Roller Race Action! January 23rd

The album of the week post will have to wait; this is more important, as its about riding a bikes inside while other people laugh at you.

The Wheelers have been holding Roller Races for a while. I've never made it out, due to personal lameness, but the tide has turned. On the 23rd, the Tall Tree team will be in full effect at the races, making fools of ourselves in style. We're doing a charity spin for Bicycles for Humanity earlier in the day, so we'll be well primed for the lactic acid fest. I think its going to be a fantastic time, and I encourage locals to come and either participate or witness the spectacle.

There will be two formats: trainer with fixed front wheel, and rollers. You'll need a bike to ride the rollers.

Here's the run-down, provided by Chris Mullington:

There are two types of races we run. Goldsprints, which are contested over 500 metres and use matching bikes held upright by the front forks, and Old School, which is contested over 1000 metres and in which the riders balance on the rollers.

Our roller racing setup allows for four riders to race per heat. The rollers are attached to a large dial, with a needle indicating the progress of each rider. This four rider system is one of the only ones in North America and as far as I know, the best maintained.

We encourage people to show off and keep things light. Many of our competitor chose to wear disguises.We hope to have a 5K challenge with some of the top riders in the area. This is an real crowd pleaser because of its intensity.The facial contortions of our contestants become more extreme over the duration of the event.Loud cheering and rowdiness is par for the course.
We hope for a good turnout from the local cycling community and especially look forward to partying with our brothers and sisters of the Tall Tree Tribe.

NB: the Chevaliers de Colomb hall is licensed and I recommend a DD if people are coming by car.