Team Velocause organized the Milwaukee Mile Crit, and expects the venue will help attract hundreds of riders from throughout the Midwest, and a few international competitors from Australia, Canada and Germany.

Intense competition in the WCA President's Cup race series. Photo courtesy of Team Velocause.

The criterium loop will stretch for nearly two miles on the paved oval and the infield road course.

The race will be the 12th in the Wisconsin Cup series and count toward the overall championship for juniors, masters and pros.

In the current standings, Andrea Pether, Bethany Sodergren and Ashley Jensen lead the ISCorp Team domination in the women’s category 1/2 division. Daniel Ajer, Matt Shriver and Maxwell Anderson hold the top spots in the men’s Cat. 1 group.

Junior racers will start the action at 9 a.m., the masters will race throughout the day and the pros take the start line at 4:40 p.m. Check out the Team Velocause site for more details.

Matter taps that endless twist when asked how long he plans to carry on as a pro cyclist. “I’ve got two more years,” he says; and he’s been saying it for a decade.

Approaching his 35^th birthday, and still one of the most dominant mountain bike racers in the Midwest, isn’t ready to leave the nomad life behind and settle into coaching full-time. Instead, he’s testing himself in new ways and persisting in his pursuit of podium finishes in the sport’s biggest races.

Brian Matter racing in Prescott, Ariz.

Next up for the RACC Team rider from Sheboygan is the Trans-Sylvania Mountain Bike Epic, a seven-day stage race over the hilly terrain near State College, Pa., starting Sunday. It’s the longest mountain bike stage race in the country, and a different challenge than the usual events Matter has ruled: the Chequamegon Fat Tire 40, the Ore to Shore and the Wisconsin Off Road Series.

“Variety is the spice of life and probably about five years ago I heard about Trans-Sylvania and something about the name caught my attention,” he said. “The mountain biking there looked amazing and reading some of the post-race write-ups, it sounded like a summer camp for mountain bikers. Cookouts and camp fires and mountain biking war stories.”

In the last decade, Matter has won the Chequamegon Fat Tire and the Ore to Shore four times each, and topped the WORS elite standings five. That regional success fuels his efforts to race against the best in the country and the world, in the USA Cyclo-Cross National Championships and the UCI World Championships. In that tier of racing, he’s regularly in the top 20, but just short of his ultimate goals of podium finishes.

It’s not easy, or lucrative.

Matter doesn’t have the luxury of riding in a team bus, or turning his equipment over to a team mechanic.

“Remember, I’m going to Wal-Mart to buy a sleeping bag later this afternoon,” he said, referring to his preparation for the week-long Trans-Sylvania race.

“I feel I’m at work 50 to 60 hours a week,” Matter said. “You finish a four-hour bike ride, then you stretch, and massage, the recovery time takes two hours, then there’s cleaning bikes and maintaining bikes. You’re constantly working at keeping things maintained and going, whether it’s your body or your bikes. For me, it’s rewarding. I like working hard and succeeding at races, even if it’s a 12^th place at the Whiskey 50, against the best bike racers in the world.”

He still has more enthusiasm than frustration, after 20 years of racing. And each year brings him two more, and the happiness of a job he enjoys.

“Each year, I feel like I get smarter and learn more about my body, and I keep getting faster,” Matter said. “I’m having a ton of fun.

“I’ve been doing it for so long, the reality of a 9-to-5 office job does not sound appealing to me. I’m going to keep doing this for as long as I can.”

A new bicycling Fyxation: Nick and Ben Ginster have been a part of the boom in bicycles in Milwaukee, as entrepreneurs who built their business, Fyxation Bicycles, over the last four years. Rick Romell of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel shared their story on Sunday, and added this bit of good news for the local industry: an analyst’s prediction that a growing group of 20-somethings will spark a surge in sales over the next decade.

No bike racks: The launch of a massive bike share system in New York City – 330 stations and 6,000 bicycles – has generated unexpected opposition from residents upset about the installation of the racks for the bikes. The New York Times reports on the outcry just weeks before the scheduled Memorial Day start.

Driver dumb as a tweet: Emma Way proved herself to be one of the worst drivers on the road in Norwich, England, and one of the dumbest. The woman hit a bicyclist, then bragged about it via twitter: “Definitely knocked a cyclist off his bike earlier – I have right of way and he doesn’t even pay road tax!” It appears she’ll be the one paying, after police found her via her social media trail.

