There was a lot of pink and yellow spread across the rural roads of Vernon County, Wisc., this past weekend for the 2017 edition of the GVR Spring Camp.

Riding was based out of Logan Mill Lodge is Westby and there was plenty of elevation gain to go with the week’s mileage totals. The team even got a nice sunny day for our first event quasi-formal team photos and the start of new tan lines for the season.

Stops at team partners Borah Teamwear (Coon Valley, Wisc.) and Organic Valley (La Farge, Wisc.) rounded out the weekend.

A rundown of team results can be results can be found here.

By the time you read this it will officially be spring. That means only two more months of cold rides with nasty head- and crosswinds.

The team wrapped up winter riding by working on some road racing skills Saturday and by enduring 58 (of 66) miles of head and crosswinds on Sunday. Racing gets underway in earnest in the next few weeks, so keep an eye out for race reports soon!

Here are a few photos from recent rides:

When you’re given a 50-degree weekend in the middle of the winter in Wisconsin you take advantage of it. Here’s hoping the benefits of these early-season miles will still be in full effect in November!

Some people were still racing bikes on snow this weekend too. Team results can be found here.

 

Our first snapshots of 2017 brings you a collection of stuff shot over the first few six weeks of the year, providing there really in no such thing as an “off season.”

A wrap of results can be found here.

 

It’s just past midnight and I’m probably already asleep (that happens when you’re a masters-level racer), but we wanted to be among the first to wish you a Happy New Year!

We’ll see you on the tarmac and dirt in 2017!

The process starts with pencils, markers, highlighters and crayons.

A few months later (and thanks to the skill of real designers at Borah Teamwear) out pop a brand new set of uniforms ready to race for another two years.

Gryphon Velo Racing is back for the 2017-18 seasons with a new jersey design that had a working title of “The McQueen” after the iconic racing jackets/fire suits worn by actor Steve McQueen in the ‘60s and ‘70s.

The team returns in its familiar yellow and pink designs, as well as a new black (“Wildcard’) design we hope will be easier to wash in the dirtiest of conditions (like, say, the rust colored mud of Ore to Shore).

Revamped bibs, a raft of new partners, and new socks from DeFeet round out the changes for the next campaign.

Look for the new uniforms in races, events, and rides throughout the Midwest in 2017.

Ouch. The course at Trek HQ in Waterloo hurt when it was a UCI-level course in September and it hurt as the venue for the Wisconsin State CX Champsionship.

A full run down of team results from the past week can be found here.

There’s still a little bit of ‘cross and fat bike racing left in 2016, but Thanksgiving week seems like a pretty good time to look back and reflect on the highlights of the season.

The season is made up of hundreds of races and rides, countless miles and flat tires, and a lot of fun with your teammates. Our annual video pulls together some of those moments.

 Enjoy!

A pair of very different courses made up the weekend’s racing: relatively flat at Sijan Cross in Milwaukee Saturday and relatively hilly in Madison Sunday.

A full run down of team results from the past week can be found here.

Here’s a belated race report by Robert Sorenson from the Chequamegon Fat Tire 40 from Sept. 17. If you’re not mentioned in this article, I’m pretty sure you’re the only one.

It was 12+ years since I completed my last Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival. Back in my day “fat bikes” were simply known as “mountain bikes.” A dozen years ago I rode a fully rigid Breezer Storm for Team Nordik in Green Bay (Josh and Lisa Hanson owned the shop at the time). I originally bought the bike from Dominic Petit and Michael Geraths in 1994 and I still own the bike and ride it as a commuter. Man, I love that Ritchey Logic tubing.

This year I rode a Santa Cruz — a carbon hard-tail with 27.5 tires – bought from JB Cycle & Sport in Howard. It’s a fun ride and I managed to take 29 minutes off my best time to make it a great day of racing in mud and a little rain (despite my rear derailleur failing at mile 33).

 

The best part was seeing and riding with old and new friends. The guys from Gryphon Velo always make the day fun as do old friends friends like Dale and Dave Mangin and their families.

 

You want to see a great collection of Breezer bikes? Ride with the Mangins. They have Storms, Lightnings, and Thunders in all colors. Add in my newer Breezer Lightning and it was a complete set.

I’ve raced Chequamegon with Bill Withbroe (ed: aka “My Friend Bill”) many times and it’s still great riding with him.

Morgan Fisher joined us this year for her first taste of the Fat tire weekend, riding in the Short and Fat with Bill. The smiles on their faces as they crossed the finished line were a testament to the fun they had.

It takes a lot of people and businesses to make these races a success. I have to pass on my thanks to Skratch Labs, JB Cycle & Sport, Specialized Bicycles, Downtown Auto, Classic Renovations, Robinson Metal Inc., Borah Teamwear, DeFeet and others supporting the team.