safe with us; plus it keeps t-shirt price down. Once you send us your order, you’ll get a reply email from the women of PRC stating that we’ve received your order and let you know where you can send your check (made out to Punk Rock Cycling).

If you would like to try on a sample size to see how it fits, go to Rasmussen’s Bike Shop this week and look for the Punk Rock Cycling t-shirt display. There should be sample shirts for you to try on. If you have any questions email us punk@punkrockcycling.com

I’m a Little Punk sizes: infant onesie: 3-6 month, 6-12 month, 12-18 month, and 18-24 month
toddler tee: 2T, 3T, 4T
youth tee: XS-XL
adult tee: S-XL (add $1 for XXL and $2 for XXXL)

Women’s Black Tee with White Bike and Maple Leaves on the Front Available in adult S-XL (add $1 for XXL and $2 for XXXL)

Women’s Black Tee with White Bike and Maple Leaves on the Side Available in adult S-XL (add $1 for XXL and $2 for XXXL)

Women’s White Punk Rock Cycling Available in adult S-XL (add $1 for XXL and $2 for XXXL)

Men’s Black Capital City Velomen Available in adult S-XL (add $1 for XXL and $2 for XXXL)

Men’s White Cat 5 World Champion Available in adult S-XL (add $1 for XXL and $2 for XXXL)

Emily's Punk Periodical

2009-07-09T08:00:00.001-07:00

Why I love to Mountain Bike:

1. When I fall, it doesn’t hurt like concrete
2. My bike is called a “Yo Eddy”
3. I don’t fear getting hit by a car…just getting poison ivy.
4. I can play on the trails for hours and never get bored
5. I can now successfully clear a (small) log without hitting it
Squirrel
The little dirt ramp in Denmans
I can get lost in the mountains in Colorado
Cam
When my bike is dirty, it looks tough…not just dirty

So, don't forget to join me at 5:30 on Mondays at Ashworth Pool!

Papa John Ride TONIGHT & FREE PIZZA

2009-07-08T07:57:00.000-07:00

Good news! It's Wednesday and therefore join the Papa John Ride from Rasmussen Bike Shop at 5:30pm, plus delicious Papa John's pizza when we return to the bike shop.

Join us and bring your friends along! We look forward to seeing you!

PRC Wins the Iowa State Championship Criterium

2009-07-07T08:49:00.000-07:00

PRC's Sara, Keely and Kelli showed up to race the Iowa State Championship Criterium in Cedar Rapids this past Sunday and brought home three medals!

Sara started us off in the women's Category 4 race where she worked hard the whole race, raced smart and had a great finish to win the field sprint pack of 8 women. Congrats to Sara for winning the Women's Cat 4 State Crit gold medal! We know Sara's been sleeping with a smile since. :) It was SOOO exciting to watch Sara's first victory!!

Ten women took the line for the women's cat 1/2/3 race. The field stayed pretty tight until a six women break with 5 laps remaining. PRC's Kelli Mente made the fast break and took 3rd place in the final sprint. Unfortunately Keely didn't make the break but she still took 7th place overall.

Only Iowa licensed riders are eligible for the state champ medals so with the race winner from New Zealand and 2nd, 4th and 5th places all from Wisconsin, this meant PRC's Kelli Mente in 3rd brought home the gold Iowa State Championship Criterium medal for the second year in a row. Kim Eppen from Mercy took 6th place which gave her the silver state championship medal and then our own Keely Shannon received the bronze medal. We had great competition. Super cool!

Congrats to our PRC teammates for their hard fought medals and for another successful weekend of racing!!

BUMMER...

2009-07-06T08:13:00.001-07:00

No Monday MTB Ride.
The rain from the weekend has left the trails too muddy and wet.
Sadness sets amongst us all.

Iowa State Championship Criterium

2009-07-03T07:39:00.000-07:00

The Iowa State Championship Criterium takes place THIS SUNDAY in downtown Cedar Rapids. The course is flat, .6 mile in length per lap with 4 left hand corners and crossing 4 bridges per lap. Crazy.

Several of our women from PRC are making the road trip. Our awesome Category 4 women will be racing at 11:30am with our Category 3 riders ripping up the course at 1:15pm. GO PRC!

There's racing from 9am til 4pm so stop by if you're in the area!