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Hi all,

I have question on the team kit; is the shorts the BIB shorts type?

Nice to find this forum for bike cycling fans across Xerox

regards Michael

On May 7th, 3 riders from San Diego started riding in the chilly morning air.  Hours later, all three had crossed the finish line.  Vince Reserva, Steven Wheeler and Dan White raised almost $2000 for the American Diabetes Association.

The ride presented many challenges for the riders to overcome; Long uphill’s, chilly morning temperatures and a scorching afternoon, brutal headwinds, mechanical problems, etc.. At the end of the day, all three completed the ride in good form! Vince broke a shifter in a mishap and was unable to change his rear derailleur, but was able to rig it with a water bottle and a tennis ball he found! Have to admire the ingenuity and perseverance! The first official ride for the San Diego Chapter is over, but there will be more!

San Diego ADA Tour de Cure 2011 Riders

No fear of heights but fear for the wind.

XEROX Cycling team was on the “Mont Ventoux” in  2010

Last year it was the Alpe d’Huez and its surrounding mountainous areas we had climbed.

This year the Xerox Cycling team (Venray/Breukelen) went to the Mont Ventoux in an attempt to conquer this mountain as well.

A total of  6 days were reserved in the first week of June.

With 7 persons we left for the Provence / Vaucluse and because some people having the  ‘Queens ride’’ the Marmot in plans, not everyone of us was able to come along.

Of course, every single one of us had taken the necessary  preparations to climb this white giant. Many kilometers and several rounds were cycled at home to arrive in France in top condition.

No pension but a hotel this time, we reserved a few rooms in a bungalow park situated in Aubignan

(approximately 25 kilometers from the foot of the Mont Ventoux)

With 3 cars (including one filled with the finest wines by our wine expert) we drove for about eleven hours till we arrived to our bungalows. We had had a very prosperous drive. The two bungalows were divided between the ‘’Limburgers and the ‘’Brabanders’’ to avoid any linguistic arguments between the two. 

We had a full 5 days to cycle there, so we were able to plan at least all three routes dedicated to climbing one of the toughest mountains in Europe, the Mont Ventoux, a.k.a. ‘’the bald mountain’’.

We managed to climb the mountain a total of 4 times that week, unfortunately, we weren’t able to reach the top on every single try though.

The first day: the climb from Bedoin: 21.4 KM at an altitude of 300 meters.

Containing about a hundred bends and turns, level of ascent at 10- 11%.

Average climbing time: 2 hours en 25 minutes. (fastest climb ever was Mayo with  55 mins. and 51 secs.)

On this day there were some pretty severe winds, what was particularly motivating for this climb was, that someone had painted ‘’XEROX’’ in big letters on the road (most likely form the Xerox cycling team Maastricht  that had gone just one year before).

The severe winds however, had prevented us from reaching the top in the end. We were unable and even weren’t allowed to venture any further.

(wind speeds appeared to be over 180km per hour we discovered later on)

Two of our crew were already blown from their bikes. This was a huge disappointment for us as you can imagine, we were forced to turn round and head for the bungalows with headwind.

The second day, our trip started from the southern side of the mountain, from the village Sault.

This climb was somewhat less steep, but was a total of 4 kilometers longer though.

We first had to cycle 45 kilometers before we could reach the start in Sault as well. What was a bit of a downer was, that 25 Kilometers of these 45 kilometers involved some serious climbing too. 

After having had a (well-earned) stop in Sault, every single member of our team managed to reach the top. On the way up we were amazed by some of the spectacular views the mountain provided us and experienced several goosebump moments. Especially when we passed the monument for Tommy Simpson ( Tommy Simpson was a British cyclist who died of exhaustion on the slopes of Mont Ventoux during the Tour de France in 1967)

The times of this long climb were between 1.45 and 2.15, what isn’t bad at all for a couple of recreationists (Who knew that drinking French beer the night before this huge climb would prove to be such great source of energy?)

The third day: we had a bit of  relaxing, we decided to kick back a little for this day, avoiding the great climbs  and cycling trough lovely places like Vailon de La Romaine. Cycled about 80 kilometres in total this day and had a nice swim afterwards in the swimming pool  of the vacation park situated in the village.

The fourth day:    Starting the climb from the northern side, starting in the picturesque village of Malaucene, this climb is the most used and resembles to the one starting in Bedoin (from day 1).