Brittany Barnstable remembered: The need for both motorists and bicyclists to be more aware and courteous was magnified by the weekend death of Brittany Barnstable, a 15-year-old freshman at Whitnall High School. Barnstable was killed while crossing Sunnyslope Road, along the New Berlin Recreation Trail. This piece from Patch.com describes the talented artist, rambunctious soccer player and joyful cyclist.

MS love and perseverance: The MS Run the US relay across America became a love story over the weekend, when a serious complication forced Michelle Jacboi to halt her leg of the 3,000-mile journey, in Utah. Doctors diagnosed Jacobi with Rhabdomyolysis, a break down of muscle that creates toxins in the blood. Her husband, Justin, volunteered to fill in for her missing miles, and inspired organizer Ashley Kumlien to write: “MS Run the US has never been about personal athletic achievement. It’s about love. I ran for the love of my mom, we run for the love of those living with MS, and now Justin is out there because he loves you. Don’t let your personal goals shadow what this is about.”

Volunteers from the Waukesha Bicycle Alliance invested more than 460 hours to design and develop the mountain bike trail, giving them a ride option close to home. The initial 1.5-mile loop will open on June 1, a second loop will open in the fall and the full system spanning five miles will open in Spring.

“My philosophy is I want trails I can ride to,” said Ron Stawicki, president of the WBA. “The Kettles are great and the Tosa Trails and The Rock Sports Complex are great, but there’s still a 20-minute drive. It’s nice to have trails close to home.”

Riders will access the Minooka Park trails near picnic shelter #5, roughly at 1927 E. Sunset Dr., in Waukesha.

Waukesha County Executive Dan Vrakas will lead the ribbon-cutting ceremony, at 9 a.m. on the June 1.

“Part of the Waukesha County Park System mission is to provide our citizens with many different recreation opportunities and activities,” Vrakas said. “The mountain bike trails will meet a community and regional need and promote bicycling and outdoor activities in the park.”

Minooka Park is a popular recreation destination for hikers in summer and cross-country skiers in winter. The mountain bike trails will be separate from those paths.

The victim, Brittany Barnstable, 15, was bicycling on the popular paved path about 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, according to media reports. She was hit while crossing Sunnyslope Rd., near the east end of the seven-mile trail. Stop signs are posted on the trail at the road crossing, and caution signs warn motorists to watch for trail users at that location.

The Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the fatality, the second involving a bicyclist in Wisconsin this year.

Barnstable played on the Whitnall High School freshman soccer team and her squad held a 15-second moment of silence before a game in South Milwaukee on Monday night. Her grandparents described her as bubbly and determined, in an interview with WTMJ-TV. They also encouraged others to wear helmets while bicycling, although it was not certain that a helmet would have saved her life in the crash with an SUV.

That kind of prize money continues to draw top-level competition that produces impressive times, some of the fastest in the state.

Eliud Ngetich, a 19-year-old Kenyan living in New York City, won the men’s marathon in 2:18:26, and Laura Kleppin, a Wisconsin native now training in California, took the women’s prize in 2:47:21. Those times were 26 minutes and 17 minutes, respectively, faster than the winning times for the men and women in the Wisconsin Marathon earlier this month.

The half marathon performances in Green Bay were equally impressive.

Benson Cheruiyot, of Valparaiso, Ind., won with a 1:05:17, and seven runners finished in under 1:10. Tyler Sigl, one of the state’s best in recent years, finished fifth with a 1:07:58.

In the women’s half, Kellyn Johnson, of Flagstaff, Ariz., won in 1:12:57, a time that would have made her the overall winner in the Wisconsin Half Marathon.

Complete results from Green Bay can be found here.

As important as the fast times, the marathon and shorter races went off without any major problems, according to post-race reports. Race Director Sean Ryan could breath a little easier after two years of difficulty, including a mis-marked course in 2011 and the heat that forced a mid-race cancellation in 2012.

The Green Bay Press-Gazette has more details on the day.

An aerial view showing the future look of Three Bridges Park

The name has a direct connection, playing off the new bridges that link the 24-acre park to the Hank Aaron State Trail and Mitchell Park. In a broader extension, Three Bridges captures the various elements of the valley and the decades-long effort to rebuild a deteriorated industrial corridor into a natural space for exercise and education.

Menomonee Valley From the Ground Up received 777 submissions in its call for suggestion for a name.

