Ironclad Cycling

Good tidings from the Ironclad/Yakima team! Now, take your finger out of your butt and lend us an ear.

Don’t be a fool and fall for that February carrot Ma Nature is dangling out there in front of us. Oh sure, use the carrot, take delight in the carrot, but know that March is coming with a moldy, rotten potato to ride through for us all. A wet, moldy, rotten potato. But we’ll make hay while the sun shines, for sure!

And in such hay making, we found ourselves in spots all over town this weekend, honing our craft. Here’s 3 complete dolts, trying a new Beastie Boys kinda look. Morons.

morons

And then in some not-so-savory news, Ironclad/Yakima Cat 3 Lana Pressey done took a tumble and wrecked herself up. Darnit. The dreaded “tib/fib” fracture has visited our camp and looks to stay a while. Let us all remember that road shoes and their cleats are not the most natural ally of wooden staircases. Heal up Lana!

fall down go boom

That’s an order.

Been a while since we’ve seen the wet stuff. Today we did. The Ironclad/Yakima squad set out on a BORING FUCKING CORNFLAKES ride. Well, without cornflakes.

And, like a lot of our rides, we did do a lot of sitting around and doing nothing.

Long day for some, shorter day for others but no matter, it started super early. While the fog laid low like a pregnant dog’s belly, kissing the ground and heavy, a large contingent of Ironclad/Yakima set out on a northern course to be chock full of mass urination, flat tires, and frozen extremities.

We had a feeling it was in store, so we charged up with coffee at Blend in NoPo, to try to warm our innards. Didn’t work.

do we ever really ride at all?

Hey, but who’s complaining? It’s frickin’ sunny, in January!

So, through the cold we went, rookies and the tenured alike. And it was a good time, with only a few ice warnings in the shady spots.

4 hours later, we whetted our beaks and relaxed. The machine, she is sharpening….all riders looking on point so far. Pretty excited about the year ahead!

Lana Pressey and Joe Martin lead the group through the cold. Joe Leineweber says “hi” from 2nd position

Holy Crap! The Cherry Pie Road Race is just about a month away! Gadzooks! And with it, yet another OBRA race year will be underway. Success, failure, rivalries, friendships, we will all engage in some form of any of these factors regardless of team, category, or discipline.

What stories we’ll have when it’s all over, and I mean all of us. You, him, her, us, them. New teams, rider transfers, new kits; our little OBRA community, even though with numbers not pinned right now, are full of activity.

It’s a great time of year, isn’t it? Cold training rides, meeting new teammates, reacquainting with old ones, all together celebrating the new year. So, here’s to you, OBRA, and may we all have a safe, fun, competitive, and respectful race year!

Tailwinds!

Ironclad/Yakima at work

We hope you all had a splendid Xmas season, and we wish you a very Happy New Year!

2013 sees the new look Ironclad/Yakima team hitting the road on the 1st day of the year in typical style: with beer and grabass. Such good times, that grabass stuff.

Today’s ride was kind of a shakedown goof off…the team gathers in earnest next weekend for the first team ride, with all new riders reporting. Should be a hootenanny! We’ll post some images and words then.

In the meantime, observe this succinct compilation of today’s ride themes: Porn, beer, Ironclad, grabassery, and an opportunistic Lana.

pop goes the weasel

We bid a fond farewell to Greg Sanders and Anna Clark, who are NYC bound this coming Sunday, no better or more Ironclad way to say good bye than with a raging Wolfpack up in rainy Forest Park.

So, off we went, in all manner of idiocy and garb, and ascended to the top, with our usual stops. Greg, in the leader’s jersey and aiming to keep it, brought a grill and a bucket of chicken, holy shit was that good.

One of the rest stops looked like this. 

Fare thee well, Sanderclarks. Fare thee well. We raise our drumsticks to you excellence, and know that you will be dearly missed.

Join us in sending heartfelt congratulations to Brianna Walle on her ascension to the ranks of professional, as she has joined the Optum Pro Cycling team for 2013! Hot damn!

We’re all so very proud of her, though we will miss her so.

Congrats Brie! And thanks to all the Ironclad ladies that played any part in any of Brianna’s successes along the way!