This climb is about 21 kilometers long and the average climbing time is 2 hours and 30 minutes.

Steepness was varying a lot, it started off with 9% , after that it lowered to 3.5% and it then raised again to a long period of 9- 11%. Once again, every single one of us had made it to the top; the fastest mountain goat reached it in 1.53 and the last arrived in 2.25, so pretty good right?

The fifth (and last) day: We decided to attempt the failed climb from Bedoin once again. Excellent weather, hardly any wind at all, a bit warm though, but we decided to give it our best shot. Having started off with the best intentions, everyone seemed to have had it after 16 kilometers, the whole week just seemed to have caught up with us. Only our best mountain goat managed to reach the top, with a time of 1.58 (which is very admirable). The rest of the team stranded at Chalet Reynard and started with drinking the usual cola shots after having had 16 kilometers of climbing. After reuniting our group, we took the long road down to Sault. From Sault, we did another 40 kilometers trough Georges de la Nesque (remember this one), a magnificent situated route that should be visited by anyone who happens to find himself cycling in this area in the future. Approaching the last kilometers we would cycle this week we encountered our first misfortunes, one team member having a flat tire and another member having a broken spoke. The broom wagon was called in and the rest of us managed to finish the job.

Arriving at our vacation park, after having cycled over a total 600 kilometers, we were finally able to give our bikes a rest. Apart from the cycling skills this group had, they also proved this week to possess other important things: great cooking skills, excellent mechanics and most important of all: Great teamspirit. Apart from the loud snoring sounds coming out of the bungalows at night and the rather noisy ‘’frunniks’’ at 4 a.m. in the morning, this week had been SUPER and the whole team will cherish it’s memories. For the year coming up, there are already many ideas for even more challenges: the Stelvio 28 kilometers long with its top on a height of 2855 meters or maybe the Pyrenees in cols as the Tourmallet 19 kilometers with an altitude of 2115 meters…?

To be continued…

Be seeing you,

‘Just another mountain goat,’

Wiel Lamers

Spares Planner Venray

Hi Team!

I am riding the Tour de Cure this year as a member of the XICT.  It is on May 7th in San Diego, and should be a beautiful ride.  Come out to sunny San Diego and do the ride too!  If you can’t, then please help support the cause by donating here:  http://main.diabetes.org/site/TR?px=6630091&pg=personal&fr_id=7613&et=agUJS-W5NL0ZHAxB2kVLzA..&s_tafId=377323

Cheers!!

Dan

G’day all. Well, the Aussie chapter is finally active! We are helping fight MS by riding in the Sydney to Wollongong bike ride on 7 November, along with 10,000 other crazy cyclists. Check out my blog and, if you’re able to help, even the smallest donation is gratefully accepted. I’m gunning for $5000 on my own and the team wants to raise $10k to fight this insidious disease. Check out the blog at http://register.gongride.org.au/MS-Sydney-to-the-Gong-Bike-Ride/srlane

This year will be my 7th MS150 ride. Are there any other Xerox folks participating in either one of these two rides this year?

Although you will find only a few hardy souls riding outside in the cold weather right now, things are heating up for the ADA Tour de Cure in western NY. The team is registered and you can join us or sponsor a rider at our web page. Our team has grown each year since we started participating in this event and we plan to continue that trend.

Hello
At the begining I greet all cyclists.
Fasting that give the signal that in Poland there is a group of cyclists intensively involved in Polish bike world. Our Fellowship is involved in running marathons MTB.

Best regards.

With 33 registered riders and over $12,000 raised before the start of the ride, XICT was among the top teams in the June 7 event based in Mendon Ponds Park in Monroe County. The team had riders in the century (100 miles), metric century (62.5 miles), and 40-mile distances. With both the new and old jerseys on the road, there were a lot of comments received about what a large and good-looking team we are.

Our visibility at the event was increased by the tent we were provided as one of the top teams in a challenge set forth by the ADA organizers. It was a great place to hang out after the ride, enjoy the food, drinks and music, and visit with teammates.

Pictures have been added to the gallery, but there may be additions so check back often!

The TN/GA Chapter riders will again participate in the ADA Tour de Cure in 2009. This year’s event will be on May 9th in northern Georgia. Click here to join or support the team.