Well April was a challenging month for the team (and all cyclists), due to the unusually cold temperatures. The weather was consistently bad in the upper 30’s and low 40’s which can make racing a motivational challenge. Some of the TVC racers did get out there and brave the elements. Chris Zugel, Steve Sarver, and Todd Bugnacki were our standout racers  for the month of April scoring a combined 5 podiums.

Training camps:  A couple of the other TVC racers got out of town to get some training in. Brian Leatherman, Jeff Elam, and Andy Feuersthaler went to the very Southern part of Illinois to train near Southern Illinois University where Leatherman raced in college. The roads and route were extremely challenging, and the guys got in 15.25 hours of training in the 4 days they were there. A couple weeks later Benny Smith, Brian Schwaller, Billy Graef, and Andy Feuersthaler went to Northern Georgia to ride in the Appellation Mountains. Billy and Brian actually did 8 days in GA, and split their time between Mountain biking and road cycling. Benny and Andy just focused their 5 days on the road. The guys rode an average of 5 hours a day including a 104 mile ride in Ellijay, GA that consisted of over 6 hours in the saddle and climbed 11,425 feet. Benny and Andy climbed over 29,000 feet in 4 days. Billy and Brian did another 10,000 in the 8 days they were there.

March 17^th: Pleasant Prairie, WI.   

• Chris Zugel score the team their first podium of the year in Pleasant Prairie despite having to ride the last portion of the ride unable to shift (Di2 issue).

April 13^th: Lincoln Park, IL. 

• Chris Zugel braved the high 30 degree temperature, got in the break and finished 6^th.

April 14^th: Great Dane #1 (Madison). 

• Todd Bugnacki got 6^th in the Masters 3-4 class. Chris Zugel got 5^th in the Masters 1-2-3 class.

April 20^th: Menomonee Park. 

• Steve “the switchblade” Sarver finished 4^th in the Master’s 4-5 class.
• Mike Froh finished 4^th in the Master’s 3-4 class, and Todd Bugnacki and Steve Sarver (pulling double duty) finished in the top 20.
• Chris Zugel made the break in the Master’s 1-2-3 class and scored another podium crossing the line in 3^rd.
• Trevor Russel finished 15^th, and Ryan White went “all in” trying to solo the final lap. The field caught him with 250 meters to  go, but it was an amazing effort.

April 21st: Great Dane #2 (Madison): 

• Steve “the Machete” Sarver doubled up again and finished 4^th in the Master’s 4-5 class, and got a podium in the cat 5 class crossing the line 3^rd.
• Mike Froh got the team another podium finishing 2^nd in the Master’s 3-4 class, with Todd Bugnacki  right behind him in 5^th.
• Brian Leatherman entered his first Masters 1-2-3 race and got a top 15 in the gusty conditions.

April 27^th:  Whitnall Park.  Whitnall was the first race of the year where the weather wasn’t in the 40’s., and TVC had more entries in all the classes.

• Andy Feuersthaler finished 4^th and Ryan White 6^th in the Master’s 1-2-3 class.  They were assisted by Chia Kung, Brian Leatherman, and Chris Zugel. Leatherman and Zugel were both in breaks during the race, but those were brought back and the race finished in a field sprint.
• J’ Lamb (Jeff Elam) finished 5^th in the Master’s 3-4 class despite his physical allergy to undulations. He was followed by Mike Froh in 7^th and Todd Bugnacki in 9^th. Steve “the power lifter” Sarver scored the team another podium finishing 3rs in the master’s 4-5 class.

Upcoming events include:

• Monday night Café Centraal recovery/instructional rides (5:30 every Monday).
• Team Velocause team rides every Wednesday night out of Zaffiro’s Pizza in the Marcus North Shore Cinema.
• Kenosha Velosport Track racing starts Tuesday May 14^th.
• Monster’s of the Midway, IL Cup Criterium on May 11^th
• Muskego WCA Criterium may 11^th.
• Volunteering Event. May 18 – Arthritis Walk Southeastern WI – University Lake School – Hartland (Chelsey)
• Wheels on Willy Criterium on Sunday May 19^th.
• Team Velocause Criterium Saturday May 26^th.
• Melon City Criterium in Muscatine, Iowa on Sunday May 26^th.
• Rock Island Criterium (aka: Cage Match) in IL on Monday May 27^th.

Special thanks to all of our sponsors that help support our causes!

Ben's Cycle | Bartolotta Restaurants | Castelli | Casting Solutions | Enzo's Cycling Products | Grand Cafe Centraal | Cinelli | Hardrath Design | HED Cyling | Milwaukee Bicycle | Jimmy John's | Northwestern Mutual | Prudential | RiderSurance | Smith Optics | Specialized | Zaffiro's |