How Commited Are You?

...Or should you be commited! It'll be January first in a couple weeks, time for new years resolutions and all that stuff. If you belong to a gym it'll be so crowded you'll have to wait to get on a machine. Me, can't stand working out indoors, unless it's a pool.

ARE YOU COMMITED???

Time for the January Winter Ride Off, presented by the Midwest Cycling Community. What's this you ask? Welp, I stole the idea from Paddy, our north of the border brutha, who stole it from someone else. Paddy's rules rule. Read below.

Scoring rubric is as follows:

1. Each ride--on or off road--is worth 70 points, minus the lowest recorded windchill during the ride.Example 1: the windchill is 25 degrees. To get your score, you subtract 25 from 70: the base score for that ride is 55. Example 2: the windchill is minus 10 degrees. 70 minus -10 = 80 points.The colder it is the more points you score.Example 3: there is no windchill; then take the lowest temperature: 70 minus 62 = 8 points. If it gets warmer than 70, then enjoy, but no points will be awarded (or subtracted) for the ride.

2. To get your total points, you multiple the base score by the number of hours ridden.Example: Base score is 55; time ridden 2.5 hours. total score = 137.5 points. Let's keep it simple: if you ride for 2 hours and 20 minutes, you round to 2.25 hours, 2:10 goes to 2.25 hours; 2:25 goes to 2.5 hours. In other words, round to the nearest quarter hour.

3. If you convince two or more other idiots to ride with you, add 10 social points to your total points.Example: 50 base score x 3 hours =150 points + 10 social points =160 total points for the ride.

4. If you ride a single speed/fixed gear bike, add ten suffer points. (Or, if you are a nutcase like Paul and insist on suffering mightily, but don't have a SS--yet, get in one gear like 32 x 16 and stay there for the whole ride. No shifting, no, no, no!)Example: 50 base score x 3 hours =150 points + 10 social points + 10 suffer points = 170 total points for the ride.

5. No more than four rides per week may count. Submit your best four. (MOD note: sorry communters, one way = one ride)

6. Running or crosscountry skiing outdoors also counts. Same formula as above.

7. Indoor spinning, weightlifting, roller riding, swimming, etc. do not count. Be a sissy, if you must, but don't expect to be rewarded for it.

So here's how we're doing it Nebraska stylee. All may enter, just e-mail me at mark(at)trekomaha(dot)com and say you want to enter. Write "January Winter Ride Off" in the subject line. Starting January 1st, E-mail your weekly points total to me each Sunday night. Weekly and cummulative results will be posted on the Trek Omaha website and Highgear website.

Awards? Heck yeah there's awards!

1st Place - Pearl Izumi Amfib gloves ($65 value)
2nd Place - Pearl Izumi Amfib botties ($45 value)
3rd Place - Nike Winter riding cap ($25 value)

Awards ceremony will be the first Friday of February. Must be present to win. Details to follow.

I had 279 points last week. Get out and ride!!!