Burnt Helmets take 2nd at North Bay Triathlon!

Well, the Burnt Helmets took 2nd place in their category (mixed relay) at the 2011 edition of the North bay Triathlon. You can see complete team relay results here.

Amy, after giving birth to Nolan just seven weeks ago, was less than 2 minutes off her previous time from 2009. Dave continued his trend and steam rolled much of the competition going up Lee's Road. The bike route has changed since 2009 so not much more in the way of comparisons can be done, but Dave maintained an incredible high tempo with an average speed of 31.8 km/h. Denis trained hard this year, including changing his running style to better improve his efficiency. As the run route is now recorded as being 8.4 km comparisons with Denis' previous times aren't possible - however, the training appears to have paid off with Denis' dropping 1 second off his pace thus improving his time overall.

Hat's off to the Burnt Helmets for the 2nd place finish. Summer's here - so its time to enjoy ... and thanks for spending your 30 seconds with Scott!

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Nolan Buchwald's B-day May 16 2011
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Burnt Helmets Make Racing's Future

We can't all be elite racers especially when you've already peaked at 33 years old.
But we can take our best qualities, bottle it up, pass it on to the next generation. Although it will be a long wait, the wait will be worth it as the next unborn generation of Burnthelmets take over what we seasoned, wise, and energetic BH's know about racing.
When they do find their legs we may not be able to catch up but instead take on a new role of waiting by the feed station and shouting "You've got a 30 second lead! Go!"

Here is Ams a few days past her due date. Obviously the baby doesn't have hes/her race plate on yet.

24 Hours of Cribside

Thats Right one of the Burnthelmets is going to begin a different type of endurance event.  24 hours of Cribside.   Going to need lots of Gels and Eload to make it through this one. http://www.newdadmanual.ca/

A different kind of season...

So this year is turning out to be quite different than expected. Many factors are and have been coming into play - some expected, some not so expected. My training has been going well, the legs are feeling quite strong and I'm itching to get outside on the bike - indoor cycling, if not for the company, is beginning to drag. I am kinda excited to see what differences that training will yield.

Anyway, back to where things are at. I was looking forward to the race season, however, as I mentioned several factors are coming into play. For one, the price of gas - will be a big hit on the race travel budget which only reduces funds available for accommodations and meals for race weekends. Furthermore, Analysts are already predicting the price to rise by mid-summer as high as $1.70 / litre. Again, this only eats further into the budget.

These costs might have been managable, however, my teammates had previously indicated they were looking at an abbreviated race schedule - admittedly the frequent weekend travelling coupled with a full work week does make for a hectic schedule and does cut into vacation plans. We certainly had been hitting the circut hard these last three years and as much fun as 'Crank the Shield' was - it did takes it toll.

So this season is now starting to look quite different, even with the training I've completed, I will compete in just two or maybe three OCup MTB races and an 8-hour race later in the fall. There could be a road race lined up somewhere in there, but nothing is lining up at the moment.

What will continue are the weekly group rides both on the road and off. As these truly are what I enjoy about cycling!

Had to post it

I had a surprise in the mail box when I got home from work.
It's official and I have to show it off as a proud cyclist and grateful team mate because, in part, I share the award with those who trained hard along side me and those that supported me at the races.
Thank you Jenn, Julie, Amy, Scott and Dave!

OCA Award for 2010

Longer Days, Warmth ahead?!?

Hi ya'll.. Its been a cold and snowy winter in Northern Ontario. Granted, other 'places' south of us did receive quite an accumulation of snow over the past few months but their warmer weather tends to make quick work erasing any evidence. Anyway, the Groundhog didn't see his shadow, which is a good sign even if he has only been right 30% of the time, and the days are getting longer - which makes me smile.

This off-season has been busy. As if you've been following closely, you'll know that we've undertaken the project of making our own Beer. Thus far, we've got 3 batches under our belts and I'd say we're doing quite well. The 2nd batch is an easy drinking beer, light tasting and creamy. The 3rd batch is a special brew - one made specifically for the Hockey team that Denis plays forward on during the winter months. The Killer Strawberries is a Canadore College Rec League team and of course Canadore is alma mater for several of us Burnt Helmets. The official taste test is this weekend, so I'm certain we'll have a basket of feedback on the 'Killer Strawberry Blonde Ale'.

Beer making hasn't been the complete focus, Dave has been dabbling in Journalism with some tasting reviews of a few Craft Brewery Beers - you can read more here. Now, if we can only get him to put down the 'Double Chocolate Cranberry Stout' and grab a pen to write the review!

As for me, well - its been spin class 3 times a week with some weights for core strength. I feel fit, and expect I am about where I thought I'd be. Definately anxious to get on the bike outdoors. However, spin class has been much more social than spinning in the fitness room at home as I find I'm driven to push myself further than I would had I been alone. Regarding the racing season, we've only just begun to discuss options for this year. The MTB OCup schedule has been posted with another new venue for this year's championship and final race. Granted, things will be different but how different remains to be seen.

Thanks for spending your 30 seconds with Scott!

Killer straw berry blond Ale before carbonation

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Bottling

Yes we have bottling technology.  We prefer not to cap but rather use 750ml resealable bottles.

Off season Training - Beer

Blichmann 20 Gallon Boil Kettle

Complete home brew station

That's right with biking season over our off season training begins. We are training ourselves to brew beer. We spend the summer drinking it and with cycling taking up all our time we could pursue making it. Now we can.
This is the first 5 gallon batch. 20 days from now we should be able to enjoy it.

Cheers to brewing your own.

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OCup Racing 2010 but without the Racing