Girls on Track

I'm helping out with something this spring that I'm really excited about.

My friend Liz, whose talents never cease to amaze me (she's a photographer, a writer, a graphic designer, a singer, and oh yeah, a 4-time elite national champion and 3-time masters world champion track cyclist) asked me to help host a clinic for women at our local velodrome, the Valley Preferred Cycling Center.

Check it out:
The pitch:

This unique women's-only clinic welcomes novices and road riders to a skills-oriented, fun-filled day of track cycling.

National and Masters World Champion Liz Reap Carlson will be your host along with Pat Marzi of Team Salamander, and me. You'll learn new skills, basic track etiquette, nutrition and training tips. Set a personal best in a time trial! Line up for your first race, if so inclined. Maximum fun is our primary goal!

Date: May 17, 2009; additional dates planned throughout the summer.

Register here. Seriously, it's going to be a lot of fun! Here's why you'll love it:

• It's a great workout!
• You get to meet Liz and Pat!
• There are no cars to harass you!
• You'll be able to say you rode a bike with no brakes!*
  

I'm lucky enough to live near a velodrome and have had the chance to ride there through a corporate challenge race program. But it's one of those things that few people ever get the opportunity to try. And I think that's a shame. It's an amazingly exhilarating experience. You walk away feeling totally badass (that's me on the track in the picture to the left at last year's corporate challenge).

If you live within a 100-mile radius of Trexlertown, PA (and I know some of you do!), you should consider coming out. It'll be so much fun--and it's a fantastic workout!

*A track bike doesn't have brakes and it has a fixed gear, so you essentially control your speed using just the pedals. The track is a 333-meter oval with steep banks on either side.