“This park offers a chance to create a space for people to come together in what was once widely though of as the dividing line in our community,” the group, Menomonee Valley Partners shared in submitting the name for official approval. “The significance of the name goes as far back as the native tribes and spans Father Groppi’s march across the valley and Hank Aaron’s accomplishments playing baseball in the valley’s west end.”

Three Bridges Park, a 24-acre green space rising above the south bank of the Menomonee River, will open July 20.

One of the bridges, the valley passage at S. 37th St., opened in 2010. Bridges extending from S. 33rd St.  and Mitchell Park will open with the park in July.

In addition to announcing the name, project leaders shared Thursday that they have secured 90% of the $25 million to pay for the improvements, including a six-mile extension of the Hank Aaron State Trail. The Menomonee Valley Partners and the Urban Ecology Center will work to raise the last $2.5 million this summer.

Under construction, the bridge from S. 33rd St. to Three Bridges Park. Photo by Tom Held.

The bridge from Mitchell Park, extends east of S. 27th St. to Three Bridges park. Photo by Tom Held.

Team LifeStriders stretches out in the TrailBreaker Half Marathon.

Running in the Trailbreaker Half Marathon in April, the team of 103 tied themselves to the cause of LifeStriders, a horse-riding therapy program in the Town of Delafield. Children and adults with disabilities gain physical and mental skills by riding horses.

Sarah Knowles joined the group and ran her first half-marathon, inspired by the joy her son Matthew experienced through LifeStriders.

When Matthew first started, he could barely sit up,” Sarah Knowles said in this piece from OnMilwaukee.com. “He wasn’t interested in looking at anyone. He wouldn’t make eye contact.

“He’s a different child now. He can sit up straight. He can walk; the motion of the horses makes his leg muscles work. He’ll reach for the volunteers. It’s just unbelievable.”

Busche rides strong: Matthew Busche, a Wauwatosa native, rode himself into the top 10 of the overall standings through three stages of the Amgen Tour of California. His chase up a 10% grade in the final miles of Stage Two produced a compelling interview, showing the complete effort and exhaustion of pro racing. Busche is one of RadioShack Leopard Trek’s team leaders in the eight-stage race, featuring the world’s top pros.

Cyclists are special: The annual Bike to Work Week offers an opportunity for heated debate over the rules of the road and whether they apply differently to cyclists. I’ve long followed the maxim: obey traffic laws whether riding or biking. Others argue that cyclists should have some special treatment. Streetsblog provides this forum. And check out the Bike to Work week events through Sunday in the Milwaukee area.

Marathon improvements in Green Bay: Organizers of the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon promise better access to medical care, better communications and better decision-making for the race on Sunday, improvements all developed after high temperatures caused chaos and the cancellation of the 2012 marathon. The Green Bay Press Gazette describes the response to the difficult day, when 18 runners were taken to emergency rooms. This year should be better, with the changes, and a forecast for cooler weather.

Losing fitness: I built a good fitness base for the running season, through late April, then a large work project and the demands of twin toddlers separated me and my running shoes for two weeks. Like most athletes in similar straits, I fear all that fitness has vanished. And, to a large extent, I’m right. Competitor Running offers an excellent explanation of how we lose fitness, how to maintain it with low volume and how to get it back. The most troubling line: “It takes at least twice as long, if not longer, to gain fitness as to lose fitness. It takes much, much longer to build a house than to knock it down.”

Here are a couple updates:

The Wisconsin Off-Road Series postponed its season opener, the Iola Bump & Jump, from May 5 to May 19, and the Crystal Lake Classic, in Rhinelander, has been moved from May 19 to May 26.

The Cable Area Off Road Classic will go off as scheduled this Saturday, May 18, but the single-track trails in the CAMBA system remain closed and will not be used. A race that has been a grinding affair over tight, twisting, hilly trails will be a wide-open dash down the gravel roads and fire lanes. It may be disappointing to some, but this might be the start of a whole new race in the Cable area, given the popularity of gravel races in the Midwest.

Ron Bergin says the CAMBA Trails are scheduled to open May 24, and the Festival of Trails and the Mt. Borah Epic are on for the weekend of May  31 to June 2.

Closer to Milwaukee, the mountain bike trails in the Kettle Moraine State Forest – both the northern and southern unit – have been open for a couple weeks. Be sure to check the IMBA Southern Kettle Moraine Chapter site for the latest trail reports.